Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
Every Friday, Murray Wood takes a look back at the week's news and decides who's hot... and who's not. This week's list ...
A number can fit on a page. It can be read in a headline, mentioned in a report and forgotten by the next news cycle.
But behind Saskatchewan’s record number of serious impaired driving crashes are people, families who lose loved ones, friends who lose someone they thought would always be there and communities left dealing with the aftermath of a decision that could have been prevented.
Read more:
- Sask. Mounties say officers responded to 31 fatal collisions involving impairment in 2025
- Driver charged after crashing into slough on Highway 16
- Prince Albert man dead after collision on highway near MacDowall: RCMP
According to the RCMP, Saskatchewan officers responded to 113 serious and/or fatal collisions involving impairment by drugs and alcohol in 2025. Of those, 82 were serious collisions as a result of impaired driving involving alcohol and drugs, the Mounties said, while 31 collisions were fatal.
“It’s really upsetting to see these numbers continuing to increase, even though the message has been the same for decades – to simply not drive impaired,” said Tanya Hansen Pratt, national president of MADD Canada.
For Hansen Pratt, those numbers aren’t just data points. They represent lives changed forever.
The Saskatchewan RCMP said the province has seen a steady rise in serious and fatal impairment-related collisions since 2016.
“Saskatchewan has among the highest rates of impaired driving in the country, so it’s really upsetting to see that confirmed by the RCMP,” Hansen Pratt expressed.
Tanya Hansen Pratt, national president of MADD Canada, said preventing impaired driving starts with making the decision to not get behind the wheel after consuming alcohol or drugs. (Tanya Hansen Pratt/Submitted)
In 2025, the RCMP said 1,650 Criminal Code impaired driving charges were issued in its jurisdiction, along with 2,270 licence suspensions for those who were impaired behind the wheel.
“We know that impairment is involved in some way, whether they’re drinking just alcohol or they’re consuming some kind of drugs, or a combination of the two,” Hansen Pratt said.
While the numbers show a troubling trend, Hansen Pratt said the true impact cannot be captured by statistics alone. She said every crash creates a ripple effect that extends far beyond the people directly involved.
“For every injury or fatality, there’s just an almost innumerable quantity of people in the background that are affected,” she expressed.
For Hansen Pratt, that personal impact is something she knows firsthand.
“My mom was killed 27 years ago, and I’ve missed her every day since she was killed by an impaired driver,” she said. “And there are so many people in her life that were affected by her death.”
Hansen Pratt said her own experience is the reason she continues advocating for stronger action against impaired driving.
“I would ask people to think about their loved ones and how they would feel if an impaired driver took their loved one away from them,” she said.
Hansen Pratt said public education has helped reduce impaired driving rates over time, but she believes more tools are needed in the fight against the problem.
“The message has gotten through to many people. Unfortunately, there’s some people that just won’t listen, no matter what you do,” she said.
“That’s when legislation becomes really important, and making it so that they can’t make that decision in the first place.”
One measure Hansen Pratt said she supports is mandatory alcohol screening, which allows police to test drivers for alcohol consumption during lawful traffic stops.
“Police have been really great across the country on focusing on mandatory alcohol screening. Saskatchewan is a leader in the use of MAS, but its efforts still have room for improvement,” she said.
Hansen Pratt also pointed to the province’s immediate roadside prohibition program as another tool to deter impaired driving.
“That program is really going to help supercharge Saskatchewan’s alcohol-related deterrent effects,” she said.
“The effects are immediate. They have all of the same consequences, but it happens immediately and goes through the administrative side rather than the criminal justice side.”
Beyond enforcement, Hansen Pratt said new technology could play a role in preventing impaired driving before it happens.
“We would love to see implementation of anti-impaired driving technology that would take that decision away from drivers,” she said.
Hansen Pratt said preventing impaired driving starts with one simple step.
“The easiest thing they can do to stop impaired driving is to simply plan ahead, and the plan can be as simple as having a designated driver,” she said.
“Please, please not get behind the wheel impaired, and never get into a vehicle with someone that you suspect is driving impaired.”
Sask. ATV Association encourages sober riding ahead of long weekend
The Saskatchewan All-Terrain Vehicle Association is urging riders to stay sober when they hit the trails.
Ahead of the long weekend, the association emphasized the importance of safety while riding, which means avoiding all forms of impairment.
“ATVs are powerful vehicles that require focus, balance, judgment and quick reaction time,” John Meed, the organization’s general manager, said in a statement. “Alcohol and drugs interfere with all of those things. If you are impaired, you should not be operating an ATV.”
The association reminded riders that impaired operation of an ATV is illegal, just like driving a car while impaired. Riders could face criminal charges for operating an ATV while impaired, even while riding off road, and zero-tolerance rules apply for young riders.
Impairment means riders aren’t as adept at steering, braking, judging distance, responding to uneven terrain and reacting to sudden hazards, the association explained, adding that split-second decisions can make a big difference when riders are moving through tricky terrain.
“People sometimes think that because they are on a trail, at the cabin or on private property, the risks are lower,” Meed added.
“That is simply not true. Impaired riding can lead to rollovers, collisions, serious injuries and fatalities. It is not worth the risk.”
The association encouraged ATV users to speak up when someone is choosing to ride while impaired, and to watch out for their friends and family members.
“Responsible riding is about more than protecting yourself,” Meed said. “It is about making sure everyone gets home safely at the end of the day.”
RCMP reminds public that impaired driving laws apply to watercraft
Meanwhile, the Saskatchewan RCMP is reminding boaters to stay sober when they head out on the water.
“A day on the lake may feel more relaxed than a drive on the road, but your responsibility to be safe – and abide by the law – is the same,” RCMP superintendent Grant St. Germaine said in a statement.
“On any given day, there are families out fishing and kids tubing or wake-surfing on the lake. These are the people – along with yourself and your loved ones – that you are putting in harm’s way if you ignore the law.”
The RCMP said a six-hour patrol on Last Mountain Lake on Saturday led police to dump more than 100 containers of alcohol and issue several tickets, including four for open alcohol on a boat, one for operating a boat without a licence, two for open alcohol on shore and several warnings concerning life jacket use.
