The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are now requiring all drivers to take a breathalyzer test during routine traffic stops, citing a 30% increase in impaired driving from the last five years. The OPP cites the Mandatory Alcohol Screening (MAS) legislation, a 2018 bill that allows police to demand a breath test “even when the officers did not have suspicions the driver had been drinking.” The policy is already in effect in Alberta and Saskatchewan. .OPP Highway Safety Division Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said the mandatory alcohol screening will be conducted each time a driver is pulled over for speeding, using a cell phone, a seat belt offence, or “anytime you’re stopped” for any reason. “Expect you will be required to provide a sample of your breath,” said Schmidt in a video posted to social media. “If you refuse, you’ll be arrested and charged,” “The OPP are now taking some of the strongest measures yet to detect, intercept, and remove (impaired) drivers from those roadways,” Schmidt announced, citing 30% more impaired driving crashes in Ontario in 2024 alone than in the five previous years and 50% in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). “Driving is a privilege,” Schmidt said. “And we want to make sure that the drivers who are operating in vehicles are not impaired.”.The mandatory breath tests are effective immediately on highways and roads in the GTA, and the rest of the province will follow after the process has been evaluated. “If we just check everyone, it’s going to ensure that we are consistent across the region,” Schmidt said.Many people have voiced their concerns over the policy. Arguments include the mandatory breath test violates Section 8 of the Charter, which "protects individuals from unreasonable search and seizure by the state," that it can infringe on privacy, and that they are a "backdoor to DNA collection.
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are now requiring all drivers to take a breathalyzer test during routine traffic stops, citing a 30% increase in impaired driving from the last five years. The OPP cites the Mandatory Alcohol Screening (MAS) legislation, a 2018 bill that allows police to demand a breath test “even when the officers did not have suspicions the driver had been drinking.” The policy is already in effect in Alberta and Saskatchewan. .OPP Highway Safety Division Sgt. Kerry Schmidt said the mandatory alcohol screening will be conducted each time a driver is pulled over for speeding, using a cell phone, a seat belt offence, or “anytime you’re stopped” for any reason. “Expect you will be required to provide a sample of your breath,” said Schmidt in a video posted to social media. “If you refuse, you’ll be arrested and charged,” “The OPP are now taking some of the strongest measures yet to detect, intercept, and remove (impaired) drivers from those roadways,” Schmidt announced, citing 30% more impaired driving crashes in Ontario in 2024 alone than in the five previous years and 50% in the GTA (Greater Toronto Area). “Driving is a privilege,” Schmidt said. “And we want to make sure that the drivers who are operating in vehicles are not impaired.”.The mandatory breath tests are effective immediately on highways and roads in the GTA, and the rest of the province will follow after the process has been evaluated. “If we just check everyone, it’s going to ensure that we are consistent across the region,” Schmidt said.Many people have voiced their concerns over the policy. Arguments include the mandatory breath test violates Section 8 of the Charter, which "protects individuals from unreasonable search and seizure by the state," that it can infringe on privacy, and that they are a "backdoor to DNA collection.
