Impaired Driving & DUI Lawyer in Toronto

If you were charged with impaired driving in Toronto, your licence is already suspended and your car may still be in the impound lot. Your first court date will be at the Toronto courthouse downtown. Avi Baratz is a Toronto criminal defence lawyer, based at Yonge and Sheppard, who has defended impaired driving, over 80 and refusal charges for more than 20 years.

Where Toronto Impaired Driving Cases Are Heard

Since 2023, most Ontario Court of Justice criminal cases in Toronto are heard at one courthouse: 10 Armoury Street, just north of City Hall. It replaced the old courts at Old City Hall, College Park, 1000 Finch Avenue West and 1911 Eglinton Avenue East. If you are held for a bail hearing rather than released, that hearing usually takes place at the Toronto Region Bail Centre at 2201 Finch Avenue West.

Your first appearance is not a trial. It is where the Crown begins disclosing its evidence, so your defence can be built before any decisions are made.

How Toronto Impaired Driving Investigations Start

Toronto Police Service runs RIDE checks year-round, with more during the holiday season. Investigations also begin after collisions, calls from other drivers, or traffic stops on routes such as the Gardiner Expressway, Don Valley Parkway, Highway 401, Lake Shore Boulevard and Yonge Street. Police can demand a roadside breath sample from any driver they lawfully stop, without first suspecting alcohol.

Common Toronto Scenarios

• Care or control after a night out: you can be charged while sitting in a parked car, even without driving, if police believe there was a realistic risk the car could be put in motion. Where the keys were, whether the engine was running, and what you planned to do all matter.
• Cannabis and drug-impaired driving: police may rely on oral-fluid screening, a drug recognition evaluation, or a blood sample. A drug in your system does not on its own prove your ability to drive was impaired.
• Collisions: when a crash is involved, police may seek a blood demand or warrant at hospital, which raises its own legal issues.
• Refusal: failing to provide a suitable breath sample is a separate charge, with a higher minimum fine than a first over 80 conviction.

Penalties at a Glance

Ontario's roadside penalties apply immediately: a 90-day licence suspension, a 7-day vehicle impoundment and a $550 administrative penalty. A conviction adds a criminal record, a minimum one-year driving prohibition and a minimum $1,000 fine for a first offence, with higher minimums for high readings, refusals and repeat offences. See our impaired driving, DUI and over 80 page for the full penalty breakdown.

How We Defend Impaired Driving Charges in Toronto

The evidence in a Toronto impaired driving case often includes in-car camera, booking video and breath-room recordings. We review all of it, along with officer notes and instrument records, to look for issues such as:

• an unlawful stop or detention
• breath or blood demands that were late or improper
• delays or problems in giving you access to a lawyer
• breath-testing procedures that were not followed
• observations of impairment that the video does not support
• unlawful blood seizures at hospital after a collision

Where these issues are made out, evidence can be excluded or charges withdrawn. No outcome can be guaranteed, but early advice keeps the most options open.

Contact a Toronto Impaired Driving Lawyer

If you have been charged with impaired driving, over 80, drug-impaired driving or refusal anywhere in Toronto, contact Baratz Law for a confidential consultation. Our office is at 5000 Yonge Street, Suite 1901. Call 416-937-3777 or email avi@baratzlaw.com. We are available 24 hours a day.