REGINA – The Saskatchewan government is changing legislation governing commercial vehicle seizures in the province. The proposed change will make it less complicated for business owners to have seized vehicles released due to employee’s driving behaviour.
At the same time, proposed amendments to the Traffic Safety Act will toughen penalties for drivers, establishing a three-day licence suspension for drivers of commercial vehicles who commit high-risk driving offences.
The issue came to light when the owner of a Saskatoon business had a commercial vehicle seized after an employee was caught texting and driving for a second time.
MORE: Government reconsidering new vehicle seizure laws
“We listened to concerns brought forward by businesses and have consulted with numerous stakeholders to reach this decision,” said Don McMorris, the minister responsible for Saskatchewan Government Insurance.
“We believe these changes strike a fair balance between considering the business interests of commercial vehicle owners, and ensuring road safety by continuing to be tough on high-risk drivers.
MORE: What you need to know about new Saskatchewan traffic laws
The change will allow for an appeal process for owners of commercial vehicles seized due to the driving behaviour of an employee provided three conditions are met:
- the employee is not the owner of the commercial vehicle;
- the owner can produce evidence that they have a written and communicated safety plan in place; and
- the owner has obtained a driver’s abstract from the employee within the previous 12 months.
An appeal would also trigger a National Safety Code compliance audit for the business. The cost of an appeal is one-hundred dollars.
The regulation change is expected to take effect in early January while the suspension change should pass during the spring sitting of the legislature.
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