There is a new zero tolerance policy on impaired driving in Alberta. As of Dec. 18, policies under Bill C-46 came into effect, which tighten the rules around driving under the influence of alcohol, and legal or illegal drugs. The changes were developed by the Province in response to the federal government’s legalization of cannabis on Oct. 17. Okotoks RCMP Sgt. Sukh Randhawa said adjustments had to be made to incorporate cannabis in driving laws. “It’s a growing pain on our side,” said Randhawa. “We’re learning as we are moving forward with this new legislation.” One of the biggest changes comes to the Graduated Driver's Licence Program (GDL) and licence suspensions, he said. Under the GDL program, anyone caught with any amount of cannabis or illegal drug in their bloodstream is subject to an immediate 30-day licence suspension and a seven-day vehicle seizure, he said. “The GDL program is for two years, and there should be no suspension at all under that program for two years in order to get their actual driver’s licence,” said Randhawa. As far as regular driver’s licence suspensions, under Bill C-46 if there is visible belief a person is under the influence of alcohol or drug, they will receive an immediate 90-day licence suspension and three-day vehicle seizure, he said. The driver is also required to participate in the Province’s one-year Ignition Interlock Program, he said. The program involves having a breathalyzer device installed in the vehicle and requires the driver to register his or her blood alcohol level prior to driving and several times through each trip. New to the Alberta Alcohol and Drug Impairment act is the blood-drug concentration limit, similar to measuring blood alcohol content, he said. “It’s called BDC and it’s for several legal drugs, such as cannabis or alcohol,” said Randhawa. “Alberta Alcohol and Drug Impairment driving offence and its sanctions have been updated to align with this new federal drug laws, and one of the things we’re seeing is that we would implement the new drug impaired offence with specific blood-drug concentration.” According to Bill C-46, fines for driving under the influence of alcohol start at $1,000 for the first offence with a blood-alcohol level of 80 to 110mg, with fines increasing depending on content levels. Second offences will result in 30 days imprisonment and a third offence will see the offender locked up for 120 days. The fines run similarly for drug impairment. The bill also states officers may require any lawfully-stopped driver to provide a breath sample, “even without reasonable suspicion that the driver has alcohol in their body.” Randhawa said it’s all about making the roads safer and discouraging impaired people from getting behind the wheel. “It is zero tolerance, that’s the bottom line,” he said. Okotoks RCMP will be educating the public on the new legislation, beginning with its checkstops and increased patrols on the streets throughout the holiday season. They will be looking for impaired drivers, as well as making sure people are buckled up and not distracted behind the wheel, he said. “There will be checkstops definitely through the holiday period at various different locations in Okotoks,” said Randhawa.
