R. v. Heft, (1983) 22 Man.R.(2d) 109 (CoCt)

• Court: Court of Queen's Bench of Manitoba (Canada)
• Case Date: May 11, 1983
• Jurisdiction: Manitoba
• Citations: (1983), 22 Man.R.(2d) 109 (CoCt)

R. v. Heft (1983), 22 Man.R.(2d) 109 (CoCt)

MLB headnote and full text

R. v. Heft

Indexed As: R. v. Heft

Manitoba County Court of Winnipeg

Philp, C.C.C.J.

May 11, 1983.

Summary:

The accused appealed his conviction on a charge of driving with an excessive blood-alcohol content contrary to s. 236(1) of the Criminal Code of Canada.

The Manitoba County Court allowed the appeal because the breathalyzer certificate should not have been admitted into evidence at trial and without the certificate there was insufficient evidence to convict.

Criminal Law - Topic 1374

Motor vehicles - Impaired driving - Breathalyzer - Certificate evidence - The Manitoba County Court held that the omission from the breathalyzer certificate of the time of taking the second breath sample was a fatal error which could not be overcome by the viva voce evidence of the technician or the attending officer and therefore the certificate was inadmissible - The court also discussed technical defects which would not affect admissibility - See paragraphs 1 to 19.

Criminal Law - Topic 1374

Motor vehicles - Impaired driving - Breathalyzer - Certificate evidence - Evidence to the contrary - The Manitoba County Court stated that unsatisfactory evidence by the breathalyzer technician which indicated that the actual breath readings were uncertain and unreliable constituted evidence to the contrary notwithstanding that there was no evidence of the actual proportion of alcohol in the accused's blood at the time of the offence - See paragraphs 20 to 36.

Cases Noticed:

R. v. Anderson (1982), 15 Sask.R. 347; 13 M.V.R. 157 (Sask. Q.B.), refd to. [para. 6].

R. v. Bykowski (1980), 23 A.R. 426; 54 C.C.C.(2d) 398 (Alta. C.A.), refd to. [para. 6].

R. v. Brown (1980), 23 Nfld. & P.E.I.R. 358; 61 A.P.R. 358; 5 M.V.R. 226 (Alta. C.A.), refd to. [para. 6].

R. v. Erlendson (1980), 1 Man.R.(2d) 304; 4 M.V.R. 139 (Man. C.C.), refd to. [para. 6].

R. v. Burke (1979), 32 N.S.R.(2d) 566; 54 A.P.R. 566; 1 M.V.R. 216 (N.S. C.C.), refd to. [para. 6].

R. v. Moore (1981), 12 Sask.R. 217; 13 M.V.R. 33 (Sask. Q.B.), refd to. [para. 9].

R. v. Pickles (1972), 20 C.R.N.S. 301 (Ont. C.A.), consd. [para. 11].

R. v. Hruby (1980), 19 A.R. 230; 4 M.V.R. 192 (Alta. C.A.), consd. [para. 13].

R. v. Hrynkiw (1979), 1 Man.R.(2d) 71, dist. [para. 15].

R. v. Andrushko, [1977] 6 W.W.R. 214 (Man. C.A.), refd to. [para. 15].

R. v. Grace (1979), 31 N.S.R.(2d) 596; 52 A.P.R. 596; 47 C.C.C.(2d) 301 (N.S. C.A.), refd to. [para. 16].

R. v. Madden (1982), 14 Man.R.(2d) 124; 13 M.V.R. 44, consd. [para. 20].

R. v. Crosthwait, [1980] 1 S.C.R. 1089; 31 N.R. 603; 6 M.V.R. 1, consd. [para. 26].

R. v. Moreau, [1979] 1 S.C.R. 261; 23 N.R. 541; 1 M.V.R. 1, refd to. [para. 28].

Statutes Noticed:

Criminal Code of Canada, R.S.C. 1970, c. C-34, sect. 236(1) [para. 1]; sect. 237(1)(f)(iii)(B) [para. 8].

Counsel:

P. Murdock, for the Crown;

R.L. Tapper, for the (accused) appellant.

This case was heard by PHILP, C.C.C.J., of the Manitoba County Court of Winnipeg, who on May 11, 1983, delivered the following decision.