Alberta’s new impaired driving legislation was passed this week, but St. Albert MLA Ken Allred still has misgivings about the bill.
Allred was not in the legislature very late Tuesday night when Bill 26 was passed, significantly increasing sanctions on criminally impaired drivers, as well as those who blow under the legal limit.
He said if he had been present for the vote he is not sure if he would have cast his vote in support.
“I am torn to be honest with you. I am really torn on it,” he said. “It is probably one of the most difficult pieces of legislation we have had.”
Under the legislation people who are criminally charged with impaired driving will lose their licence on the spot and they won’t be able to get it back until their charges are resolved. They will also have their vehicle seized for three days and the length of the vehicle seizure rises to seven days for repeat offenders.
Once convicted, drivers will also have to take part in the ignition interlock program, which installs alcohol measuring equipment in a vehicle for at least a year, and that also rises with repeat convictions.
The law also expands on sanctions for people with blood alcohol readings between 0.05 and the federal legal limit of 0.08.
Police officers can currently suspend a driver for 24 hours if they think the driver is impaired, regardless of the reading. Under the new law someone driving in that lower range would face a three-day vehicle seizure and suspension, which would rise to a seven-day seizure and 14-day suspension on a second infraction and then a seven-day seizure and 30-day suspension on a third infraction.
Given that people involved in collisions tend to be well over the legal limit, Allred said he is concerned about the tough penalties for those people who are under that limit.
“The biggest concern I have is the fairly severe penalty on the first offence; impounding your vehicle for three days is pretty severe.”
Taking questions on the legislation earlier this week, Premier Alison Redford said she thought the legislation sent a strong message.
“We have set a tone with this legislation. We have set a tone with respect to the values that we think a community needs to aspire to and I think we are reflecting where the community is.”
Redford said she was confident she had the support of the public with this legislation, but citing another government MLA who voted against the bill she said there was room for disagreement on the bill.
“There are people who are going to have different points of view.”
Redford said the provisions for people who are over the legal limit will likely be implemented early in the new year, but the other sections would be implemented later next year.
She said that was to allow for the technology needed to track people who might face the three-day suspensions.
Allred said he does understand why the government wanted to look at sanctions for people with lower blood alcohol limits.
“The rationale is that we have to get the message across that you don't drink and drive. Everyone who is in an accident at 0.08 was at one point at 0.05 so the messaging is very important.”
He said the government would need a strong communications initiative to make sure the public understand the new law.
“It is a bit of a communications problem that we have to understand what our limit is and stay within it.”
