The Alberta government has outlined upcoming changes to impaired driving laws in the province.
Starting on April 9, criminally impaired drivers will receive a 90 day licence suspension, followed by mandatory participation in a one year ignition interlock program. If the driver chooses to not participate in the ignition interlock program, their suspension will remain in place for one year.
The province defines a criminally impaired driver as a driver with a blood alcohol concentration of .08 or over, a driver impaired by drugs or a combination of alcohol and drugs, or a driver who fails or refuses to provide a breath or blood sample.
Back in May 2017, the Alberta Court of Appeal ruled parts of the province's licence suspension legislation – specifically the indefinite suspension of a driver’s licence until a criminal charge was resolved in court – were unconstitutional
In addition, there will be a zero tolerance policy for drivers under the Graduated Driver Licensing (GDL) Program for cannabis and illegal drugs in the bloodstream, in addition to alcohol.
GDL drivers found with any amount of alcohol, cannabis, illegal drugs or a combination will be subject to a 30 day suspension, seven day vehicle seizure and lengthened term in the GDL program.
The changes announced Tuesday are provincial sanctions; drivers will still be subject to criminal charges, and any associated penalties imposed by the courts.
The laws came after the province passed An Act to Reduce Cannabis and Alcohol-Impaired Driving in the fall of 2017.
The province said the legislation made it possible to enforce upcoming changes to federal impaired driving charges, including proposed blood drug concentration limits for cannabis and a combination of cannabis and alcohol, similar to legal limits already in place for alcohol.
