SUBMITTED FILE PHOTO Medicine Hat police chief Andy McGrogan is seen in this file photo.
jappel@medicinehatnews.com@MHNJeremyAppel
Medicine Hat’s police chief is taking a wait-and-see approach as the Justice Ministry signals it could change how impaired driving charges are dealt with.
The ministry is reportedly toying with the possibility of giving police the ability to provide administrative sanctions, rather than criminal charges, for impaired driving, which is what is done in British Columbia and Manitoba
Medicine Hat Police Service chief Andy McGrogan says that there have been rumblings about this change for a while now, including under the previous government.
“The devil is in the details,” he told the News. “Maybe there’s administrative sanctions that are as imposing as criminal sanctions. I don’t really know, so I’m really interested in seeing what it’s going to look like at the end of the day if they are going to make that change.”
From the police’s perspective, administrative sanctions wouldn’t necessarily differ drastically from criminal penalties, McGrogan added.
“Our goal is to keep the roads safe and it’s not to weigh in on the best way to. We do the education and enforcement piece, but there’s a whole other system that now is the court system, but might be some administrative system in the future,” he said. “I don’t know if I’m really qualified to judge that until we see some framework.”
In a statement to the News, Justice Ministry spokesperson Jonah Mozeson says the ministry is examining various possibilities for streamlining the court process.
“Our government is committed to the safety and security of Albertans. While discussions about a variety of topics, including toughening sanctions against impaired driving, are ongoing, no final decisions have been made,” said Mozeson.
“Our government is finding efficiencies by transforming the justice system through modernization and digitization. Introducing technology will make the system more user friendly and convenient for Albertans and will result in improved service delivery.”
