Driving Law

Fresh off a sleepless night thanks to an elderly, opinionated dog, Kyla and Paul dive into a tough week on BC roads and in BC politics. With the public-sector strike still at an impasse, they pivot to a spate of high-profile road-rage cases in North Vancouver, Winnipeg, and Ontario. Kyla explains why we don’t need a new “road-rage law” when the Criminal Code already covers assaults, threats, dange...

Fresh off a court appearance, Kyla and Paul cover BC’s October 1 snow-tire rule and how routine compliance stops can lawfully lead to mandatory breath demands, then dig into the compounding chaos from ongoing job action: IRP hearings cancelled or pushed without consultation, a court petition filed and served, and a tentative hardship path for temporary licences while the case waits on tribunal rea...

This week on Driving Law, Kyla and Paul unpack how BC’s public-sector job action has frozen Immediate Roadside Prohibition hearings and delayed decisions, leaving drivers punished without a path to challenge. They explain why blanket adjournments without dates breach procedural fairness, the legal demands made to the Superintendent and Solicitor General, and a test-case petition filed to push back...

Kyla is joined by forensic consultant (and former Saskatoon police officer/paramedic) Jan Semenoff to unpack continuous alcohol monitoring—ignition interlocks, SCRAM ankle bracelets, and Soberlink—and why so many people get flagged for “violations” even when they haven’t been drinking. Jan shares real cases (a fleeting 0.031 spike; a SCRAM reading hit by Static Guard on a blanket; bar staff gettin...

Kyla Lee and Paul Doroshenko open with Ottawa’s decision to pause Canada’s 2026 EV sales target and launch a 60-day review. They weigh the policy and trade crosswinds—auto-maker pressure, U.S. tariffs, Chinese EV competition, and new biofuel incentives—asking what a reset means for drivers, enforcement, and the market. They then unpack a fresh Saskatchewan Court of Appeal decision on “refusal” tha...

This week on Driving Law, Kyla Lee and Paul Doroshenko break down a case that raised eyebrows in Vancouver traffic court. A man riding an electric one-wheel skateboard was fined nearly $600 for operating without insurance, despite the fact that these devices can’t be insured at all. At trial, the judicial justice hearing the case had previously recused himself from similar matters for openly admit...

This week on Driving Law, Kyla Lee and Paul Doroshenko dissect three important developments in driving law and public accountability in BC. They begin with a major delay in the ICBC double billing class action, where a technical objection from the provincial government—challenging the scope of the claim based on how “medical practitioners” was defined—has thrown the case off course. Kyla and Paul...

This week on Driving Law, Kyla Lee and Paul Doroshenko dive into a fiery road rage case in Surrey, where a driver jumped out, pepper sprayed another motorist, and sped off through a red light—all caught on dashcam. They discuss how the police may pursue charges, what kind of evidence they need, and why some road rage incidents cross the legal line. Next, they analyze a major Supreme Court victory...

This week on Driving Law, Kyla Lee and Paul Doroshenko discuss an unprecedented roadside drug enforcement campaign at the Shambhala Music Festival, where police used a mobile lab to take 24 blood samples on-site — likely a Canadian first. They examine the legal, procedural, and privacy issues this raises for impaired driving investigations. Next, they turn to Edmonton, where police uncovered more...

This week on Driving Law, Kyla Lee and Paul Doroshenko discuss the legal fallout from a major mix-up in the U.S., where cans of non-alcoholic Celsius energy drink were filled with alcohol. They examine how this could create a viable “involuntary intoxication” defense for unsuspecting drivers who blow over the limit. They also cover a disturbing Alberta case where a Mormon woman was issued a 90-day...

This week on Driving Law, Kyla Lee and Paul Doroshenko discuss Vancouver’s decision to extend bar hours to 4 a.m., raising concerns about transit access and impaired driving enforcement at a time when the city’s traffic unit is severely depleted. They explore how the change could affect public safety, particularly in the absence of roadblocks and routine DUI checks. Next, they examine a series of...

This week on Driving Law, Kyla Lee and Paul Doroshenko unpack a major BC Supreme Court decision that strikes down an Immediate Roadside Prohibition due to flawed and speculative reasoning by the Superintendent’s office. The case involved a driver who claimed that chewing tobacco remained in his mouth during a breath test. The adjudicator dismissed his explanation based on assumptions about police...

This week on Driving Law, Kyla Lee and Paul Doroshenko tackle three pressing issues shaping public safety and traffic policy in Canada. They begin with Vancouver’s proposed 30 km/h speed limit on side streets, part of the Vision Zero push. Paul questions its practicality and lack of enforcement, while Kyla explains why speed isn't the only factor in pedestrian safety—driver behavior is key. Next,...

In this episode, Kyla Lee and Paul Doroshenko dive into Transport Canada’s new restrictions on ferrying damaged electric vehicles, explore the implications of Uber drivers unionizing in Victoria, and share the story of how an RCMP trailer sparked a wildfire due to failed wheel bearings.

This week on Driving Law, Kyla Lee and Paul Doroshenko dig into a BC Supreme Court appeal involving a man convicted of using a bobcat to threaten two unhoused individuals on his property. The appeal raised arguments of burden-shifting, misapprehension of evidence, and speculative reasoning—but the court upheld the conviction. The judges found that the trial decision was supported by tire track evi...

This week on Driving Law, Paul Doroshenko takes the wheel while Kyla is away in court, joined by articled students Alice and Alison for a special in-car recording from his 1953 Buick. The episode kicks off with a reflective discussion about what the students have learned during their time at the firm—covering complex topics like BC's Immediate Roadside Prohibition (IRP) scheme, the science and lim...

This week on Driving Law, Kyla and Paul tackle a dynamic mix of personal experience, legal news, and constitutional issues making waves across Canada. Kyla opens the episode with a near-death experience on the Alex Fraser Bridge after unsecured plywood flew off a truck—an incident that underscores the real dangers of unsafe loads and distracted transport. The story sets the tone for a discussion o...

This week on Driving Law, Kyla and Paul delve into a trio of compelling legal topics with wide-reaching implications. First, Kyla discusses a fresh Supreme Court of Canada ruling on miscarriages of justice, focusing on whether appellate courts can enter acquittals in cases where post-plea evidence reveals a wrongful conviction. The decision stems from a case involving undisclosed exculpatory evide...

This week on Driving Law, Kyla and Paul examine two compelling legal stories from British Columbia and Saskatchewan. First, they explore a BC Supreme Court case involving a man who paid a speeding ticket after receiving misleading information from ICBC—only to later lose his license due to accumulated penalty points. Kyla and Paul unpack why his attempt to withdraw his guilty plea failed, and how...

This week on Driving Law, Kyla and Paul unpack the backlash Kyla faced after explaining a cyclist's legal obligations in a Global News story. What began as a simple clarification of BC's Motor Vehicle Act sparked outrage and personal attacks—highlighting the rising hostility toward legal discourse online. They then examine a tragic Surrey case where a man was fatally run over and dragged by a Must...

This week on Driving Law, Kyla and Paul review two BC Supreme Court cases that highlight the risks of representing yourself in traffic court. First, they unpack the failed appeal of a driver who claimed he was interacting with his truck’s console—not a phone—when ticketed for distracted driving, and how a lack of courtroom experience undermined his defence. Then, they analyze a judicial review inv...

This week on Driving Law, Kyla Lee and Paul Doroshenko unpack the devastating mass casualty event at Vancouver’s Lapu Lapu Festival, where eleven people were killed and many more injured after a vehicle was driven into the crowd. They explain the legal landscape surrounding the second-degree murder charges, why first-degree murder wasn’t laid (yet), and how additional charges could be added as the...

This week on Driving Law, Kyla Lee and Paul Doroshenko take a deep dive into two major developments in law and driving that show how privacy breaches and government decisions continue to ripple across BC and beyond. First, they unpack the BC Court of Appeal’s decision upholding $15,000 in damages for each person affected by the ICBC privacy breach scandal—where an employee improperly accessed and...

This week on Driving Law, Kyla Lee and Paul Doroshenko dive into the BC government’s newly announced overhaul of the province’s graduated licensing system—a change that’s already making waves on TikTok. Under the new rules, drivers will no longer need to take a road test to graduate from an N to a Class 5 license. But instead of full driving privileges, new Class 5 drivers will receive a restricte...

This week on Driving Law, Kyla Lee and Paul Doroshenko take a deep dive into two legal cases that raise big questions about justice, delay, and mental health on the road. First, they unpack a newly released BC Provincial Court decision in R v. Carr, where a defence lawyer attempted to argue that a traffic ticket should be thrown out for unreasonable delay—even though it was the lawyer’s own Charte...