Saskatchewan is considering new immediate penalties and stiffer fines for those caught driving impaired.
The changes the province is considering for those caught driving impaired include immediate licence suspension and vehicle impoundment after roadside assessments by police.
The penalties, if they are approved during the provincial legislature’s fall sitting, would be applied through the Traffic Safety Act.
“Impaired driving is not only a traffic safety issue, it is a public safety issue, and it is a justice issue,” Saskatchewan’s Minister of Justice and Attorney General Tim McLeod told reporters in Saskatoon Monday.
“Every year impaired driving cases cause tremendous but preventable harm to families and communities,” McLeod added.
He said the government’s proposal is “about preventing harm, holding impaired drivers accountable and giving police the tools to respond immediately at the roadside.”
The new administrative penalties would apply to any driver who is above the 0.08 blood alcohol content (BAC) required for a criminal charge, according to Saskatchewan Government Insurance (SGI). BAC is tested via a roadside breathalyzer test that detects the amount of alcohol a person has consumed by calculating its concentration in their breath.
Drivers who fail a roadside test may see immediate licence suspensions, vehicle impoundments, mandatory ignition locks, or be forced to take driving education courses. Demerit points or fines can also be applied, the province wrote in a news release.
The administrative penalties could be applied instead of criminal charges at the discretion of officers, McLeod said.
Get daily National news
Get daily Canada news delivered to your inbox so you’ll never miss the day’s top stories.
“Administrative penalties are serious. They apply immediately. They are designed to change behaviour, to reduce repeat offending and to prevent impaired drivers from putting more lives at risk,” McLeod said.
Under the proposed rules, first-time offenders would pay $1,000 plus a 30 per cent victim surcharge. Repeat intoxicated drivers would also pay the surcharge, as well as a doubled base fine of $2,000.
SGI can impose additional punishments, the minister added.
“Consequences must be timely, meaningful and effective,” McLeod said.
Saskatchewan’s current criminal model requires a “lengthy litigation process” before penalties are dealt with, he noted.
Charges under the Criminal Code of Canada may be applied at police discretion, with some exceptions, according to the province’s attorney general.
Instances of intoxicated driving that result in fatalities, injuries, property damage or that involve a passenger younger than 16 will face prosecution, as will drivers who refuse to provide a breath sample.
Previously, administrative consequences applied to drivers who were above Saskatchewan’s legal limit of 0.04 but below the criminal limit of 0.08, according to SGI.
Last year, Saskatchewan RCMP said 33 people lost their lives in drug- or alcohol-related collisions in its jurisdiction. Intoxicants were a contributing factor in almost one third of fatal crashes in the province in 2025, Mounties said.
“Those figures aren’t just numbers. They’re people that we care about, each and every one of them,” said the MLA for Saskatoon Willowgrove, Ken Cheveldayoff.
“They’re our family, they’re our friends and they’re our neighbours. People whose lives are changed because of impaired driving sometimes permanently.”
“We are supportive of any changes that might impact our impaired driving numbers and save lives,” said Lorilee Davies, the vice-president at the Saskatchewan Association of Chiefs of Police and Chief of the Regina Police Service.
“The immediate sanctions at roadside will free up time for our members while still ensuring immediate and meaningful sanctions,” Davies said.
McLeod said additional consultations will occur over the next few months as the government readies to reconvene and introduce this proposition in the fall session.
These changes, if approved, will only apply to drivers who have consumed alcohol, the minister said. People driving under the influence of drugs will still be subject to criminal charges.
© 2026 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
