“The holidays are always a special time for friends and family coming home from around the province and country,” said Sgt. Rob Davis, of the EPS Impaired Driving Unit. “The public will see our officers working Checkstops across the city throughout the holidays, to help ensure everyone gets home safely.”
It will be business as usual, however, for the service’s Impaired Driving Unit, despite the ink barely being dry on the country’s cannabis legalization laws.
“Regardless if you’ve consumed too much alcohol, prescription medication and/or cannabis, plain and simple, it has always been a criminal offence to drive while being impaired,” explained Sgt. Davis. “You’re risking losing your licence, your job and you’re also risking your life, the lives of any other occupants in your vehicle and the lives of those on the roads around you.”
“Stay at home, or make plans to take a taxi or ride sharing service. As individuals, as a community, we need to take care of one another to ensure we all get home safely to our families.”
Police have always had the means to test drug-impaired driving, and those methods remain the same now that cannabis is legalized. If a police officer suspects that a driver is impaired by a drug, they will conduct a Standardized Field Sobriety Test (SFST) at the roadside. The SFST consists of some preliminary questions, an eye exam, and some movement tests. If the SFST indicates impairment, the driver will then be arrested and taken to a police station to be evaluated by a Drug Recognition Expert (DRE), who can demand a urine or blood sample. If the results from the laboratory confirm the DRE’s suspicion of impairment, charges can then be laid on the driver. Officers may also request an oral fluid sample at the roadside, which, if positive, will then trigger a DRE evaluation.
On Dec. 18, 2018, Mandatory Alcohol Screening will also come into effect. This change to the federal Criminal Code will remove the requirement for police to form grounds for requesting a breath sample. This means that police can conduct roadside alcohol testing on any person who has been lawfully stopped, whether or not there is suspicion that the person is impaired.
The EPS Checkstop program involves vehicle-stop locations and roving patrols across the city looking for impaired drivers. While it is aimed at detecting impaired drivers and removing them from the road, a large component is also aimed at educating the public of the dangers and consequences of impaired driving.
If you suspect a driver is impaired, please contact police as soon as possible to Curb the Danger:
Call 911 if it is safe to do so. Calling 911 in an emergency, or to report an impaired driver, is permitted while driving under the distracted driving law.
Report the location, vehicle description, and licence plate number.
Keep the vehicle in sight but do not attempt to chase the vehicle, or break the law to do so.
For more information on EPS traffic safety and enforcement initiatives, please visit www.edmontonpolice.ca/traffic
At approximately 5:30 p.m. yesterday, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018, Southeast Division officers responded to the report of an assault on a female in the area of 79 Avenue and 71 Street.
Upon arrival, officers located a female in distress and with serious injuries.
At approximately 8:30 p.m., officers received a report of a male acting erratically who broke into a garage at 73 Street and 80 Avenue. It was later determined that the male was a suspect in relation to the assault of the female at 79 Avenue and 71 Street. The man was arrested and remains in police custody.
After further investigations, patrol officers returned to an apartment suite at 79 Avenue and 71 Street where two children were found deceased.
Homicide Section continues to investigate. Autopsies have yet to be scheduled.
No further information is being released at this time for investigative reasons.
On June 3, 2018, at approximately 4:15 a.m., the Edmonton Police Service was notified by Edmonton Fire Rescue of a suspicious fire that damaged a show home and a home under construction in the area of 172 Avenue and 62 Street. Neither home was occupied at the time.
Security camera footage obtained from the area at the time showed a lone male suspect checking vehicle door handles before ultimately breaking into a vehicle. Investigators believe this may be the same suspect involved in the arson.
The male is described as a tall white male with a slim build and a “mullet” style haircut. He was wearing a long sleeved shirt, baggy jeans and a small backpack with rope shoulder straps.
Suspect photos obtained from area security footage
Cain will be residing in the Edmonton area and will be monitored by the Behavioural Assessment Unit of the Edmonton Police Service.
The Edmonton Police Service is seeking a court order that will include a number of conditions that Cain must abide by including:
He must abide by a curfew of 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily
He shall not purchase, possess or consume any alcoholic beverages. He shall not consume or possess any drug listed in the schedules of the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act including cannabis, any prescription drugs not prescribed to him, or any other intoxicating substances.
He shall not be in any licensed premises other than a dining room for the sole purpose of having a meal. He shall not attend at any liquor store.
He shall not possess any drug paraphernalia such as crack or marijuana pipes, self-made pipes of any kind, e cigarettes, bongs, water pipes, cigarette papers, or syringes.
He must not be in possession of weapons of any kind, including knives (except in your residence or at a restaurant for the sole purpose of consuming a meal), bear spray or dog spray, firearms, ammunition, explosive material, or any weapons whether homemade or otherwise.
He must not travel out of the City of Edmonton without written approval of his Supervisor or the Provincial Court of Alberta.
Anyone with any information about any potential breaches of these conditions by Montana Cain can contact the EPS at 780-423-4567.
The Edmonton Police Service is issuing this information and warning after careful deliberation of all related issues, including privacy concerns, in the belief that it is clearly in the public interest to inform the members of the community.
Members of the public are advised that the intent of this process is to enable citizens to take suitable precautionary measures. Releasing this information is NOT intended to encourage people to engage in any form of vigilante action.
Montana Cain
32 years old
5’11”, 177lbs
This information is released under the authority of the FOIP Act, RSA 2000, C. F-25.
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The information in this release is that which was verifiable prior to the release time indicated. Continued investigation and review could result in additional information or clarification. |
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Stuart Barclay was located safe and unharmed in North Vancouver on Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018.
The EPS would like to thank the West Vancouver Police, the media and the public for their assistance.
Derek Carter was located safe and unharmed in Edmonton on Monday, Nov. 12, 2018.
The EPS would like to thank the media and the public for their assistance.
