Police launch Mandatory Alcohol Screening program in Halifax area
An initiative called the Mandatory Alcohol Screening (MAS) program is designed to cut down on the number of drunk drivers on the road in the Halifax area.
“Unfortunately we have impaired drivers driving around right now. I got one this morning,” says Cst. Scott Aldridge of the Southeast RCMP traffic Services.
Canadian Parliament approved MAS in 2018. It allows officers to request a breath sample from drivers during a traffic stop for a motor vehicle infraction. Police are not permitted to pull someone over for the sole purpose of completing a MAS test.
“Drivers have to provide a sample of their breath to police upon demand without a suspicion. Prior to that we had a very low threshold, but we had to form the suspicion that they had beverage alcohol in their body,” Cst. Aldridge says.
The measures might not sit well with some
“The one underlying problem with this is, one could argue that it would violate the constitutional right especially in the Charter, section 8, of unreasonable search and seizure,” says Michael Boudreau, a criminology professor at St. Thomas University.
Boudreau says groups like the Canadian Civil Liberties Association will be paying close attention to how the program unfolds.
“Police obviously have the right to use their discretion, but sometimes critics have argued that that discretion has been used against or to target groups from say racialized communities,” Boudreau says. “Will this be another example of the police using their discretion to unfairly target certain groups who they think might be under the influence of alcohol?
“It will be interesting going forward to see the numbers on who is stopped. We’re going to have to keep close tabs on the numbers.”
Similar efforts are happening in Ontario and Saskatchewan
Cpl. Aldridge says refusing the breathalyzer is the same as blowing over and the driver will be arrested and charged.
The Mandatory Alcohol Screening program will run during May.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From AI running wild to collapsing ecosystems, government report outlines future disruptions
From artificial intelligence running wild to collapsing ecosystems, a new Canadian government report outlines 35 disruptions that could rattle the country in the near future.
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton hospitalized after prison attack
British Columbia serial killer Robert Pickton was attacked and sustained life-threatening injuries in a Quebec prison Sunday in what officials described as a 'major assault.'
opinion Tom Mulcair: With Trudeau spiralling, Mark Carney waits in the wings
In his latest column for CTVNews.ca, former NDP leader Tom Mulcair argues that if there's an unofficial frontrunner in the eventual race to replace Justin Trudeau as Liberal leader, it has to be former Bank of Canada governor Mark Carney.
Toronto Blue Jays fan struck by 110 m.p.h foul ball offered tickets, signed baseball by team
The Toronto Blue Jays have offered tickets and a signed baseball to a fan who says she was struck in the face by a 110 m.p.h (177 km/h) foul ball at Friday’s game.
Matthew Perry's death is being investigated over ketamine level found in actor's blood, reports say
An investigation has been opened into the death of Matthew Perry and how the “Friends” actor received the anesthetic ketamine, which was ruled a contributing factor in his death.
OPP continues to investigate boat collision north of Kingston, Ont. that left 3 people dead
Ontario Provincial Police continue to investigate a long weekend fatal boat collision on Bobs Lake, north of Kingston, Ont.
Police in Ontario say suspects charged in armed home invasion near Toronto part of 'larger criminal network'
Police in Ontario say a group of suspects charged in an armed home invasion north of Toronto last year were driving a vehicle stolen in a carjacking in Calgary just one month earlier.
Stolen septic truck swerves through traffic, spike belt needed to stop it: Manitoba RCMP
A 29-year-old woman has been charged after police say she stole a septic truck from a Manitoba community and drove erratically on the highway.
Orphan orca's extended family spotted off northeast side of Vancouver Island
Members of a killer whale pod related to an orphan orca calf that escaped a remote British Columbia tidal lagoon last month have been spotted off the northeast coast of Vancouver Island.