Overview
- OPP West Region said officers stopped 3,095 vehicles at 13 detachment checkpoints from Nov. 20 to Jan. 1, laying 269 impaired-driving charges and issuing 40 warning-range suspensions.
- The charge rate in West Region was 8.6% of drivers stopped, down from 15% in 2024 when 187 charges followed 1,938 stops, with officials calling the decline no cause for celebration.
- Ottawa Police reported 34 drivers charged in the final Festive RIDE operation, including 27 for impaired-related offences, two suspended drivers, three for open alcohol, and two under the Cannabis Control Act.
- Across 76 locations in Ottawa, officers recorded 6,924 driver interactions during the campaign, with 94 impaired-related charges over the season and 854 drivers charged in 2025 versus 837 in 2024.
- New Ontario measures now in effect include a lifetime licence suspension upon conviction for impaired driving causing death, mandatory remedial education for first-time administrative occurrences, and longer roadside suspensions.