Calgary Voters See DUI Laws Become a Non-Issue

As radio host and news commentator Rob Breakenridge noted in a [recent opinion piece for the Calgary Herald], Alberta's DUI laws were a major issue in Calgary and throughout the province during the 2012 election. Strong opposition to the law was raised by the Wildrose Party, while other politicians vociferously defended it.

In the years since, the controversy surrounding the law hasn't changed when it comes to the opinions of many Calgary citizens and legal professionals, but the politicians don't seem to think questionable impaired driving laws and punishments are worthy of discussion any more.

Despite the fact that the law has recently been challenged on constitutional grounds, there is strange silence from the Wildrose Party candidates who so openly attacked the law in 2012, even as Calgary's voting public gears up for elections in 2015.

Former Calgary Police Chief Rick Hanson, a very vocal supporter of the law before and after it was passed and put into effect, has left his position with the police department and is currently a PC candidate. Prior to his departure, he had been quieter on the DUI issue, too, which suggests that no matter what any politician truly believes about Alberta's potentially illegal and unjust impaired driving punishments, it simply isn't a priority in the upcoming campaign.

For now, the courts rather than the voters have a much greater opportunity to alter, or uphold, the DUI laws that affect all drivers in Calgary. How far this situation will extend into the future remains to be seen.