Premier Doug Ford says his government will begin work to pass a law informed by the death of an Ontario father in a road traffic accident last month, allegedly caused by the man also accused of crashing into the premier’s motorcade.
Andrew Cristillo, 35, was killed in early August in a head-on crash in Whitchurch-Stouffville, where his wife and three young daughters were injured as well.
Eighteen-year-old Jaiwin Kirubananthan was charged with dangerous driving causing death, three counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm, failing to remain at an accident resulting in death and public mischief.
He is the same man who was charged after a car hit an OPP vehicle Ford was travelling in on Highway 401 in January.
“This wasn’t an accident; it was a murder,” Ford alleged after he met with Cristollo’s brother, Jordan, at Queen’s Park on Friday.
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“This was a reckless, careless person that didn’t care about people’s lives as he hit me going 230 km and then took the life of Andrew. What their family has to go through now, and the three little girls.”
The charges against Kirubananthan have not been proven in court.
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Cristollo’s family met with Ford on Friday to pitch changes to the rules of the road in Ontario, which they believe could prevent similar tragedies in the future.
“This was preventable, and now it’s time to prevent this from ever happening to any of your families,” Jordan told reporters. “My brother Andrew — a fantastic man with already a great legacy and this will be another part of this.”
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‘Idiot driving recklessly:’ Premier Ford calls out driver charged in fatal head-on collision
The family wants to have the legislation named Andrew’s Law, which would include several changes to how drivers are licensed. Among them would be a lifetime driving ban for dangerous driving or stunt driving.
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“That I agree with 1,000 per cent,” Ford said as he read the list.
Kirubananthan had his license suspended for 30 days after he was charged with crashing into Ford’s motorcade, Jordan said, but had it returned before he allegedly struck Andrew and his family.
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A summary of the proposals shared by the family said:
Immediate Suspension: Upon charge for serious offences (dangerous driving, impaired driving, stunt driving). Remains until trial concludes unless acquitted.Lifetime Driving Bans: Permanent revocation after multiple convictions for serious offences: dangerous driving causing death or injury, impaired driving causing death or injury, stunt driving causing serious risk.Driving While Disqualified/Unlicensed: Mandatory jail for unlicensed/disqualified driving, with 30-90 days minimum jail on first conviction and escalating penalties including vehicle forfeiture and lifetime bans for repeat offences.Mandatory Driver Education: All new drivers and newcomers must complete training on hazard perception, impaired/distracted driving prevention and victim-impact awareness.Road Safety in Schools: Boards must deliver road safety education from Grades 1-12, integrated into Health and Physical Education curriculum.
Although the exact details of how the government will approach the law remain to be determined, the premier promised he would table legislation when MPPs return to Queen’s Park at the end of October.
Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria suggested the government might build on prior legislation, which issued lifetime bans for people convicted of certain cases of impaired driving.
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The solicitor general also attended the meeting.
— with files from The Canadian Press
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