Ontario cracking down on pot-impaired drivers with tough new penalties

As the countdown to the legalization of recreational pot in Canada next July looms closer, Ontario is beefing-up penalties against drivers caught under the influence.

• Reports of drug-impaired driving on the rise in Toronto, new StatsCan data shows
• Trudeau government introduces sweeping changes to impaired driving laws

Premier Kathleen Wynne announced the introduction of new legislation on Monday. It includes zero tolerance for anyone 21 years old and under, novice drivers and commercial drivers. 

"This is a new frontier for us here in Ontario, and a shift for all of us across the country," said Wynne.

"We need more answers from the federal government...but that doesn't mean that we can sit back and wait."

A 'good chance you're going to get caught'

All other drivers will have to stay under a limit which has yet to be determined, said Steven Del Duca, Ontario's minister of transportation.

Del Duca said a saliva drug screening device, which will be approved in the coming months, will test the driver's degree of intoxication. 

Andrew Murie, the chief executive officer for MADD (Mothers Against Drunk Driving) Canada said that one of the reasons people drive impaired is because they don't think they're going to get caught. Murie says the saliva testing kit, once approved, will be able to be used on the roadside.

"We need to get that message out there to everyone that if you choose to use drugs and get behind the wheel there's a good chance you're going to get caught, tested and the appropriate penalties [will] apply," Murie said.

According to an Ontario press release, each occurrence will include a fine and a suspension of the driver's licence.

The first time young and novice drivers are caught (those with a G1, G2, M1, or M2 licence), they will face a three-day licence suspension and a $250 fine. The second offence will slap a seven-day suspension with a $350 fine on the driver. All occurrences after that are subject to a 30-day suspension and a $450 fine.

Commercial drivers will see similar monetary fines, but only three-day suspensions for each offence. 

The news comes after Ontario's Liberal government announced its plan to distribute and sell recreational cannabis.

• Ontario unveils pot plan, including online ordering, 150 stand-alone stores
• City recommends endorsing Ontario's pot plan but wants province to commit to funding

Wynne also announced the province will host a fall summit with policing agencies, public health groups and other stakeholders to discuss Ontario's marijuana legalization framework.

The Ontario government plans to sell marijuana in as many as 150 dedicated stores run by the province's liquor control board and make 19 the legal age to buy the drug.