By: Carol Baldwin
Local Journalism Initiative Reporter
Wakaw Recorder
The Government of Saskatchewan announced on June 29th that it plans to implement administrative penalties for impaired driving. This initiative aims to enhance road safety in the province by providing law enforcement with additional tools to hold impaired drivers accountable and facilitate their removal from Saskatchewan roads more efficiently.
“Our government continues to strengthen Saskatchewan’s response to impaired driving by making consequences more immediate, certain and effective,” Justice Minister and Attorney General Tim McLeod, K.C. said. “The changes we are moving towards would give police an additional tool to act quickly at the roadside, while preserving their discretion to proceed with Criminal Code charges in serious cases or whenever criminal prosecution is warranted. This approach supports public safety, helps reduce unnecessary pressure on the justice system and allows police, prosecutors and courts to focus resources where they are needed most.”
Potential changes being considered to The Traffic Safety Act would mean drivers who fail a roadside breath test could face stronger, more immediate administrative penalties, such as immediate driver’s license suspension, vehicle impoundment, requirement for an ignition lock, impaired education courses, and demerit points and financial penalties. A first offence would bring a $1,000 fine, plus a 30 percent victim surcharge, while second and subsequent offences would net a $2,000 fine, plus the 30 percent victim surcharge.
“Impaired driving remains one of the leading causes of serious collisions in our province, and Saskatchewan continues to have some of the highest alcohol-impaired driving rates in Canada. That must change,” Legislative Secretary to the Minister Responsible for SGI Travis Keisig said.
Offences resulting in fatalities, injuries, property damage or involving passengers under 16, and drivers who refuse to provide a breath sample, would continue to be dealt with strictly through Criminal Code charges.
In April 2024, the RCMP implemented mandatory roadside alcohol screenings across the province. Since 2018, the Criminal Code has allowed police to demand a breath sample without any reasonable suspicion that a driver is impaired. Currently, Saskatchewan’s impaired driving laws are among the strictest in the country, and yet Saskatchewan consistently ranks among the provinces with the highest rates of impaired driving.
“It’s time to change. It’s been too long that people just accept the fact that impaired driving is part of the culture and part of the way we live. We need to change that, and this is just one way to get that message across to people,” said Lou Van de Vorst when mandatory testing was introduced. He also called for stiffer penalties when an impaired driver is caught.
Statistics from SGI show that approximately one in five Saskatchewan traffic fatalities involves alcohol, with the highest number of impaired driving deaths occurring in July. Friday/Saturday nights, long weekends, and the holiday season are the most dangerous times. The problem is particularly acute in rural communities and among young drivers, according to statistics compiled from Transport Canada, SGI, Statistics Canada, and TIRF (Traffic Injury Research Foundation) and found on SADD Saskatchewan’s website. This strategy would give police more ways to quickly remove impaired drivers from the road, enabling them to spend less time on paperwork and more time safeguarding Saskatchewan residents on our highways and in our communities.
“The Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police supports administrative penalties for impaired driving,” said President Chief Patrick Nogier. He emphasized that the most effective deterrent is not just the severity of penalties but their certainty and immediacy.
The Second Session of the Thirtieth Legislature adjourned on May 14th, and the Assembly will reconvene on Tuesday, October 27, 2026, so any changes to The Traffic Safety Act will not happen until then, giving Saskatchewan drivers a few more months to curb their penchant for driving impaired.