The accused was charged with impaired operation of a motor vehicle and refusing to provide a breath sample.
The Crown conceded that the impaired operation charge could not be proven beyond a reasonable doubt due to lack of identification of the driver.
The court found reasonable and probable grounds existed for the arrest and breath demand.
However, the court found serious breaches of the accused's s. 10(b) Charter rights relating to the right to counsel in his first language (Punjabi).
The police failed to advise the accused of the availability of Punjabi-speaking duty counsel despite objective evidence of language difficulties.
Under s. 24(2) analysis, the court excluded the evidence of the refusal to provide a breath sample, finding that the serious and well-established Charter breach, combined with the significant impact on the accused's Charter-protected interests, outweighed the societal interest in a trial on the merits.
The accused was acquitted of both charges.