Sentencing

• Author: Karen Jokinen/Peter Keen
• Pages: 467-489

467

Sentencing

23

I. Introduction ............................................. 468

II. Minimum Penalty Oences ................................. 468

A. First-Time Oenders: Fines ........................... 469

B. First-Time Oenders: Driving Prohibitions ............... 470

C. Provincial Trac Safety Act Consequences ............... 470

D. Counsel’s Obligations ................................ 471

E. Provincial Laws—Decriminalizing Drinking and Driving .... 471

F. Repeat Oenders ................................... 472

G. When Is an Oence a Second or Subsequent Oence? ..... 472

H. Notice of Increased Penalty ........................... 474

III. Non-Minimum Penalty Oences ............................. 474

IV. Statutory Aggravating Factors for Sentencing ................... 475

V. Ignition-Interlock Program .................................. 477

VI. Exception to the Minimum Penalty Provisions .................. 478

VII. Sentencing in Bodily Harm Cases ............................ 479

VIII. Sentencing in Death Cases ................................. 480

IX. Sentencing Cases ......................................... 481

A. Impaired Operation or “80 or Over” Causing Death ....... 481

B. Dangerous Operation Causing Death ................... 482

C. Impaired Operation Causing Bodily Harm ............... 483

D. Fail or Refuse Involving Death or Bodily Harm ............ 486

E. Sentencing for Other Oences ......................... 486

F. Constitutional Challenges to Minimum Sentences ......... 487

G. Conditional Sentences ............................... 488

X. Conclusion .............................................. 489

© 2023 Emond Montgomery Publications. All Rights Reserved.

468 Impaired Driving and Other Criminal Code Driving Oences

I. Introduction

Sentencing involves not only Criminal Code1 provisions but also corollary conse-

quences under provincial highway trac legislation for motor vehicles and federal

legislation for other modes of transportation. There can also be immigration, employ-

ment, and insurance consequences.

The maximum penalties for simple drinking-and-operating or drugged-operation

cases are now two years less one day in summary conviction cases and ten years when

the Crown proceeds by indictment.

In this chapter, we will review the statutory minimum penalties for alcohol/drug-

operation oences for first-time and subsequent oenders, along with the related

driving prohibitions. A quick review of penalties for other operation oences follows.

We also review the sentencing regime for bodily harm and death cases and provide

some sentencing summaries. The statutory aggravating circumstances that should be

referenced in every sentencing are described.

Finally, we will review available reprieves for an accused, such as the treatment and

interlock provisions referenced in the Criminal Code. We also discuss recent legislative

changes which expand the availability of conditional sentences for operation oences.

Counsel should be aware that in some cases lawyers have not explained corollary

consequences to the accused, such as automatic provincial licence suspensions. Such

problems have led appeal courts to interfere and strike the plea as being uninformed,

sending a message to members of the bench and bar that accused persons must be

given all information about the consequences of a plea. We will discuss counsel’s

obligations in this chapter.

II. Minimum Penalty Offences

Section 320.19 sets out the minimum penalties for operation while impaired

(s320.14(1)(a)), “80 or over” (s 320.14(1)(b)), equal to or over the drug per se

limit (s320.14(1)(c)), equal to or over a drug and alcohol per se limit combined

(s 320.14(1)(d)), fail or refuse to comply with a demand (s 320.15(1)). Section 320.19

also sets a statutory maximum for low blood drug concentration (s 320.14(4)).

The statutory punishment section is as follows:

Punishment

320.19(1) Every person who commits an oence under subsection 320.14(1) or

320.15(1) is guilty of

(a) an indictable oence and liable to imprisonment for a term of not more than

10 years and to a minimum punishment of,

(i) for a first oence, a fine of $1,000,

(ii) for a second oence, imprisonment for a term of 30 days, and

(iii) for each subsequent oence, imprisonment for a term of 120 days; or

1 RSC 1985, c C-46.

© 2023 Emond Montgomery Publications. All Rights Reserved.