Calgary man charged after suspected drunk driving crash in northern Ontario
A 37-year-old man from Calgary has been charged with failing to comply with demands for a breathalyzer following a single-vehicle crash on Highway 17.
Emergency crews were called to a collision involving one vehicle in West Nipissing shortly after 11 p.m. Sept. 23.
"The driver was transported to the local hospital by Nipissing Paramedic Services with non-life threating injuries," Ontario Provincial Police said in a news release Monday morning.
"The driver was arrested for impaired driving and refused to provide a breath sample."
His driver's licence has been suspended for 90 days and his vehicle impounded for seven days.
The accused was released and is scheduled to appear in court Nov. 3.
"Basically, the consequence for refusing a breath sample is the same as for impaired driving or blowing over the legal limit," Kruse Law, an Ontario criminal and DUI law firm, said on its website.
"In fact, the fine for a refusal conviction is the same as the aggravated fine for blowing over 160."
If found guilty, the penalty could include a $2,000 fine, 30 per cent victim fine surcharge and at least one-year driving prohibition.
"A person is entitled to refuse if it’s merely a wish or a want or an 'ask' where it appears the person actually has a choice regarding whether to provide a breath sample or not," Kruse Law said.
"In other words, the police are required to make a clear demand that the person has no choice but to comply with the demand or they will be charged with a refusal."
The allegation has not been proven in court.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
BREAKING Ottawa public school board, 3 Toronto-area school boards launch lawsuit against social media giants
The Ottawa-Carleton District School Board and three school boards in the Toronto-area have launched legal action against social media giants, accusing them of "disrupting students' fundamental right to education."
Doctors visiting a Gaza hospital are stunned by the war's toll on Palestinian children
An international team of doctors visiting a hospital in central Gaza was prepared for the worst. But the gruesome impact Israel’s war against Hamas is having on Palestinian children still left them stunned.
Crypt near Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner could fetch US$400,000 at auction
A one-space mausoleum crypt in the vicinity of Marilyn Monroe and Hugh Hefner will go on auction Saturday, when it is expected to reach between US$200,000 and $400,000.
This Toronto restaurant is no longer accepting tips. Here's how it's going
A Toronto restaurant introduced a surprising new rule that reduced the cost of a meal and raised the salaries of staff – tipping is no longer accepted.
A Nigerian woman reviewed some tomato puree online. Now she faces jail
A Nigerian woman who wrote an online review of a can of tomato puree is facing imprisonment after its manufacturer accused her of making a “malicious allegation” that damaged its business.
Premiers not being truthful about carbon tax, Trudeau says while sparks fly in Ottawa
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau says Conservative premiers across the country are 'not telling the truth' when it comes to the carbon tax. Trudeau's comments came as fresh sparks were flying in Ottawa at a recalled House of Commons committee.
Far North police 'dispatch' polar bear stalking schoolyard
Police and local hunters in an Ontario Far North First Nation community have “dispatched” a polar that was showing abnormal behaviour and treating the area as a hunting ground.
What new auto insurance reforms will mean for Ontarians, if they get introduced
Ontario has among the highest rates for auto insurance premiums in Canada -- just below Alberta and Nova Scotia -- however, the introduction of an insurance reform in the provincial budget could soon lower prices.