Statement by
The Honourable Donna Cansfield
Minister of Transportation

Road Safety Legislation


Legislature Building, Queen's Park, Toronto
April 12, 2007

Thank you Mr. Speaker.   I rise in the house today to introduce important legislation that would save lives on Ontario roads.

Since our government took office nearly four years ago, we have worked tirelessly with our road safety partners to improve safety on Ontario's roads.

And yet …more than two people are killed and 10 seriously injured every day on our roads.

Children lose their parents, wives lose husbands, and people lose their closest friends.

Mr. Speaker, we cannot let this continue. So we are taking action to save lives and prevent injury.

Our government's proposed legislation would set a new standard for road safety, with tougher sanctions to target drinking and driving, aggressive and dangerous driving behaviours.

If passed, this legislation would also help protect police officers in the line of duty.

Mr. Speaker, with this legislation, we are proposing to further protect Ontarians from drinking drivers.

Anyone caught driving with a blood alcohol concentration of .05 would face tougher penalties than ever – and they will get stiffer for repeat incidents.

First time roadside driver's licence suspensions would range from three days for a first reading of between .05 and .08 BAC, to seven days for a second infraction, and 30 days for a third or subsequent incident. 

Mr. Speaker, the second time someone is caught, they'll have to complete an education program.  And if they're caught again, they'll have to install an ignition interlock device in their vehicle for six months.

And if this legislation is passed, repeat drunk drivers will finally face the real possibility of having their car seized by the courts.

Mr. Speaker, we're also going to make our roads safer by cracking down on street racers who choose to race on Ontario's roads.

Since 1999, there have been 35 street-racing related deaths in Ontario, and innocent bystanders are often the victims of these senseless acts.

This legislation, if passed, would give law enforcement the power to suspend the licences and impound the vehicles of drivers involved in street racing and stunt driving.

Mr. Speaker, this legislation would give police the power to issue an immediate roadside seven-day licence suspension and a seven-day vehicle impoundment for street racing, or participating in a driving contest or stunt driving.

It would also increase the minimum fine from $200 to $2,000, and it would increase the maximum fine from $1,000 to $10,000.

Mr. Speaker, this would make our street racing fines the highest in Canada!

And we're serious about protecting the men and women who help keep Ontario safe.  It's sobering to consider that more police officers are killed at roadside than during any other activity.

We've asked the law enforcement community what they feel we could do to help improve their safety while on the job.   We've heard their comments, which is why we're proposing to allow police vehicles to display flashing blue lights in addition to the red lights they already use. 

Mr. Speaker, this change may seem small, but it will improve a police vehicle's visibility, which is critical to the officers' safety, especially at night.

It's the least we can do to help keep police safe when they're out protecting us.

Injury prevention is a key driving force behind this legislation — motor vehicle collisions cost Ontarians $9.1 billion annually in social and healthcare costs.

With this proposed legislation, the McGuinty government is delivering on its commitment to ensure Ontario builds upon its successful record as a leader in road safety by keeping our communities and families safe.

I call upon all members of the legislature to join me in supporting this life-saving road safety legislation.

Thank you, Mr. Speaker.