Latest news with #breathalyzer
CTV News
2 days ago
- General
- CTV News
B.C. lawyer suspended for ‘conduct unbecoming' during impaired driving stop
A breathalyzer is shown in Vancouver, B.C., in a Dec. 21, 2011 file image. (THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jonathan Hayward) A lawyer from B.C.'s Lower Mainland has been suspended for one month after admitting to 'conduct unbecoming' during an impaired driving stop. The Law Society of B.C. said Manpreet Singh Bains was pulled over by an RCMP officer on May 28, 2023, and failed two roadside breathalyzer tests. The officer filed a complaint after Bains allegedly tried talking his way out of an immediate roadside prohibition. Bains admitted to pulling out his Law Society membership card during the interaction and telling the officer, 'We work in the same field, does this not account to something?' The complaint was investigated by the Law Society, and a hearing panel determined Bains' behaviour could 'reasonably be perceived as attempting to use his status as a lawyer' to avoid punishment. 'The respondent admits that his status as a lawyer was not relevant to the peace officer's decision of whether to issue an IRP,' reads the panel's decision, which was issued last week. The RCMP officer ultimately gave Bains a 90-day driving prohibition and a $500 fine. The lawyer's vehicle was also impounded for 30 days. According to the decision, Bains had been given immediate roadside prohibitions twice before – first in 2019, when he failed a breathalyzer test, and again in 2021, when he registered a 'warn' reading. Prior to the 2023 incident, Bains had been at a private gathering where he 'consumed three to five alcoholic beverages' and 'became intoxicated,' the hearing panel found. The RCMP officer stopped him in Surrey at around 4 p.m. On top of his suspension, the Law Society ordered Bains to pay $1,000 in costs. The panel said the length of his suspension 'sends a message to the public that the Law Society takes such behaviour seriously and will deal appropriately with lawyers who attempt to seek special treatment due to their status as lawyers.'
CTV News
2 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Ditched car spells deep trouble for novice driver
A pair of handcuffs and a police breathalyzer are shown in this undated file image. A young driver ditched his car on Camp Kitchen Road in Huntsville. Provincial police arrived at the scene around 3:45 p.m. Saturday, to find a young driver who police deemed to have consumed alcohol. A breathalyzer read 'fail' and a 19-year-old Huntsville man was arrested and charged with impaired driving offences, as well as being a novice driver with a blood alcohol concentration of over 80. The young man is scheduled to appear before the Ontario Court of Justice in Bracebridge on July 8. He was also issued a 90 day driver's licence suspension and had his car impounded for one week. With Ontario's graduated licensing system for new or young drivers, one of the stipulations is drivers must have zero alcohol in their system when operating a vehicle. The driver now faces a possible fine and an additional 30-day driving suspension.
CTV News
3 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Impaired driving in Muskoka nearly doubled this spring: OPP
A pair of handcuffs and a police breathalyzer are shown in this undated file image. Bracebridge OPP are reporting that they charged three more allegedly impaired drivers to close out May, bringing their month's total to almost double their amount of May 2024. The first incident, according to the detachment, was on Friday at around 9 p.m., when officers responded to a disturbance call on Ann Street in Bracebridge. Police say their investigation led to the arrest of a 43-year-old Bracebridge man. He was charged with impaired operation, impaired operation with a blood alcohol concentration exceeding 80 milligrams per 100 millilitres (over 80), and operation while prohibited. Bracebridge OPP report that the second incident happened nearly two hours later at around 10:40 p.m., when officers received a call about concerning driving on Highway 11 north in Gravenhurst. Police say the officers located and stopped the suspect vehicle near Cedar Lane in Bracebridge. The driver, a 66-year-old Huntsville woman, was charged with impaired operation and over 80. The busy overnight continued, as Bracebridge OPP say the third incident happened Saturday at around 12:20 a.m. in the Port Carling area of Muskoka Lakes Township. Police say a patrolling officer on Muskoka Road 118 stopped a vehicle that was driving in a concerning manner. The driver, a 43-year-old Oakville man, was charged with impaired operation and over 80. All three accused drivers are scheduled for court dates in Bracebridge this summer to answer to their charges. According to Bracebridge OPP, their officers charged a total of 20 allegedly impaired drivers in May. 'Impaired driving continues to be a significant factor impacting the safety of Muskoka roads,' repeated a Bracebridge OPP media officer in a news release. 'If you are concerned that someone is driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs, please call 911 to notify police.'
CBC
15-05-2025
- CBC
Alberta pilot program to target impaired boaters starting on May long weekend
A new provincial program aimed at cracking down on impaired boating will see fish and wildlife officers start administering breathalyzer tests on lakes and rivers in central Alberta for the summer months. This new pilot program to target impaired boaters in "key areas" of the province will begin on Friday and run until Sept. 1, the province said. Previously, fish and wildlife officers did not administer breathalyzer tests. In a news release Thursday, the province said the new program will focus on lakes and rivers around Spruce Grove, Wetaskiwin, Ponoka, Camrose, and Red Deer. The release states that if there is a reasonable suspicion that a boat operator has consumed alcohol, fish and wildlife officers can now administer breath tests and can arrest the operator if they are impaired. Penalties for operating a boat while impaired may include suspension of driver's licence, fines, prohibition from operating a boat, and possible prison terms. According to the Lifesaving Society and Drowning Research Centre Canada, 50 per cent of boating-relating water fatalities in Alberta involve alcohol consumption. "Alberta families have a right to enjoy our beautiful summers safely. The pilot program we've announced today sends a clear message: impaired boating has no place on Alberta's waterways. Full stop," said Alberta's Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Services Mike Ellis. "Operating a boat while impaired is just as dangerous and illegal as driving a car impaired. I want to commend our fish and wildlife officers for taking concrete steps to prevent accidents and keep Albertans safe."
CTV News
13-05-2025
- CTV News
Allegedly impaired driver charged with speeding nearly 100km/h over limit
A pair of handcuffs and a police breathalyzer with a FAIL reading are shown in this undated file image.
