Drivers could face mandatory alcohol screening during traffic stops in Ottawa, police warn
Ottawa police warn drivers pulled over for a traffic stop may be asked to provide a breath sample, as the service continues to see a rise in impaired drivers on the roads.
Newly released statistics show 260 drivers were charged with impaired-driving related offences on Ottawa roads in the first four months of this year. A total of 885 people were charged with impaired driving in 2023.
Police say officers will continue to "proactively patrol" Ottawa's roads, and officers may ask drivers to participate in mandatory alcohol screening during traffic stops.
"If you are pulled over for a traffic stop, an officer may ask you to provide a sample into an approved screening device," Acting Sgt. Amy Gagnon said in a media release.
"Under Canada’s Mandatory Alcohol Screening (MAS) law, drivers must comply with a police officer’s demand for a sample, even in the absence of any suspicion that they have consumed alcohol. Officers are also trained to request drivers to submit to a series of roadside tests if they suspect that the driver is impaired by drugs."
Gagnon told Newstalk 580 CFRA's Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron that the type of traffic stop that would trigger a mandatory alcohol screening would be determined by traffic officers at the start of each shift.
"They could say, 'Today, every person I pull over for speeding 30 over, the mandatory alcohol screening will be made.' Or it could be every person that's going through a stop sign. We're giving the officers the freedom to make that decision," she said.
Gagnon said the decision to screen will not be made on a stop-by-stop basis.
"We're going to ask for some consistency. It helps everyone, it helps officers get comfortable with the mandatory screening demand and how it all works."
Last week, the Ontario Provincial Police announced the implementation of the mandatory alcohol screening in all traffic stops in the Greater Toronto Area, following a nearly 30 per cent increase in impaired-driving related collisions.
The OPP said that if drivers refuse to provide a breath sample, they will be criminally charged.
Previously, officers only requested alcohol testing when they had reason to suspect a driver was under the influence.
Ottawa police are reminding drivers not to get behind the wheel if they are impaired.
"Driving while impaired, more commonly known as 'drinking and driving', also includes driving under the influence of any drugs," police said.
"While cannabis is legal in Canada, consuming it and driving remains illegal. There is no circumstance where it is acceptable to consume cannabis or other drugs and get behind the wheel. Decisions like these not only endanger yourself as a driver, but everyone around you, including other drivers, pedestrians, cyclists and more."
The mandatory alcohol screening is used around the world and have proven results, according to police.
With files from CTV News Toronto's Brooklyn Connolly
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Drive one of these vehicles? You may pay 37 per cent more than average insurance costs due to thefts
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
'I'm not wealthy': Ontario senior shocked she owes $40,000 in capital gains after gifting land
An Ontario senior who wanted to help her daughter and grandson eventually own homes one day decided to give them two lots on her property as a gift—but she didn’t know it would eventually cost her tens of thousands of dollars.
NDP want Liberals to scrap proposed election date change that could secure pensions for many MPs
The federal New Democrats want to amend the Liberal government's electoral reform legislation to scrap the proposal to push back the vote by a week and consequently secure pensions for dozens of MPs, CTV News has learned.
Israel's war cabinet minister moves to dissolve parliament: statement
Israeli war cabinet minister Benny Gantz's centrist party has proposed holding a vote to dissolve parliament in a bid to bring about an early election, his party said in a statement on Thursday.
DEVELOPING BMO clients face outages in Canada, U.S. following data centre fire alarm
Bank of Montreal clients on both sides of the border Thursday morning have reported outages with banking services. BMO said its technical team is investigating.
Exorbitant fees get Gazans out with no help from Ottawa
The comforting sound of giggling grandchildren has chased away the cloud of anxiety that has loomed over Mohammed and Intisar Nofal's home for the past seven months.
Nick Taylor of Abbotsford, B.C., begins RBC Canadian Open defence
Nick Taylor begins the defence of his RBC Canadian Open title this morning.
B.C. mortgage broker ran $270-million Ponzi scheme, then fled Canada, bankruptcy trustee says
The trustee appointed to manage the bankruptcies of a Victoria mortgage company and its owner has concluded that they committed "numerous offences" and operated as a "massive Ponzi scheme."
Want to turn off Meta AI? You can't - but there are some workarounds
If you use Facebook, WhatsApp or Instagram, you've probably noticed a new character pop up answering search queries or eagerly offering tidbits of information in your feeds, with varying degrees of accuracy.