A Niagara man’s suggestion Premier Doug Ford was partly to blame for his arrest for impaired driving was quickly dismissed by a local judge.

“He didn’t drink the beer ... you did,” Judge Cameron Watson said Wednesday in an Ontario Court of Justice in St. Catharines after John Blake pleaded guilty to impaired driving.

Blake told the judge the provincial government’s recent decision to extend the hours of alcohol sales was a contributing factor in why he got behind the wheel with more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system after a day on the golf course.

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The 57-year-old St. Catharines resident said he enjoys having a few drinks while on the links however, in the past, such beverages weren’t available until later on in the day.

The province recently extended the hours of alcohol service at licensed establishments, including golf courses, to a 9 a.m. start, seven days a week.

“The premier deemed it appropriate to sell beer earlier but this is not Premier Ford’s fault. This is your fault,” the judge told the defendant.

Court heard Niagara Regional Police responded to a single vehicle crash in Niagara-on-the-Lake on May 28, shortly after 4 p.m. An investigation determined Blake had lost control of his vehicle and drove into a ditch.

Watson told Blake he should consider himself lucky he didn’t kill himself, or others, that afternoon.

“It’s nothing but dumb luck that you didn’t kill someone,” the judge said. “You could have run down a mother walking a child in a stroller, mowed down children walking home after playing in the park.”

The motorist was fined $2,000 fine and prohibited from driving for 12 months.

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