The Alberta Government has decided to crack down and say enough is enough to careless motorists. Bill 9 which takes effect on April 1st 2017, aims to Modernize Enforcement of Provincial Offences. Bill 9 “is long over due” according to Sgt Strombone who is the Vice Commander of the Calgary Police. “Those who choose not to pay fines will now be looking at jail time and more notably, motorists with more serious motoring offences including driver under the influence of drugs or alcohol, excessive speeding or driving without proof of registration or insurance will now face automatic jail time as a result of their reckless actions”.
The province also has plans to introduce electronic ticketing to streamline the workflow for court clerks and police officers.”With the e-ticketing system, information that was previously entered into the law enforcement and court systems will now be entered electronically into both at the time the infraction is committed. Police and peace officers can issue a printed ticket from a cruiser.”
The government thinks the change will save court clerks about 9,000 hours each year. Police officers will no longer have to go before a commissioner of oaths to swear the ticket.