SASKATOON — The Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) has released data from the first week of its new Mandatory Alcohol Screening (MAS) policy, which came into effect on New Year’s Day.
Between January 1 and January 7, officers conducted 240 roadside breath tests, resulting in five immediate license suspensions. Under the new federal authority, officers no longer need “reasonable suspicion” of impairment to demand a breath sample during a legal traffic stop.
“It helps us stop drivers who are impaired but don’t look it,” said SPS representatives. While groups like MADD Canada support the measure, some legal experts and residents have raised concerns regarding the policy’s impact on civil liberties. Police remind the public that the screening is brief and that refusal to provide a sample carries the same criminal penalties as a failing result.
