The GNWT announced several updates to the territory’s Motor Vehicles Act on Thursday, including a few pertaining to impaired driving.
Those who refuse to provide a breath sample will now be assessed the same administrative penalty as if they were impaired.
Commercial drivers will no longer be exempt from administrative penalties for having a blood-alcohol level between 0.05-0.08.
Legislation has been updated to ensure that the NWT can fully participate in the Ignition Interlock Program and that drivers’ licences will be cancelled in compliance with NWT court orders.
The law has also been clarified to recognize that administrative penalties under section 116.2 of the act do not apply to drugs authorized for medical purposes.
A redundancy in medical exam requirements has been eliminated as well.
The GNWT noted that the Motor Vehicles Act is being thoroughly reviewed and a full rewrite is expected to take place over several years. The amendments announced Thursday allowed the territorial government to more quickly address some inconsistencies with other Canadian jurisdictions.