5 Sask. candidates with impaired driving convictions part of bigger statistic

Five candidates running in Saskatchewan'selection have impaired driving convictions in a province that has been on the books for its bad impaired driving record.

Back in 2013, Statistics Canada data showed Saskatchewan had the worst record for impaired driving of all the provinces. While the number of collisions involving alcohol is dropping in Saskatchewan, the number of fatal ones is on the rise.

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Of the candidates with an impaired driving conviction, three come from the Saskatchewan Party and two from the Saskatchewan NDP.

Saskatchewan Party:

• CanoraMayor Terry Dennis was convicted in 1979 and in 2001. He is running in Canora-Pelly.
• Rosthern-Shellbrookincumbent Scott Moe lost his licence for drunk driving in 1992.
• SaskatoonCouncillorEricOlausonwas convictedin 1992 and 1993. He is running in Saskatoon University.

NDP:

• Lyle Whitefish says his dates back "more than five years."He is running in Saskatchewan Rivers.
• DwayneLasaswas convicted in 1990. He is running in Meadow Lake.

No candidates removed

The leaders of both partieshave allowed the candidates to keep running.

The Saskatchewan Party said decisions are made on a case-by-case basis, considering what the person's done to turn things around and how they've contributed since. The NDP said that while it does not condone drinking and driving, both of its candidates have made clear they regret their actions, and the party has been reassured that the behaviour has changed.In June 2014, SGI brought in tougher consequences for impaired drivers.

Some of the changes included longer licence suspensions and vehicle seizures. It also brought in zero tolerance for alcohol when it comes to drivers under the age of 19.

The changes were made in response to recommendations made by a committee on traffic safety that looked specifically at deaths on Saskatchewan roads.

Whether those tougher consequences have had an impact won't be known until the next set of statistics come out in 2017.