The Jonathan Lapid team writes these pages to explain how DUI law works in Ontario, from roadside testing and court procedure to fines, licence suspensions and longer-term consequences. They are general information, not legal advice about your case.
Start here if you were just charged
- What to do after a DUI charge: a step-by-step guide to the first days after an arrest, from your release papers to your first court date.
- DUI charges overview: how impaired driving offences are grouped in the Criminal Code and which page matches the charge on your paperwork.
- Code of conduct for drivers: the rules that apply to you now, including what police can demand, what you must do and where mistakes happen.
Penalties, costs and defences
- DUI fines and penalties in Ontario: mandatory minimum fines, driving prohibitions, jail for repeat offences and the provincial consequences that follow a conviction.
- DUI defence guide: how roadside testing, breathalyzer evidence and Charter rights come into play when a charge is defended.
- Legal fees: how the cost of a DUI lawyer is structured and what affects it.
Answers and examples
- DUI FAQs: straight answers about roadside stops, breath test refusals, care and control, court dates and criminal records.
- DUI case results: examples of cases where courts dismissed or stayed charges after we identified evidence problems or Charter breaches. Every case is different.
- Glossary of DUI terms: plain-language definitions of the legal and technical words you will see in your paperwork and disclosure.
From our blog
Impaired driving law changes quietly but often, through court decisions, new procedures and shifts in enforcement. Our DUI law blog breaks these topics down in plain language. A few articles readers often start with:
- Can you refuse a breathalyzer in Ontario?: why refusing a lawful demand is its own criminal offence and what it can lead to.
- The 90-day ADLS licence suspension: how Ontario's immediate administrative suspension works and how it differs from the criminal case.
- Ontario's ignition interlock program: what an interlock condition means when your licence is reinstated.
- How long a DUI stays on your record in Canada: what a criminal record means and when a record suspension may be possible.
- Is it worth fighting a DUI in Ontario?: how to weigh a defence against an early resolution.
- How many drinks is 0.08?: why there is no safe number, and why your exact reading still matters.
Need help with your own case?
Guides can explain the rules, but they cannot assess the evidence in your case. If you have been charged in Toronto or anywhere in the GTA, contact Jonathan for a free, confidential review. We answer calls 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.