Around this time last year, a BC Supreme Court judge in Victoria heard a week’s worth of arguments in the constitutional challenge to the third version of British Columbia’s controversial Immediate Roadside Prohibition scheme. Our office participated with another law office to bring about this challenge to the legislation. As you may recall, in April […]
Immediate Roadside Prohibition Challenge Update Continue Reading »
On December 18, new impaired-driving laws that are stricter than ever before will come into effect. They include harsher penalties, amendments to existing offences and some entirely new offences altogether. You may not have heard about them until now, but you shouldn’t feel bad. There has been virtually no publicity from the government of Canada
Canada’s strict new impaired driving laws Continue Reading »
In less than a week the drinking driving law landscape is changing dramatically and Canadians need to know about it. Most people know the phrase “ignorance of the law is not an excuse.” What it means is that even if you don’t know the law on something, you’re still governed by it. And right now
The drinking driving law landscape is changing Continue Reading »
RoadSafetyBC, also known as the Superintendent of Motor Vehicles, is the main government agency responsible for controlling the roads in British Columbia. It has the power to ban drivers who have been deemed high-risk from the road. Drivers are deemed high risk if they accumulate penalty points or they are convicted of certain offences under
What are the different notices RoadSafetyBC can issue? Continue Reading »
ICBC will begin monitoring the driving behaviour of inexperienced drivers using telematics technology. The pilot project will invite up to 7,000 drivers with less than five years of experience to have a device installed in their car that tracks their behaviour behind the wheel. This isn’t ICBC’s first foray into recording driver behaviour. According to
ICBC to monitor driving behaviour with telematics Continue Reading »
Wrongful convictions make for great television dramas. Until about 20 years ago, there seemed to be a significant public appetite to improve the justice system to reduce the risk of wrongful punishment and wrongful convictions. But things changed and we see that our federal government is hell-bent on ensuring people are wrongly punished for drunk
Wrongly punished for drunk driving Continue Reading »
As the annual BC Christmas Counter Attack campaign gets underway, and with the news that Manitoba is introducing an Immediate Roadside Prohibition (IRP) scheme modelled on ours here in BC, we thought it was an appropriate time to discuss those who are innocent of impaired driving in BC. An argument we often hear is that
Innocent of impaired driving in BC Continue Reading »
Recent stories of Canadians being blocked from entering the United States post-cannabis legalization have justifiably reignited the haze of confusion around visiting our neighbour to the south. In the build-up to October 17, there was concern that once recreational marijuana became legal, those who legitimately work in the cannabis industry would be prevented from entering
Are Canadians working in the cannabis industry blocked from entering the US? Continue Reading »
The Insurance Corporation of British Columbia (ICBC) is tightening restrictions to its injury claims policy in an effort to ease its financial woes. Some changes are already in effect, such as making high-risk drivers pay more. Driver Risk Premium and Driver Penalty Point Premium both went up 20 per cent on November 1 and will
ICBC tightening restrictions on injury claims Continue Reading »
Canadian police have not seen a spike in cannabis-impaired driving in the month since legalization. But there needs to be more awareness of laws about storing marijuana in vehicles and passengers smoking, law enforcement officials say. The Canadian Press canvassed police forces and provincial and territorial Crown prosecutors across the country and while some said
No Jump in Cannabis-Impaired Driving after Legalization: Police Continue Reading »
With all the excitement of marijuana legalization, the media and the public have largely overlooked accompanying legal changes that will have a significant impact on the rights of drivers. Starting in December, amendments to the Criminal Code related to drinking and driving will come into effect. The new rules are a part of Bill C-46,
Criminal Code changes: What to expect in December Continue Reading »
It’s not unusual for people to phone us and ask “do I have a warrant?” We get calls like this regularly. There are few circumstances that could cause you to have a warrant for your arrest. The most common are that you missed a court appearance or the authorities want to arrest you on new
Do I have a warrant? Continue Reading »
