DUNLOP: STONED DRIVERS GETTING OFF EASY

MPP Furious Ontario Liberals Slow To Implement Measures

The Ontario government is putting lives at risk by "dithering" with
the execution of federal legislation that allows police to take
samples of bodily fluids from suspected drug-impaired drivers, Simcoe
North MPP Garfield Dunlop said Thursday.

Dunlop is incensed the provincial Liberals have said the
traffic-safety measure, which came into effect on July 2, won't
immediately be acted upon due to inadequate resources to process samples.

Police have placed considerable emphasis on stamping out drunk
driving in Ontario, and rumblings about the new legislation have been
heard for four years, the Tory critic for community safety and
correctional services told The Packet & Times.

"For something like this to come along, where someone could be
driving down the road sort of whacked out on marijuana or something,
and you can't test the guy now after the feds have given the tools,
is completely irresponsible," Dunlop said.

The province continues to lobby the federal government for funding,
said Tony Brown, spokesperson for the Ministry of Community Safety
and Correctional Services.

"Despite the fact that the federal government has not given Ontario
one cent of funding, our plan will protect Ontarians from impaired
drivers," Brown said.

As demand for testing grows, the province's capacity will grow with
it, he said.

"What is happening now is that we are identifying the staffing needs
and the training needs going forward. And we are acquiring these
resources as we speak."

To act on the new measures, the OPP has estimated it will need an
additional $17.8 million over four years, the Centre of Forensic
Sciences another $17.3 million, and the Ontario Police College an
extra $2.5 million, Brown noted.

The OPP is confident the kinks will be worked out soon, said Sgt.
Pierre Chamberland, co-ordinator of corporate communications at
general headquarters in Orillia.

"In the meantime, we're still going to proceed with the
implementation of the legislation from our end," he said.

Officers are being trained to test for drug impairment through
roadside tests, which can be followed up by more formal samples after
arrests are made, similar to the way police probe for drunk drivers,
Chamberland noted.

This will prove advantageous for making charges stick, he suggested:
"We will have some physical evidence to bring to court."