Ontario Provincial Police have released statistics for the 2024/25 Festive RIDE (Reduce Impaired Driving Everywhere) campaign, showing 139 impaired drivers were charged in the Northeast region, which is made of 12 detachments across Northeastern Ontario.
It was a decrease from the 162 impaired charges filed by the OPP for the same region for the previous year, in the 2024/23 festive RIDE campaign.
The most recent Festive RIDE campaign ran between Nov. 21, 2024, and Jan. 1, 2025. That's a period of 41 days. With the number of charges laid that works out to more than three impaired charges laid for each and every day of the festive season, in this region.
A table of statistics provided by the OPP showed that drivers in Manitoulin (Manitowaning) jurisdiction had the highest number of violations with 26 charges laid. Next highest on the list was the James Bay detachment, which accounted for 18 charges. Drivers in the Sudbury jurisdiction accounted for 17 impaired charges.
The OPP detachment in the Temiskaming area laid 15 charges, while the West Parry Sound detachment OPP laid 14 charges and Almaguin Highlands OPP laid 13 charges.
The other detachments in the northeast all reported single-digit arrest numbers. Kirkland Lake detachment reported the lowest numbers with four drivers charged.
Statistics for the previous year showed that the Manitoulin (Manitowaning) detachment also had the most impaired charges in the 2023/24 festive season with 29 charges.
The Festive RIDE campaign is an annual police enforcement and education initiative aimed at taking impaired drivers off Ontario roads during the holiday season, said the OPP news release
