CALGARY -- Police in Calgary and southern Alberta have been told if they are going to run Checkstop programs this Christmas, they'll have to pay for them.

It used to be the provincial government would provide funding to help cover the cost of running the campaign aimed at stopping impaired driving over the holiday season, but this year's budget changed that.

The UCP announced it was freezing funding allocated for the Checkstops.

Nevertheless, police services say they are still going ahead with their routine despite the lack of money.

Lethbridge police say the already have one scheduled to take place this weekend.

Police have to deal with impaired driving throughout the year, officials say, but with all the holiday parties going on, they add it's a good time to step up their enforcement efforts.

Additional impaired driving funding

While the province did say it would not give any additional funding for Checkstops, it has announced $105,000 in continued funding for two organizations devoted to ending impaired driving in Alberta.

Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) Canada and Students Against Drunk Driving are receiving funding through the province's Traffic Safety Fund.

SADD Alberta will be given $80,000 to provide resources and activities to help high school students learn about the dangers of both alcohol and drug-impaired driving.

The remaining $25,000 will help MADD Canada cover the cost of bringing its School Assembly Programs to Alberta schools.

The programming helps students from Grade 7 to 12 learn how to keep themselves safe in risky situations and adopt alternative solutions.

"MADD and SADD do good work to educate students and the public on the dangers of impaired driving and I'm pleased to continue supporting their efforts to improve safety on Alberta roads," said Ric McIver, Alberta's Minister of Transportation, in a release.

An average of 6,000 people were convicted of impaired driving in Alberta each year for the past five years.

A driver with a blood alcohol concentration between 0.05 and 0.079 may face consequences through the Immediate Roadside Suspension Program.