GOOD NEWS | New legislation passed to get tough on theft and crime

The number one job for any government is to protect public safety.

United Conservatives made big promises in the last election to get tough on theft and address an increase in crime, especially in rural Alberta.

With the passing of Bill 21 and Bill 25 in the legislature, more progress has been by the United Conservative government to keep those promises.

Bill 21 brings in among the toughest impaired driving laws in the country, with serious and escalating  penalties for those who are putting lives at risk through impaired driving. 

How does it work? There will be more big time fines, increased vehicle seizure up to 30 days, new mandatory education programs for repeat offenders, increased licence suspensions for repeat offenders, and expanded mandatory ignition interlock for repeat offenders. 

The new law also brings in a new online ticket system to ensure that court resources can be prioritized and requires commercial drivers to have zero blood alcohol and drug concentration on the job.

Bill 25 addresses a growing problem where metal thieves target property owners and critical infrastructure in rural areas where they can more easily avoid detection. The new law brings in new measures to make it more difficult for criminals to sell stolen metal for scrap. The law is designed to protect Albertans, better track stolen metal, and bring in bigger punishments for metal thieves.