For 253 Alberta motorists, the strictest traffic laws in Canada turned a holiday trip to Super, Natural British Columbia into a headache trek to the nearest impound lot.
That’s how many Alberta vehicles were seized between June and August by B.C. police, after drivers from this province ran afoul of the nation’s harshest speeding and impaired driving laws.
As well as speeding, Albertans lost their rides for drinking: A blood-alcohol level over 0.05% can result in a three-day vehicle impoundment, though the legal intoxication limit remains at 0.08%.
At least it’s an improvement over 2011 when 660 Alberta vehicles ended up impounded in the first nine months, including 328 for speeding, 258 for impaired, and 74 for tipsy driving.
But police in the province shouldn’t take the credit for the slight decline, says one outspoken critic of B.C.’s zero-tolerance laws.
Vancouver criminal lawyer Paul Doroshenko points to the record low for passengers aboard B.C. Ferries this year as a sign of steep tourism decline.
“There’s just not as many Albertans coming into the province. I don’t think the lower numbers are a result of deterrence,” he said.
Whatever the reason for the dip in Alberta seizures, Doroshenko says people in this province should be alarmed that police chiefs in Edmonton and Calgary both like the idea of impounding for excessive speed.
“I was at a conference in the States, and no one there can believe our government can seize property on the basis of unproven allegations,” said Doroshenko.