Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) has honoured four police officers from the North Bay area for their efforts to reduce impaired driving, a crime the organization says is entirely preventable. Three constables with the Ontario Provincial Police and one North Bay city police officer received plaques during a ceremony Monday night in recognition of their work keeping roads safe over the past year. ‘She was brain-damaged and was unable to walk and talk’ Const. Sadie Wegner, who recently transferred to the North Bay OPP detachment from Kapuskasing, knows firsthand the lasting impact of impaired driving. “A relative of mine got hit at a young age of five. She was brain-damaged and was unable to walk and talk,” Wegner said. “She just passed away recently. She was 62.” Wegner specializes in drug recognition and also serves as a breath technician. She said those experiences have made it her mission to catch as many impaired drivers as possible. “There are so many different options and ways to get home: taxis, Uber, or call a friend. There’s no need to get behind the wheel, whether you’re under the influence of drugs or alcohol,” she said. “Whether it’s responding to an impaired driver coming into the detachment to run one of those tests or just out on patrol, our job as officers is just to keep our roads safe and do the best we can in doing that.” MADD Nipissing’s treasurer commended Wegner’s work, noting her recent enforcement numbers. “She actually had 29 impaired drivers for 2025,” said Shona Camirand, the treasurer. “She had 11 in North Bay.” Wegner was just one of four constables to receive awards from MADD Nipissing for their work removing drunk or high drivers from the road. ‘It’s a preventable crime that doesn’t have to happen’ Const. Shaelyn Poulin recalled responding to a serious collision on Highway 17 near East Ferris involving an impaired driver. “Thankfully no one else was hurt when that happened,” she said. “It’s definitely emotional going to calls like these. It’s a preventable crime that doesn’t have to happen.” Poulin added that impaired driving causes widespread harm across the country. “Impaired driving takes the lives of so many people within our country and our communities and I want to do everything I can to keep our community safe,” she said. Dozens killed on provincial highways in 2024 Provincial police have investigated more than 600 alcohol-related deaths on provincially patrolled highways and roadways over the last decade. In 2024, 53 people were killed in alcohol-related fatalities, including six in the northeast region. Statistics Canada reported 57,000 alcohol-impaired driving incidents in 2022, continuing a downward trend from 69,000 incidents in 2015. ‘They don’t get enough recognition’ MADD has recognized local police officers for their dedication to the cause for more than 25 years. Camirand said the awards are an important way to acknowledge the officers’ work. “They don’t get enough recognition for the work that they’re doing with all their investigations, traffic stops or criminal investigations,” she said.
