OPP mandating breath samples during all Waterloo Region, GTA traffic stops

Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) are warning drivers to “be prepared” to give a breath sample if you’re pulled over for any reason, even if they don’t suspect you’ve been drinking.

OPP confirmed to CityNews 570 this also includes the OPP Cambridge detachment, meaning drivers on highways through Waterloo Region will be included in the new initiative.

In a release Wednesday, the OPP said they’re now conducting Mandatory Alcohol Screening (MAS) “as part of every traffic stop.” This can includes stops for speeding, cell phone use or not wearing a seatbelt.

“As impaired driving occurrences continue to increase in Ontario Provincial Police jurisdictions, the OPP is taking its strongest measures yet to detect, investigate and remove impaired drivers from our roads.”

Legislation passed in 2018 gave police the power to ask for a breath sample without suspicion on impairment, but has only come into effect now. OPP Sgt. Kerry Schmidt on a video posted to X said impaired driving collisions and charges are up close to 30 per cent over the previous five-year average across the province.

“Officers will tell you why you’ve been stopped, ask for your documents and read a demand which will go something like ‘I demand that you provide a suitable sample of your breath into an approved screening device for proper analysis to be made and you accompany me for that purpose,” said Schmidt on X.

The OPP says under Canada’s Mandatory Alcohol Screening law, drivers must immediately comply with a police officer’s demand for a breath sample, “even in the absence of any suspicion that they have consumed alcohol.”

“You are required by law to provide a breath sample,” said Schmidt. “Failure to do so will result in an automatic 90-day license suspension, a seven-day vehicle impound and a criminal charge.”