Sooner or later, we are going to have to change our drinking and driving law.
This will be a challenge for many living on farms or smaller towns and cities throughout rural Saskatchewan.
But it would seem rather obvious now the next logical step will be lowering the .08 blood alcohol driving limit, heavy first-time fines, long-term loss of driving privileges or all of the above.
In other words: We are heading for a world where there may be no drinking at all if you are going to be driving — a tough situation for rural folks.
When you live in a rural environment, a cab or public transportation isn’t really an option. Moreover, you are likely to need a car for work or for simply existing.
Maybe city folk can easily walk home from the bar, but walking long distances in a rural Saskatchewan winter is not an option.
But what seems obvious is we have developed a culture of drinking and driving — notwithstanding Premier Brad Wall’s insistence that such a culture does not exist.
We already have the highest rate of per capita drinking and drinking and driving convictions in the country.
And there were 17 more people killed on Saskatchewan highways in alcohol-related crashes in 2014 than in 2013.
The government notes the number of fatalities dropped by eight in 2015 compared with 2014.
And, by no small irony, former Saskatchewan Liquor and Gaming Authority and SGI minister Don McMorris was the one tasked with overseeing a more aggressive public awareness campaign of the impact of drinking and driving.
Of course, that was before McMorris’s August 5 charge of impaired driving. He was stopped at 11:30 a.m. in a construction zone and charged with being over the legal .08 blood alcohol content.
He is scheduled to appear in court on Sept. 7, but immediately resigned his role as deputy premier and minister of SGLA and SGI.
In fact, he will now sit independent of the Sask. Party caucus and is said to be seeking counselling.
As deputy minister, McMorris did relish the political fight. This made him unpopular with some outside his party, but others recognized as a good, solid guy.
As Wall pointed out, this is what makes his very stupid decision all that more disappointing.
As a former driving instructor, health and highways minister and someone overseeing the government’s aggressive advertising on drinking and driving and slowing down in construction zones, McMorris knew better.
And to arguably make matters worse, McMorris was driving his government-issued cabinet minister’s car when this happened. (Although it should be stressed that he was said not to be on government business at the time of the incident. Ministers are allowed to use government vehicles for personal use, as long as they keep track of mileage. It is believed McMorris was driving from his home in Regina to his cottage in the Qu’Appelle chain when he was pulled over.)
And as a further testimonial to how much drinking and driving has become part of our culture, McMorris becomes the fifth member of the Sask. Party government 51-person caucus to have a brush with our impaired driving laws.
Economy Minister Bill Boyd was convicted in 2005 for “driving without due care and attention” (a traffic code violation) after being charged with failing to provide a breath sample. (That Criminal Code violation was stayed.)
Also Advanced Education Minister Scott Moe has a DUI conviction going back to 1992 and backbenchers Terry Dennis (Canora-Pelly) and Eric Olauson (Saskatoon-University) each have multiple convictions.
That’s one in 10 among our current government lawmakers — not exactly an effective denial of the problem this province has with drinking and driving.
So let us hope that McMorris’s unfortunate situation is a wakeup call.
Change now seems inevitable.
Murray Mandryk has been covering provincial politics for over 22 years.
