Everything You Need To Know About Ontario’s Ignition Interlock Program

If you’ve been charged with or convicted of a DUI in Ontario, you’ve probably heard the term “Ignition Interlock Program”. When facing charges, you are dealing with enough uncertainty already, so get to know exactly what this program involves and what’s at stake if you don’t follow the rules.

Ontario’s Ignition Interlock Program

It is a mandatory condition for getting your driver’s license back after a DUI-related conviction or certain administrative suspensions. In short, before you can drive again, the province requires that any vehicle you operate be fitted with a breathalyzer device that prevents it from starting if it detects alcohol on your breath. Our guide on licence reinstatement after a DUI shows where the interlock fits among the other steps.

Think of it as a built-in sobriety checkpoint every single time you get behind the wheel. The Ministry of Transportation Ontario (MTO) manages the program, and approved private service providers install, calibrate, monitor and maintain the devices.

Who Has to Participate

You must join the program if you fall into either of these categories:

• Convicted of a DUI-related criminal charge under the Criminal Code of Canada, starting with a first offence DUI
• Received three administrative licence suspensions (known as “warn range” suspensions, for blowing a BAC between 0.05 and 0.08) within a 10-year period

The program isn’t optional, it’s a legal requirement before the province will reinstate your licence.

Ignition Interlock Term Duration

The length of time you’ll be required to drive with an interlock device depends on how many DUI-related offences you have on your record.

Note that these are minimum terms. A second offence DUI triples the term to three years, and for third-time DUI offences, installation comes only after a minimum 10-year licence suspension. Violations during the program can extend them significantly.

How the Ignition Interlock Device Works

The device itself is essentially an in-car breathalyzer, hardwired to your vehicle’s ignition system. In order to start the vehicle, you blow into the device before starting the engine. If your breath registers a blood alcohol concentration (BAC) of 0.02 or higher, that’s just 20 mg of alcohol per 100 ml of blood, the car will not start. Zero drinks means zero problems.

While driving, the device doesn’t just test you once. It randomly requests breath samples while you’re on the road to ensure you haven’t been drinking after starting the car. If you fail or refuse a test, the vehicle’s lights and horn will activate in an alarm-like manner, continuing until you pull over and turn off the ignition. There is no way to just ignore it.

Ignition Device Usage Rules

The program comes with strict conditions. Violating any of them can result in expulsion from the program and a re-suspension of your licence:

• Driving a vehicle that is not equipped with an approved interlock device
• Failing to install an approved device within 30 days of conditional licence reinstatement
• Tampering with or uninstalling the device
• Missing a scheduled service appointment with your interlock provider
• Committing any further impaired driving-related offence

For those on the Reduced Suspension program specifically, the MTO conducts periodic performance reviews. If the device data shows that you attempted to start the vehicle with a BAC over 0.02, the MTO automatically extends your program term by at least 3 months, even if the car didn’t start. Missing a review can trigger the same penalty.

Ignition Interlock Program Cost

All costs associated with the device, installation, removal, calibration, are your responsibility. Depending on your service provider and the type of vehicle, you can expect to pay:

• Approximately $1,500 per year at the lower end
• Over $2,200 per year at the higher end

Over a multi-year term, this adds up to a substantial out-of-pocket expense on top of fines, legal fees, and any other penalties you’ve already paid.

Other DUI Penalties

Participation in the Ignition Interlock Program doesn’t happen in isolation. Before the province reinstates your licence with an interlock designation, you must complete every other condition of your sentence, which typically include:

• Serving the mandatory licence suspension period
• Undergoing a mandatory medical evaluation
• Paying a minimum fine of $1,000
• Serving any jail time imposed by the court
• Completing Ontario’s Back on Track education and treatment program

Only once you fulfil all of these will the province reinstate your licence, with the interlock condition attached.

Reducing Licence Suspension

Yes, and this is one of the more important things to understand about the program. Ontario offers a Reduced Suspension with Ignition Interlock Conduct Review Program, which allows eligible offenders to shorten their mandatory suspension period in exchange for entering the interlock program earlier. Here’s how it works:

• First-time offenders who plead guilty within the designated timeframe can reduce their one-year licence suspension to just three months.
• Second-time offenders who plead guilty may be able to reduce their three-year suspension to nine months.
• First-time offenders who do not plead guilty may still be eligible for a six-month reduction of their suspension, though the approval conditions are stricter and depend on the court’s sentence upon conviction.

Consult our Toronto team before deciding whether to plead guilty, and read about when an early plea may make sense first. What seems like a shortcut can have long-term consequences that far outweigh a shorter suspension.

Conclusion

The Ignition Interlock Program demands compliance on every single drive, logs every misstep, and doesn’t forgive missed appointments or failed tests lightly. The choices you make early in the legal process have the greatest impact on whether you will have to install an interlock, so it’s best to get legal help as quickly as you can. Interlock questions come up in every courthouse we attend; our Markham page covers licence, interlock and travel after a conviction, and our page for Thornhill drivers explains what happens to your licence after a charge there.