Dangerous driving penalties are set to soon be strengthened in Ontario, as the government has tabled a bill in honour of a father of three who was killed by an alleged dangerous driver.
Andrew Cristillo, 35, was killed Aug. 3 in a head-on crash in Whitchurch-Stouffville that also left his wife and their three young daughters injured. The man charged with dangerous driving causing death in that crash, then 18 years old, was already facing another dangerous driving charge from an incident involving Premier Doug Ford months earlier.
Cristillo’s brother has been pushing for a law to enact roadside suspensions for dangerous driving charges and lifetime driving bans in extreme cases and found the Ford government to be receptive, with the measures included in an omnibus justice bill introduced Tuesday.
“At the end of the day, choices need consequences, and what I’m seeing proposed here delivers real consequences,” Jordan Cristillo said Tuesday at a news conference ahead of the bill’s introduction.
“You have people that use our roads like a racetrack, and now they’ll be held accountable, and most importantly, families like mine will be protected. And the best way we honor victims is by preventing future victims.”
The legislation would impose lifetime licence suspensions for anyone convicted of dangerous driving causing death, allow police to immediately suspend a driver’s licence for 90 days and impound their vehicle if they are suspected of driving dangerously, and increase fines and vehicle impoundment periods for driving with a suspended licence.
Solicitor General Michael Kerzner said the bill comes forward after “heartfelt reflection” over the tragedy of Cristillo’s death.
“It is a terrible, tragic situation, and my heart goes out to Andrew’s family and friends,” Kerzner said.
“There’s no excuse, not ever, for impaired or dangerous driving. Our government will not tolerate it. We will make sure that those who endanger others face real consequences.”
The opposition parties said they support tougher penalties for dangerous driving, but the Liberals and Greens said there was a hypocrisy in cracking down on dangerous driving while making it harder to enforce speeding laws, with the government’s move to ban speed cameras.
“I support any legislation that will make our streets safer by cracking down on dangerous driving,” Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner said.
“It’s a bit rich coming from a government who just removed the ability of municipalities to have speed cameras in place, which all the evidence shows has been the most effective policy of reducing speeds on our streets and helping save lives.”
As announced Monday by Kerzner and Attorney General Doug Downey, the bill would also require people accused of a crime and granted bail to provide a cash security deposit up front, rather than paying later if they break their bail conditions.
As well, the government says it is looking at giving transit constables the authority to enforce prohibitions on illegal drug use on transit, exploring requiring impaired drivers to pay child support if they kill a parent or guardian, and considering making parts of the sex offender registry publicly available.
The legislation also seeks to ban “invasive medical research” on cats and dogs, unless it is for certain purposes such as veterinary research.
Ford had first mused about banning the practice over the summer, after two whistleblowers came forward to Animal Justice with concerns about dogs undergoing tests for cardiac research at the Lawson Research Institute at St. Joseph’s Health Care London.
The animal rights’ organization then put the staffers in touch with the University of Toronto’s Investigative Journalism Bureau, who published an article saying dogs — mostly puppies — were used for tests and killed before their internal organs were removed for further examination.
Animal Justice cheered the introduction of the bill.
“The Ford government’s proposed legislation lays a strong foundation to end the suffering of dogs and cats in labs here in the province,” executive director Camille Labchuk wrote in a statement.
“We’re urging the province to also introduce regulations to guarantee that dogs and cats currently used for tests are released from labs and placed in loving homes, so they can enjoy the freedom and safety that every cat and dog deserves.”
