To help keep roads safe, Ontario plans to introduce new legislation to make drug-impaired driving laws even tougher. These tough new measures would be in addition to penalties for an impaired driving conviction under the Criminal Code of Canada. If passed, the new measures would include:
Young and Novice Drivers
- Creating a zero tolerance approach prohibiting young (age 21 and under) and novice drivers (G1, G2, M1, M2) from having the presence of a drug in their system, as detected by a federally approved oral fluid screening device
- Aligning existing zero tolerance for alcohol sanctions for this group with the proposed sanctions for zero tolerance for drugs
- The proposed zero tolerance penalties for drugs or alcohol are:
| Licence suspension | Monetary penalty | Other penalties | |
| First occurrence | 3 days | $250 | Other penalties, such as mandatory education or treatment programs may also apply for repeat offenders. |
| Second occurrence | 7 days | $350 | |
| Third and subsequent occurrences | 30 days | $450 |
Commercial Drivers
- Creating a zero tolerance approach prohibiting commercial drivers from having the presence of either alcohol and/or drugs in their system, as detected by a federally approved screening device
- The proposed penalties are:
| Licence suspension | Monetary penalty | Other penalties | |
| First occurrence | 3 days | $250 | Other penalties, such as mandatory education or treatment programs may also apply for repeat offenders. |
| Second occurrence | 3 days | $350 | |
| Third and subsequent occurrences | 3 days | $450 |
All Drivers
- Enhancing Ontario’s existing penalties by introducing escalating monetary penalties that would apply to all impaired driving sanctions (alcohol and/or drugs)
- Drivers found to be in the warn range (Blood Alcohol Concentration (BAC) between .05 and .08) or drug-impaired drivers who fail a roadside Standardized Field Sobriety Test would face:
| Licence suspension | Monetary penalty | Other penalties | |
| First occurrence | 3 days* | $250 | Mandatory education or treatment programs, and an ignition interlock requirement* |
| Second occurrence | 7 days* | $350 | |
| Third and subsequent occurrences | 30 days* | $450 | |
*Current sanctions that will not change due to the ministry’s proposals
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| Licence suspension | Monetary penalty | Other penalties | |
| First occurrence | 90 days* | $550 | Mandatory education or treatment programs, and an ignition interlock requirement* |
| Second occurrence | 90 days* | $550 | |
| Third and subsequent occurrences | 90 days* | $550 | |
| *Current sanctions that will not change due to the ministry’s proposals | |||
NOTE: Unlike a fine, which is imposed once a driver has pled guilty or been convicted, monetary penalties are provincial administrative sanctions applied at the time of the offence.