Licensing changes will give Manitoba the strictest blood-alcohol limits for novice drivers in Canada, Attorney General Gord Mackintosh and Transportation and Government Services Minister Ron Lemieux announced recently. Manitoba will increase the zero blood-alcohol limit for novice drivers under the Graduated Driver Licensing program from three years to five years. The change recognizes that even small amounts of alcohol can affect a person's abilities and beginning drivers do not have the experience or skills needed to ensure they do not pose a safety risk to themselves or others. Drivers who have never had a license before are subject to the Graduated Driver Licensing program. The extended period will apply to drivers enrolled in the program starting in December 2006. In addition, the way prosecutions will assign many criminal cases involving impaired driving has been reworked. For more information on these regulation changes, visit Manitoba's Web site.