Alberta’s Justice Minister and Solicitor General announced the province would not appeal a court decision over impaired driving laws, and the province would be exploring legislation in other parts of the country.
The announcement came after the Alberta Court of Appeal ruled part of Alberta’s impaired driving laws are unconstitutional. The ruling specifically stated suspending licences until a matter is resolved in court infringes on an individual’s Charter rights.
Justice Minister Kathleen Ganley said the province is not going to appeal the decision.
“The safety of Albertans in communities and on our roads is our top priority,” Ganley said in a statement. “Deaths caused by impaired driving are senseless, tragic and 100 percent preventable. We will be looking at other legislative models across the country to see which initiatives have been most effective in saving lives. We want to ensure that our laws reduce impaired driving and are also upheld in court.”
The court has allowed current sanctions to stay in place until May 2018, so police officers are still able to suspend licences for impaired driving.
