Andrew’s law receives royal assent, bringing stiffer penalties for dangerous driving

Measures are included in Bill 75, the Keeping Criminals Behind Bars Act, passed by Ontario government

Published Jun 03, 2026  •  3 minute read

Pictured in this GoFundMe photo is Andrew Cristillo and his family. Cristillo was killed in August 2025 in a motor-vehicle crash on Hwy. 48. On Tuesday, June 2, 2026, Andrew's law received royal assent. Photo by GoFundMe

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Andrew’s law received royal assent on Tuesday, bringing with it new dangerous-driving penalties and suspension powers into force in the province.

“What we achieved here is closing a critical gap in our system that has been causing innocent people their lives,” Jordan Cristillo told the Toronto Sun. “Unfortunately, my brother is one of the victims of these types of tragedies. They are totally preventable and it is fantastic to see a government actually act on closing a known gap.

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“Again, tragic that my brother had to be the straw that broke the camel’s back, but I know he would be proud knowing his legacy is protecting the rest of us on the roads.” 

Jordan Cristillo speaks outside a Newmarket courtroom on Monday, April 27, 2026, where the dangerous driver who killed his older brother Andrew wound up pleading guilty instead of going to trial. Photo by change.org

‘We are not victims’

Jordan is the brother of Andrew Cristillo, a 35-year-old father of three daughters who was killed in a head-on collision on Hwy. 48 in Whitchurch-Stouffville in August 2025. 

His wife and three daughters, who were in the car at the time of the crash, were injured but survived. 

Jordan launched his petition 12 days after his brother’s death. What followed was a fast citizen appeal-to-law campaign: More than 43,000 signatures led to a bill being introduced at Queen’s Park that fall before it received royal assent 189 days later. 

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Jordan was asked why he wanted to lead the way, despite the horror of a tragedy that has left him and his family emotionally scarred. 

“When we see something that is wrong, at least how we were raised, we don’t stand by and complain about it,” he said. “We are not victims and we are going to take action on things that we think we can influence. I never imagined when this all started, when I got the call that my brother and his family were in an accident, that it would lead to this and I never imagined being an advocate for road safety.” 

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Accused pleaded guilty in April

On April 27, Jaiwin Victor Kirubananthan, 19, pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death, failing to remain at the scene of a crash where death ensued and three counts of dangerous operation causing bodily harm. His sentence is pending.

Kirubananthan was driving south on Hwy. 48 in a reckless manner and above the road’s posted 80 km/h speed limit, according to the agreed statement of facts. At one point, he reached 136 km/h, while driving south in a northbound lane at excessive speed. 

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“One of the things I want to see is the (person) that caused this tragedy through reckless choices is held to the full account of the law and this is going to bring more attention to our criminal justice system, which we know is in shambles because (it is) more of a criminal protection system and more of an injustice system to our victims,” Jordan said.  

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New law includes stiffer penalties

Kirubananthan had previously been charged with dangerous driving in a separate January 2025 incident involving an Ontario Provincial Police vehicle transporting Premier Doug Ford. Seven months later, the same driver was involved in the collision that killed Cristillo. 

The new legislation includes indefinite driver’s licence suspensions for people convicted of dangerous driving causing death, new authority for police to suspend licences and impound vehicles in certain dangerous-driving cases, increased penalties for driving while suspended and stronger penalties for some distracted-driving offences involving commercial vehicle operators. 

The measures are included in Bill 75, the Keeping Criminals Behind Bars Act, 2026.

A Gofundme page was set up for the family after the incident. As of Wednesday evening, the total had reached $543,533 with the last donation being made a month ago.

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