Nunavut RCMP arrest Rankin Inlet man after reckless ATV ride around town

A 20-year-old Rankin Inlet man who drove erratically on an all-terrain vehicle and then failed a breathalyzer test faces impaired driving charges after police arrested him late on Saturday, Nov. 16.

At about 10:25 p.m., members of the Rankin Inlet RCMP detachment responded to a report of an ATV driving at what the RCMP described in a Nov. 18 news release as “a high rate of speed.”

The ATV was “not stopping for stop signs and driving recklessly around town,” the release said.

Rankin Inlet bylaw officers also said they had seen the same ATV driving with three people on it around the community of about 3,000, the release said.

That load exceeds the lawful limit of two riders on a single ATV, it said.

Police said they immediately located the ATV and arrested the driver for impaired driving after he failed testing with a roadside screening device.

Such a device is used to determine whether a person has alcohol in their body. It’s similar to a breathalyzer, but rather than providing a blood-alcohol measurement, it only provides three possible results: pass, warning and fail.

The man also later failed breathalyzer tests by exceeding the legal limit. He now faces impaired driving-related charges.

In Nunavut, it is illegal for someone to drive a vehicle with a blood-alcohol level higher than 0.05 per cent. Driving with a blood-alcohol level over 0.08 per cent, usually representing about four or five alcoholic drinks, is a criminal offence under the federal Criminal Code of Canada.

The man is scheduled to appear in court on February 10 in Rankin Inlet.

In their release, the Nunavut RCMP reminded the public of the dangers of impaired driving and the dire consequences that can result from operating a vehicle while impaired.

National Impaired Enforcement Day is scheduled for Dec. 7 and check stops will be conducted throughout the territory, the release said.