National Impaired Driving Prevention Week reminds Calgarians to make responsible choices
National Impaired Driving Prevention Week reminds Calgarians to make responsible choices
Family members and close friends of a young Calgary couple killed in a car crash last summer are reminding others to plan ahead and make responsible choices on this National Impaired Driving Prevention Week.
Macy Boyce, 20, and Ethan Halford, 21, died last year in a collision on Highway 21, just north of Trochu, Alta., on June 17.
RCMP say they were travelling north in their vehicle when it was rear-ended, causing it to cross over the centre line where it was hit by an oncoming semi-truck.
Boyce and Halford were pronounced dead at the scene.
One man has since been charged with impaired driving causing death in connection with the incident.
Macy Boyce's mother, Corey Macpherson, says, "This can happen to anybody."
"I just want people to know that this can happen to anybody," said Boyce's mother, Corey Macpherson.
"It's been nine months now and this feeling seems to be getting worse the longer I go without talking to my daughter, without hugging her or smelling her hair. Our family is still in shreds and this is all because somebody made a choice that was completely preventable."
This third week of March marks National Impaired Driving Prevention Week, a Government of Canada initiative to educate Canadians about the consequences of driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs.
Macy Boyce's mother, Corey Macpherson, says, "Our family is still in shreds and this is all because somebody made a choice that was completely preventable."
This week is a particularly heavy one for people like Lilian Munoz, who still remembers the day she received a text informing her she'd lost two of her closest friends.
"I just kept telling myself this can't be true. I turned 21 and Macy wasn't there, I finished university and she wasn't there, it was her birthday and it was just a bunch of big moments she missed," Munoz said.
"This could have been prevented, so please, I guarantee if you call your neighbour, your friend, anybody that you need a safe ride home, they will come get you. It's so easy to stop this from happening."
The Boyce and Halford families have since launched a campaign called the ME Project – the M for Macy and the E for Ethan to keep their memories alive and prevent impaired driving.
Lilian Munoz still remembers the day she received a text informing her she'd lost two of her closest friends.
MADD CANADA ENCOURAGES REPORTING OF IMPAIRED DRIVERS
Steve Sullivan, CEO of Mothers Against Drunk Driving, says the conversation around impaired driving is not just important on this week of awareness, but that it must be kept top of mind year-round.
"People should have a good time. We've been in lockdown for a few years and it's always important to spend that time with friends or family, but we just want to remind people as they do those things to do so safely themselves and for others," he said.
Sullivan emphasized the importance of not just planning ahead for a safe ride home through a designated driver, transit or ride-share program, but also to report an impaired driver if you see one.
"If you see someone on the road who you think is impaired, call 911. That's a potential crime in progress. You might be saving a life. If the officer pulls the person over and if they're not impaired, no harm done, but it's really important that we all be part of the solution."
This year's theme of National Impaired Driving Prevention Week also revolves around technology and introducing new legislation.
Sullivan says the United States and the United Kingdom are currently studying different types of technologies in which cars can use cameras to monitor a driver's eyes for impairment and sensors that can monitor erratic driving.
MADD Canada has also advocated for harsher sentences for convicted impaired drivers, including the suggestion of a three-to-four-year sentence for the guilty plea of a first-time offender and a four-to-five-year sentence for a non-guilty plea.
Repeat offenders with one prior Criminal Code offence for impaired driving within the past 10 years are suggested to get eight to 10 years in prison for a conviction if they pleaded not-guilty and six to eight years with an original guilty plea.
MADD says the sentences should continue to increase for repeat impaired drivers with even more prior Criminal Code violations.
For mothers like MacPherson, however, those penalties still don’t seem harsh enough and she hopes the organization will advocate even harder.
"There's so many things that are out of our control, that cause people sadness, that cost them grief and loss, that destroy families," she said.
"So many things that are out of our control. Impaired driving, whether it's by drugs or alcohol, impaired driving is completely within our control. There's absolutely no reason that anybody should be injured or killed by this cause. There's just no reason."
POLICE INCREASING IMPAIRED DRIVING ENFORCEMENT
The Calgary Police Service has issued 375 Immediate Roadside Sanctions (IRS) since the beginning of 2023.
An IRS applies to occurrences when law enforcement has reasonable grounds to believe a person is operating a vehicle with a blood-alcohol concentration between 0.05 and 0.079.
Alberta's new impaired driving legislation implemented in late 2020 has implemented new immediate roadside penalties to take impaired drivers out of the court system and free up police resources.
A first-time offender for impaired driving must now pay a $2,000 fine and have their vehicle seized for up to 30 days and their licence suspended for 90 days.
After the 90 days, the driver can apply to take part in an Interlock program for one year.
Repeat offenders are subject to harsher suspensions and mandatory education programs.
Const. Dan Kurz with the CPS alcohol and drug recognition unit says new legislation has allowed for a more streamlined process not only for offenders, but for officers.
"So, what we've seen is the level of enforcement actually go up a little bit and the reason why is the new legislation has allowed for a more streamlined process not only for the offender, but for our officers who are working on the roadside," said Const. Dan Kurz with the CPS alcohol and drug recognition unit.
"Everything is done through an online portal, so they're not getting bogged down in disclosure and police reports, so our members are actually out there doing more of those."
Kurz adds that the number of criminal charges has dropped because officers now have the ability to use this new program and not put people into the criminal justice system.
"So, we have seen a drop in those criminal charges, but we have seen an actual increase in the overall enforcement citywide."
Calgary police say regular check stops will be out in full force this spring and summer as more Calgarians are expected to gather at social events.
Canada will soon require health warnings to be printed directly on individual cigarettes, making it the first country to implement this kind of measure aimed at reducing tobacco usage.
The Canadian economy grew faster than expected in the first three months of the year and likely expanded again in April, fuelling speculation that the Bank of Canada will raise interest rates again.
A former staffer who accused Joe Biden of sexual assault has defected to Moscow and spoken to Russian state media in a news conference that lasted several hours.
Wildfires in Nova Scotia have burned thousands of hectares across the province, forcing many to flee their homes. Halifax-area residents tell CTV News what it was like for them when they had to evacuate.
As text-generative artificial intelligence programs like ChatGPT change the tide of web surfing, one Toronto blogger warns of a “seismic shift” in search engine optimization.
Imagine being struck with a sudden onset of confusion, struggling to think of words or to recognize your surroundings — and even ending up in the emergency department because of it. No, this isn’t a description of dementia, but of a common complication that can arise from serious liver disease.
The Edmonton Oilers made their first trade of the offseason Wednesday, picking up 20-year-old prospect centreman Jayden Grubbe from the New York Rangers.
Frontline health-care workers at Surrey Memorial Hospital say the emergency room should be shut down to new patients if staff shortages continue to create "perilous" conditions for people in need of urgent care.
Wildfires in Nova Scotia have burned thousands of hectares across the province, forcing many to flee their homes. Halifax-area residents tell CTV News what it was like for them when they had to evacuate.
A "critical" shortage of teachers in B.C. is leading to increased workloads, mounting stress and an inability to meet students' needs, according to a first-of-its-kind survey conducted by the union.
The northern Vancouver Island village of Sayward remains on edge Wednesday as a wildfire continues to burn out of control just five kilometres west of the community.
The B.C. government is warning drivers of changes – some permanent – to the Patricia Bay Highway (Highway 17) in Saanichton as work begins on the new Keating Cross Road overpass.
The Toronto Maple Leafs have hired Brad Treliving to be the team's new general manager. The team made the announcement Wednesday, less than two weeks after firing Kyle Dubas.
A Toronto woman says she was shamed for the size of her order at a sushi restaurant north of the city in a scathing review posted to social media that’s been viewed more than 1.4 million times.
Last year, Quebec’s Bill 96 became law, which brought sweeping changes to the Charter of the French language. Sections of the new law will come into effect on June 1, the one-year anniversary of the bill receiving royal assent.
High heat is pushing into parts of Quebec this week, and many communities could see record-breaking temperatures this week. Environment and Climate Change Canada has issued special weather statements, advising people of the above-average temperatures.
A new team working out of the Shriners Hospitals for Children Canada (SHC-Canada) wants to get young people like Horn, who injured themselves, back on their feet and running as fast and efficiently as possible.
Canadian Heritage unveiled the programming for July 1 celebrations, inviting Canadians to come to the capital region to "join the biggest party in the country!"
People who live on Ralgreen Crescent in Kitchener say it could have been a lot worse after a car careened off the road and smashed through their backyards on Tuesday afternoon.
A Toronto woman says she was shamed for the size of her order at a sushi restaurant north of the city in a scathing review posted to social media that’s been viewed more than 1.4 million times.
Forest fires in northern Ontario are on the rise, with the largest in the region shutting down a critical highway for the people of Hornepayne for a bit and bringing the community to the brink of evacuation.
Manitoba RCMP have arrested a priest from a First Nation community who is accused of sexually assaulting an 8-year-old girl, and believe there may be more victims.
Macy Boyce's mother, Corey Macpherson, says, "This can happen to anybody."
Macy Boyce's mother, Corey Macpherson, says, "Our family is still in shreds and this is all because somebody made a choice that was completely preventable."
Lilian Munoz still remembers the day she received a text informing her she'd lost two of her closest friends.
Const. Dan Kurz with the CPS alcohol and drug recognition unit says new legislation has allowed for a more streamlined process not only for offenders, but for officers.
