Prohibitions

These are a common part of criminal sentences but they’re a bit different from other sentences. A prohibition order requires someone to refrain from doing a specific activity or being in possession of certain types of property.

For example, someone convicted of impaired driving is likely to be prohibited from driving a vehicle for a period of time. And someone convicted of a weapons offence may be prohibited from owning weapons of any kind.

Prohibition orders often last a long time. Someone charged with illegal possession of a weapon may be prohibited from owning weapons for ten years or more and someone convicted of repeated and serious impaired driving offences may be prohibited from driving for life.

Fortunately, prohibition orders are not considered part of a sentence for the purposes of obtaining a Pardon / Record Suspension. If you’ve been given a prohibition order, you do not need to wait until it is complete before applying for a Record Suspension. On the other hand, a prohibition order will remain in effect even after a Record Suspension has been granted, so someone legally prohibited from driving for life will still be unable to drive after their pardon has been granted.