Saskatoon implements mandatory alcohol screening to ring in the New Year

Drivers who are pulled over for any traffic offence in Saskatoon should be prepared to give a breath sample. Allison Bamford explains.

SASKATOON – The Saskatoon Police Service (SPS) rang in the new year with a new measure to curb impaired driving in the city.

As of Jan. 1, drivers who are pulled over for any traffic offence should be prepared to give a breath sample under a new mandatory alcohol screening mandate.

Officers have the authority to perform roadside breathalyzers without any suspicion of impairment. Changes to Canada’s criminal code in 2018 allow for the practice.

“With the legislation behind it, we can do more alcohol screening in a quicker manner in order to get impaired drivers off the road,” said SPS Sgt. Raymond Robertson.

SPS said they performed 33 tests resulting in two suspensions within the first day-and-a-half of the mandatory alcohol screening.

“Unfortunately, this is a trend that has been going on for several years and that is something that we have to make sure we look into and enforce for public safety,” Robertson said, adding that impaired driving is one of the traffic unit’s main focuses.

SPS dealt with 301 impaired driving cases in 2025, an increase of 78 from the previous year.

Bonny Stevenson, president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Saskatoon, said it is “amazing” to see mandatory screening being used to take drunk drivers off the road.

Her son Quinn was killed by an impaired driver in 2013 when he was just 17 years old.

“There isn’t any part of our life that it hasn’t affected,” she said. “We’ve watched our son grow up without his older brother and his best friend. He’s now getting married. Quinn should be his best man, but he’s not here for any of those events.”

Stevenson says the new measures underscore the importance of finding a safe ride home. She expects there will be some push back from the public.

“If you haven’t been out drinking and driving, you shouldn’t have any concerns,” she said.

Police services across the country have been “cautious” to roll out the mandatory screening, according to Christopher Avery, an Ontario-based defence lawyer who specializes in impaired driving charges.

Saskatchewan RCMP implemented mandatory alcohol screening in 2024. According to Robertson, SPS wanted to see how other jurisdictions rolled out the measure before implementing it in Saskatoon.

In May 2025, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal ruled that mandatory alcohol screening was constitutional, despite violating Canadians’ charter rights.

“When people feel that their rights are being violated, the courts agree with you. They are. However, it’s a reasonable violation given the carnage on our roads,” Avery explained.

If drivers refuse to take a roadside breathalyzer, Avery said they’ll face refusal charges, which can be more serious than blowing over the legal limit.

“Every time I see an area where the local police service begins using the mandatory alcohol screening, there is a surge in refusal cases,” he said.

“Always blow. You’re better off to blow and let the lawyer handle it later.”

Officers say the alcohol screening test takes about 30 seconds.

Advocates believe it’s a little extra time that has the potential to save lives.

“After you lose your 17-year-old son to an impaired driver, there isn’t anything you wouldn’t do to try to save any other family from that heartache that we’ve dealt with,” Stevenson said.