To AB Parent,
I'm curious about this roadside check. How did the inspector check your carseat/child? Was the check complete from tight installation, expiration, recall, fit of child, UAS for the right weight (of the child), top tether, etc.? Was the inspector a trained tech, trained tech also a police officer, etc.? Did she give you the info on outerwear and harnessing, better alternative on how to harness and dress your child, etc.?
I'm so curious
I can answer about the roadside check Jen and I did in Red Deer with the sheriff and peace officers, and for how they're done here. Police are there, and responsible for pulling over the vehicles. Only vehicles that have occupied child restraints are stopped - empty child restraints wouldn't be looked at. In Red Deer we weren't checking for CMVSS stickers, I'm not sure if they do here or not. A seat that obviously wasn't Canadian would be caught, but one that's sold both here and in the US likely wouldn't have been.
Each restraint can be ticketed a maximum of 3 times. Once for how the child is restrained - so harness tightness and height is checked, along with chest clip placement. Wrong orientation of the restraint for the size of the child would fall in to the use I believe, but I'm not totally sure on that one. In terms of installation there can be 2 tickets issued on a ff'ing seat but only 1 on a rf'ing seat... installs are checked for tightness at the belt path and correct threading of the UAS or seat belt, and in the case of a ff'ing seat whether or not it's top tethered.
At the checks here in the city, the police approach the vehicles and get permission from the parents, the techs inspect the seats and how the children are restrained, and then report back to the police officer in regards to if there is any misuse; then it's up to the officer as to whether or not they issue a ticket. The techs at checks in the city here are mostly part of the injury prevention team with public health, so while they mostly rely on what a parent reports as the child's weight, if a kid obviously weighs under 40lbs and is in a booster or just the seat belt, they will often recommend issuing a ticket with the provision that the ticket will be dropped if the parent submits proof of the child's weight having been appropriate for the type of restraint he/she was in. Whether or not a ticket is issued will depend on the officer - in cases of minor things then officers have been known to just give a warning - like a chest clip 1/2" low isn't likely to get you a ticket in most cases...
Parents are told what is wrong with the seats, and how to correct it. In Red Deer we corrected the seats, but my understanding is only major misuse is corrected at the roadside checks here. In the case of non-restraint or lack of an appropriate restraint, parents will be held at the check point until somebody can bring an appropriate restraint for the child - they won't allow a child to leave unrestrained or in a damaged seat, or a 4 mo old in a ff'ing seat etc.
Option 4 is provided to most drivers, but not all. There aren't scales there, and I'd place money on there not being a question in regards to vehicle UAS limits and what the child weighs... maybe with a child over 48lbs? Definitely not with one underneath though. I can't speak for other districts in regards to that though. I just know that the update here was for the recommendation to discontinue use of UAS at 48lbs unless a vehicle manual states otherwise. And since most manuals don't say, that pretty much makes the recommendation most people are being told to be 48lbs.
I know that some areas in the province are of the ticket wherever possible, and other areas only issue tickets that they know will stick if challenged in court. This creates some discrepancy because up here a child with the seatbelt worn in the correct orientation - meaning shoulder belt in front and lap belt over lap, won't get a ticket if he/she is over 40lbs regardless of how the seatbelt fits. Down south they're ticketing for non-booster use period if the child doesn't pass the 5 step test. From a legal standpoint, if a parent challenged the non-booster use ticket they'd likely win provided that they weren't misusing the seatbelt by sticking the shoulder belt under the arm or behind the back etc. An improper belt fit on it's own won't get you a ticket up here just because it wouldn't likely stick if challenged in court.
Sorry for kind of rambling. Hopefully the OP will come back to share more of her experience. Even with the same provincial laws and general common program there is still always going to be variation in how each district organizes and it would be neat to know what it was like for her.