DUI Lawyers Ontario Frequently Asked Questions | 1.877.497.3927 Call Now! Know Your Rights!

DUI Lawyers Ontario, Fighting Impaired Driving Over 80mg Charges

  • Should I Fight My DUI Charges?

    Should I Fight My DUI Charges?

    Charged with a DUI? Are you facing Impaired Over 80mg , Drugs or Marijuana Charges in Ontario? Is it worth fighting? Contact the IDDC for a free consultation.
  • DUI Lawyers Ontario Charges

    DUI Lawyers Ontario Charges

    You are presumed innocent until proven guilty and the Crown bears the heavy burden of proving all essential elements of the case beyond a reasonable doubt.
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Is it worth fighting a DUI Impaired Charge in Ontario? Free Consultation... Contact Us

 

DUI Lawyers  Impaired Driving  Over 80 mg Charges

Ontario Lawyer For Drinking & Driving Offences

DUI Lawyer OntarioAre you facing Impaired a DUI Over 80 mg , Drunk Driving, Drugs and Marijuana charges in Ontario? Is it worth fighting a DUI ?? Although the prospects may seem bleak when you are first charged with a drinking and driving offence such as Fail to Provide a Breath Sample, remember that you are presumed innocent until proven guilty. The Crown has the heavy burden of proving all essential elements of the case beyond a reasonable doubt. That means it’s their responsibility to put the pieces together. Your best choice? Contact an Impaired Driving Lawyer. Toronto Criminal DUI Lawyer Chris Avery vigorously defends these charges in all courthouses across ONTARIO..(Link To Our Winning Record)

Arrested, Impaired Driving Over 80 mg 

Failure to Provide a Breath Sample

Generally when a person is charged with a Drug, Drinking and Driving offence it is the first time that they have dealt with the police or the courts. The whole process can be overwhelming and confusing. Understandably there are a number of questions. Contact Chris Avery for a Free Consultation

Toronto & GTA Call  289.481.1007 - Outside GTA Call  1-877-497-3927

 You are presumed innocent until proven guilty. It's on the Crown to prove all the essential elements of the case beyond a reasonable doubt.There may be heavy penalties involved so - you owe it to yourself to get the best possible representation from an experienced lawyer. A Lawyer with a record of defending these types of cases. If you want clarity about your rights and you need to win your case to keep your licence and avoid a criminal record then call the Impaired Driving Defence Centre. Our initial consultation is always free and IDDC collagues can speak with you, promptly.

 Link To Our Winning Record

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..Defending DUI Charges In Ontario

                       
  Central East   Central South   Central West   Eastern   Northeast   Southwest
              Trenton        
  Barrie   Brantford   Brampton   Belleville   Cochrane   Chatham
  Bracebridge   Cayuga   Guelph   Brockville   Gore Bay   Goderich
  Cobourg   Hamilton   Milton   Cornwall   Haileybury   London
  Oshawa Pickering   Kitchener Waterloo   Orangeville   Kingston   North Bay   Sarnia
  Lindsay   Simcoe   Owen Sound   L’Orignal   Parry Sound   St. Thomas
  Newmarket   St. Catharines   Walkerton   Ottawa   Sault Ste. Marie   Stratford
  Peterborough   Welland       Napanee   Sudbury   Windsor
  Toronto   Niagara falls       Pembroke   Timmins   Woodstock
              Perth   Thunder Bay     
              Picton   Red Lake    

R.I.D.E Spot Checks Ontario

DUI of  Drugs , Marijuana Impaired & Alcohol Roadside Testing

 

(a) Arbitrary Detention?

There was a time when persons operating a vehicle could expect to drive RIDE Spotchecks
around free from interference by the police. But that was a time long ago
before to the advent of the R.I.D.E. (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere)
program. While there is no question that drinking driving exacts a heavy
human toll every year the issue remains to what extent the police are
empowered to randomly detain motorists for the purpose of combating the
social ill of carnage on our highways caused by people who shouldn’t be
behind the wheel.

One of the earliest and most significant Charter decisions dealing with the
tension between civil liberties and our supposed constitutional guarantees to
be free from arbitrary detention and unreasonable search is the Supreme
Court of Canada decision in  R. v. Hufsky, [1988] 1 SCR 621. In that case
our highest court decided that random stopping of a motorist for the
purposes of a spot check procedure, even if of relatively brief duration,
results in a detention within the meaning of s. 9 of the Charter of Rights. The
court also concluded that such detention is arbitrary in violation of s. 9 even
though the stop is done pursuant to statutory [provincial] authority and for
lawful purposes since there are no criteria for the selection of the drivers to
be stopped and subjected to the spot check procedure. The court nevertheless
authorized such stops based on provincial legislation as being a reasonable
limit within the meaning of s. 1 of the Charter, having regard to the
importance of highway safety and the role to be played in relation to it by a
random stop authority for the purpose of increasing both the detection and
the perceived risk of detection of motor vehicle offences, many of which
cannot be detected by mere observation of driving. Finally, the S.C.C. 
concluded that a demand by the police officer that the motorist surrender his
driver's licence and proof of insurance for inspection as required by the
provincial legislation does not infringe the motorist's right to be secure
against unreasonable search and seizure as guaranteed by s. 8 of the Charter.

(b) Unsanctioned Investigations:

Against that background however the courts have made it clear that the Ride Spotchecks
police do not have an unfettered right to arbitrarily investigate drivers who
they stop in the course of a random check for drinking drivers. The
subsequent decision by the Supreme Court of Canada in R. v. Mellenthin,
[1992] 3 S.C.R. 615 makes that perfectly clear. In that case the police
directed the appellant's vehicle into a check stop set up as part of a program
to check vehicles. One of the officers shone a flashlight in the interior of the
appellant's vehicle, which was considered to be an appropriate action to
ensure the safety of the officers conducting the check point. The flashlight
inspection revealed an open gym bag on the front seat. The officer asked
what was inside the bag, was told food and shown a paper bag with a plastic
sandwich bag in it. When the officer noticed empty glass vials, of the type
commonly used to store cannabis resin, he asked the appellant to get out of
the car, searched the car and found vials of hash oil and some cannabis resin
cigarettes. The appellant later gave an incriminating statement at the police
detachment. At trial the judge excluded both the physical evidence of the
drugs and the statement and acquitted the accused. The Court of Appeal
overturned the acquittal and ordered a new trial. Our Supreme Court
emphatically restored the acquittal reasoning that although RIDE programs
are justified as a means aimed at reducing the terrible toll of death and injury
so often occasioned by impaired drivers or by dangerous vehicles their
primary aim must be to check for sobriety, licences, ownership, insurance
and the mechanical fitness of cars. The court authoritatively held that the
police use of check stops should not be extended beyond these aims and that
“random stop programs must not be turned into a means of conducting either
an unfounded general inquisition or an unreasonable search.”

(c) The Investigation of Passengers:

This restrictive analysis has now also been extended to the rights of
passengers questioned in the course of a RIDE check. Recently, a well
respected judge of this province had occasion to review the evolving law in
this regard and had no difficulty acquitting a passenger of a car who had
been questioned at the roadside and charged with breach of probation. In R.
v. Dale, 2012 ONCJ 692 The arresting officers were questioned at trial how
it was that they discovered the alleged breach and they candidly testified that
“it was ‘common’ to collect identification from not only the drivers but also
passengers in vehicles stopped at a R.I.D.E. and run the names through
CPIC to see if anyone was in breach of any conditions”. The judge roundly
denounced this practice: “In the case at bar, I find the violations to be very
serious, in particular the violation of s.8. I say this because of the bad faith
of the officer. The officers were either aware of Mellenthin….or they should
have been. Mellenthin was decided in 1992….. The seizure of identification
from passengers at a R.I.D.E. program has been specifically denounced as a
violation by the highest court in this country and in this province. The OPP
must obey the law. They cannot ignore it. They are sworn to uphold it. But
they do not. This is bad faith because the violation is either deliberate or
through their ignorance. It is necessary to dissociate the Court from ‘the
fruits of this unlawful conduct’. Where the police are acting in bad faith and
continue to engage in conduct specifically denounced by the Court then the
violation is very serious.”

In conclusion although it is permissible for the police to arbitrarily detain
motorists in a RIDE program, that detention should be brief and directed
specifically to the issue of the sobriety of the driver. The police do not have
carte blanche powers to conduct any other type of criminal investigation in
relation to the driver and they have no legal authority to commence an
impromptu investigation regarding any of the passengers.

(d) Demand for Roadside Breath Sample:

Drivers who are stopped by RIDE may also face a demand to provide a
sample of their breath into a roadside screening device. The officer only
needs to entertain a “reasonable suspicion” that the driver has “alcohol in his
body”.  Generally that would be established by the detection of an odour of
alcohol on a motorist’s breath coupled with an admission of consumption.
Although the police are entitled to ask “have you been drinking” an
informed motorist should know that an incriminating reply can supply the
grounds that the officer who is looking for to make the demand. If a roadside
demand is made, the motorist normally isn’t entitled to be informed of his
right to counsel unless there is a delay in administering the test in which case
the police must read him his rights or risk having any subsequent result
excluded. During the course of the test it is also necessary for the police to
advise as to the legal consequences for refusing to provide a sample (the
same jeopardy as if the detainee had been tried and convicted for an
impaired driving offence). A person faced with a demand to provide a
sample who is either reluctant or unable to provide a breath sample must
also be cautioned that after a number of unsuccessful attempts he is facing
his “last chance.”

(e) Related Administrative Consequences:

It is not a crime to take the roadside test and fail. This investigative result
simply provides grounds for the police to arrest on suspicion of “over 80”
when you must then be given your right to counsel and afforded a reasonable
opportunity to exercise that right. Motorists need to understand however that
even if they “pass” the test in the sense that they only blow a “warn”, which
means that they are actually under the legal limit, there are now serious
administrative consequences. Paradoxically, in Ontario your licence will be
immediately suspended (even though the machine has proven your
innocence) as follows:

First Offence:          

  •     First offence, with blood alcohol content of 80-129 mg: mandatory minimum $1,000 fine
  •     First offence, with blood alcohol content of 130-159 mg: mandatory minimum $1,500 fine
  •     First offence, with blood alcohol content of 160 mg or more: mandatory minimum $2,000 fine
  •     First offence, but refuse to be tested: mandatory minimum $2,000 fine
  •     Mandatory education or treatment program
  •     Mandatory Ignition Interlock period of at least 9 months
  •     Prohibited from Operating a motor vehicle of any kind within Canada for a minimum of 1 year, subject to the ignition interlock program


Second Offence:    

  •     Mandatory education or treatment program
  •     3 year minimum requirement to drive a car equipped with an ignition interlock device; subject to the Stream D program
  •     mandatory minimum 30 days imprisonment
  •     Fine amount at the discretion of the judge
  •     Licence suspended for minimum 3 years by the Ministry of Transport; subject to the Stream D program
  •     Minimum 2 year prohibition on operating a motor vehicle anywhere in Canada, even if they don’t require a driver’s license


Third and subsequent Offences:
 

  •     Mandatory education or treatment program
  •     Variable interlock periods (depending on sequence of prior convictions)
  •     mandatory minimum 120 days imprisonment
  •    Lifetime licence suspension (can be reduced to 10 years if certain conditions are met on the third conviction; on fourth or subsequent conviction lifetime suspension with no possibility of reduction)


 *The Reduced Suspension with Ignition Interlock Conduct Review Program allows eligible drivers convicted for the first time of an alcohol impaired driving offence under the Criminal Code to reduce their licence suspension in return for meeting specific requirements, such as the mandatory installation of an approved ignition interlock device in their vehicle. To make matters worse, these suspensions cannot be appealed. The roadside

device in other words constitutes an essentially unreviewable legal regime
akin to judge, jury and executioner at the roadside. The end result of these
escalating legislative sanctions is that the present penalty imposed by the law
at the roadside, where no criminal offence has either occurred or been
charged, is far worse than the penalties drivers used to get in years gone by
after they had actually been tried and convicted of drinking and driving. Education and treatment programs you will need to participate in an education or treatment program if you have:
  • been convicted of an impaired driving-related offence
  • received more than one licence suspension (within a 10 year period) for any combination of:
    • driving with a BAC above zero while you are 21 years and under;
    • driving with a BAC above zero while you are a novice driver;
    • driving with a BAC above 0.05 (“warn range”);
    • driving with a BAC above 0.08 (“legal limit”);
    • failing or refusing to comply with a demand for alcohol or drug testing; and
    • driving impaired by a drug or a combination of a drug and alcohol
 You will receive information from the Ministry of Transportation, including the specific remedial measures requirements and how to complete them. The program in Ontario is called Back on Track. It is delivered by the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health. The costs to cover the program are as follows:
  • $634 (assessment, education/treatment and follow up) for convicted impaired drivers
  • $294 (education or treatment) for drivers who receive more than one licence suspension for impaired driving within a ten year period
 There are three components to the Back on Track program: an assessment, an education or treatment program, and a follow-up interview. For more details, visit the Back on Track website. Ignition Interlock If you receive an administrative licence suspension for impaired driving more than two times within a ten year period, you will need to install an approved ignition interlock device in your vehicle.
 
 Suspensions include any combination of: 
  • driving with a BAC above zero while you are 21 years and under;
  • driving with a BAC above zero while you are a novice driver;
  • driving with a BAC above 0.05 (“warn range”);
  • driving with a BAC above 0.08 (“legal limit”);
  • failing or refusing to comply with a demand for alcohol or drug testing; and,
  • driving impaired by a drug or a combination of a drug and alcohol
 Medical Review If you receive a licence suspension for impaired driving more than three times within a ten year period, you will need to undergo a mandatory medical evaluation. You will be sent a Substance Abuse Assessment form to be completed by your family doctor or a doctor who specializes in addiction medicine. This assessment will determine whether you are alcohol dependent and whether further intervention is needed. Depending on the information your doctor provides, the ministry may keep your licence suspended until you fulfill the necessary medical requirements for licensing. Suspensions include any combination of: 
  • driving with a BAC above zero while you are 21 years and under;
  • driving with a BAC above zero while you are a novice driver;
  • driving with a BAC above 0.05 (“warn range”);
  • driving with a BAC above 0.08 (“legal limit”);
  • failing or refusing to comply with a demand for alcohol or drug testing; and,
  • driving impaired by a drug or a combination of a drug and alcohol
 Licence reinstatement Criminal conviction If you have been convicted of impaired driving, you should register for an education or treatment program immediately, as the program can take up to 11 months to complete.
 
You will need to complete all three components of the Back on Track program before your licence suspension expires.
You will also need to satisfy all other requirements set by the courts to have your licence reinstated.Ignition interlock If you are eligible for the Reduced Suspension with Ignition Interlock Conduct Review Program, you need to complete the assessment component of the Back on Track program before your licence is reinstated. More than one administrative licence suspension for impaired driving If you are fulfilling the Back on Track program because you receive more than one licence suspension for alcohol and/or drug impaired driving you have 120 days from the start of your suspension to complete the education course and 180 days to complete the treatment course.
 

DUI Lawyers Ontario Frequently Asked Questions | 1-877-497-3927 / 24 hours

  • Your legal jeopardy has to be clearly explained to you and, in situations where multiple attempts to provide a sample were made, you must be informed about your “last chance” before being charged.

    Where a motorist is deemed to have “refused” to provide a sample due to various failed attempts the Crown also has to show that the device was in working order.

    Read More
  • The real issue in these cases is not whether you are “impaired” in any way but rather whether the Crown can prove beyond a reasonable doubt that your ability to operate a motor vehicle is impaired.

    Sometimes there may be an innocence explanation for irregular driving such as fatigue, illness or distraction. Other times evidence of bad driving might be offset by a review of the police station video which betrays no obvious signs of impairment.

    Read More
  • There are multiple and sometimes very technical defences to this charge. Apart from operator error or machine malfunction, which can revealed through a careful analysis of breath device records, these cases are often successfully defended based on investigative lapses or constitutional violations. It is a criminal offence to operate a motor vehicle while your blood alcohol level is over the legal limit of: 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood.
    Read More
  • Although the law sanctions the arbitrary detention of motorists to conduct sobriety checks you are not obliged to incriminate yourself when questioned about drinking. This is because you are detained and haven’t been provided with your right to counsel. Although any statements you make in such circumstances can’t be used against you at trial that’s cold comfort at the roadside because an admission of consumption is admissible for the purposes of an officer’s grounds to make a demand for a roadside breath demand. That demand as well as the test must both be done promptly however to withstand constitutional scrutiny.
    Read More
  • The “free ride” for those driving while under the influence of drugs is now also over. Currently the police have the power to demand a suspect accompany them to the station for a drug evaluation test where they suspect impairment by drugs. Legislation is now also in the works to implement roadside technology to test for drug impairment that would be a similar tool to a breathalyzer, which measures blood alcohol levels. The obvious defence in these cases is whether the officer conducted such tests properly and whether he is properly qualified to render an expert opinion on sobriety
    Read More
  • You had a few drinks, thought you were OK to drive but then you realize that you need to wait a bit before driving, you thought you were doing the right thing?

    You don’t actually have to be driving a motor vehicle to be charged with “DUI”.

    You can be arrested simply if you are behind the wheel of a parked car but the Crown will have to show that the vehicle was operable and that there was a real risk of danger that you would set the vehicle in motion.

    Read More
  • If you are convicted of drinking and driving, your fingerprints and photographs will be retained by the RCMP in Ottawa.

    A conviction also means you will have a criminal record which will show up when police run a check and that can hurt your employment opportunities as well as your travel plans.

    Sometimes travelers are stopped at the border due to an old conviction. They are stunned to discover that they need to apply for permission to cross.

    Read More
  • Recent Successes At the Impaired Driving Defence Centre, Christopher A. Avery takes your privacy very seriously. He also understands the curiosity of potential clients regarding our track record. For these reasons we have changed identifying details of the below cases in order to protect our clients’ privacy. We do not post the reported decisions of our clients’ cases as they are findable on a google search by name if I reproduce them here.

    View Our Winning record

    Read More
  • When it comes to immigration, criminal records can make a huge difference on your ability to remain in the country or your ability to travel to another country in the first place. Sometimes travelers are stopped at the border due to an old conviction. They are stunned to discover that they need to apply for permission to cross due.....
    Read More

Your Right To Fight DUI Charges in Ontario - Should You Fight Your DUI Charge?

A driver stopped by the police engages several potential Charter issues. 

The motorist’s detention invokes s. 9 (arbitrary detention), s. 10(a) (right to be informed of the reason why) and s. 10(b) the right to counsel. Furthermore, the officer’s search for evidence is generally warrantless and raises s. 8 issues relating to unreasonable search and seizure.

The accused is also entitled to full disclosure (s. 7 fundamental justice) as well as the right to be tried within a reasonable time (s. 11B). Against this constitutional background these cases can be fought and won. Many cases also turn on common investigative lapses that a skilled counsel can exploit.

 Link To Our Winning Record

Given the heavy penalties involved you owe it to yourself to seek the best possible representation from an experienced lawyer with a record of defending these types of cases. If you are uncertain about your rights and need to win the case to keep your licence and avoid a criminal record then why not call the Impaired Driving Defence Centre? Our initial consultation is always free and IDDC colleagues can speak with you, promptly.

Toronto & GTA Call  289.481.1007 - Outside GTA Call  1-877-497-3927

Post-Conviction Consequences for Alcohol and/or Drug Impaired Driving If you are convicted criminally of DUI impaired driving in Ontario:

First Offence:          

  •     First offence, with blood alcohol content of 80-129 mg: mandatory minimum $1,000 fine
  •     First offence, with blood alcohol content of 130-159 mg: mandatory minimum $1,500 fine
  •     First offence, with blood alcohol content of 160 mg or more: mandatory minimum $2,000 fine
  •     First offence, but refuse to be tested: mandatory minimum $2,000 fine
  •     Mandatory education or treatment program
  •     Mandatory Ignition Interlock period of at least 9 months
  •     Prohibited from Operating a motor vehicle of any kind within Canada for a minimum of 1 year, subject to the ignition interlock program


Second Offence:    

  •     Mandatory education or treatment program
  •     3 year minimum requirement to drive a car equipped with an ignition interlock device; subject to the Stream D program
  •     mandatory minimum 30 days imprisonment
  •     Fine amount at the discretion of the judge
  •     Licence suspended for minimum 3 years by the Ministry of Transport; subject to the Stream D program
  •     Minimum 2 year prohibition on operating a motor vehicle anywhere in Canada, even if they don’t require a driver’s license


Third and subsequent Offences:
 

  •     Mandatory education or treatment program
  •     Variable interlock periods (depending on sequence of prior convictions)
  •     mandatory minimum 120 days imprisonment
  •    Lifetime licence suspension (can be reduced to 10 years if certain conditions are met on the third conviction; on fourth or subsequent conviction lifetime suspension with no possibility of reduction)

 

"driving under the influence"  "I was taking a prescription from my doctor, I never knew I couldn't drive"

Any drug that changes your mood, or the way you see and feel, will affect the way you drive. This is not only true for illegal drugs. There are prescription drugs and some over-the-counter drugs that can also impair your driving ability.

Tips to remember

Impaired driving Prescription Drugs

  • If you are planning on drinking, plan not to drive.
  • Ask your doctor about side effects if you use prescription medication or get allergy shots.
  • Read the information on the package of any over-the-counter medicine, including allergy and cold remedies.
  • Drugs and alcohol together can combine to impair your driving even more drastically; ask your doctor or pharmacist.

 Remember, fatigue and stress will also affect your ability to drive.

You will be subject to a roadside test if the officer has reason to believe you are under the influence, you will face the charge of Impaired  and driving under the influence should you be deemed impaired by the testing officer.