Crime, punishment and a doctor to sign a form: Ontario man gets two out of three

He’s paid his debt to society for an impaired driving conviction from six years ago. Now an Ontario man wants to stop having to pay the $113 monthly charge for an ignition interlock device program that is nearing the end of the mandated one-year period. But he needs a doctor to sign a substance use assessment, and no one will do it for him. “Our doctor, who knew us for 37 years, would have had no problem filling this out, but he’s (retired),” the Orillia, Ont., man’s mother told the online publication OrilliaMatters.com. “So, now (we) have a form that has to be filled out by a doctor or nurse practitioner, and they won’t do it.” The impaired driving charge was laid in 2017 and since then the man has “done the court mandates, he’s done everything. But we are stalemated.” Read: Caring for patients (when your hair’s on fire) The man’s mother said the incident—which she said did not result in any physical harm to anyone—led to serious consequences for her son. He lost his job, relationship, home and car. The upside is that her son stopped drinking. He was finally able to get a vehicle last year. Because of his criminal conviction, he was required to get the car equipped with an ignition interlock device, which serves as an in-vehicle breathalyzer. The device costs $113 per month and extra charges are added for “failed starts” which can happen even when the driver has not consumed alcohol, the mother explained. Her son’s mandated ignition interlock device program is set to end in April, but if no one sign the substance use assessment form, he will have to continue paying the monthly fee to drive his vehicle. Read: Halifax proposes 'sobering centre' for highly impaired as alternative to lockup “He doesn’t drink anymore. I mean, it’s a hard lesson learned, but it is a lesson learned” the mother said. “I have called every clinic in Simcoe County. I have called the clinic for patients without doctors behind our hospital. I’ve called everywhere. I called the ombudsman. I sent an email to the Globe and Mail because he’s not the only person in this province that is facing this with our doctor shortages.” Most places she has called have either said they’re unable to fill out the form or were reluctant to do so. They’ve also been told her could go to an emergency department. “He could go in and six to 12 hours, or however long it takes them . . . to have a doctor throw his hands up and say, ‘No, I’m not doing it,’” she said. Read: Alcohol and drugs are top causes for young people's visits to emergency: study

Crime, punishment and a doctor to sign a form: Ontario man gets two out of three

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