On Wednesday, the Parole Board of Canada granted Jaskirat Singh Sidhu daily probation for six months. Sidhu will get full parole after those six months if he abides by all conditions, including not contacting the victims’ families.
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Sidhu was sentenced to eight years after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing death and bodily harm in the April 6, 2018 crash that killed 16 people and injured 13. Russell Herold, father of 16-year-old Adam Herold who was killed in the crash, was upset by the parole board’s decision. Story continues below ad “I would never trust him to drive a car again to be honest with you,” Herold told Global News. “He’s still in jail technically, but I guess I’m hoping he gets full parole, the immigration commission is waiting to put him on a plane and he’s gone, forever out of our sight so (we) can start to forget about him.” Sidhu is awaiting a decision from the Immigration Board of Canada on whether or not to deport him. Sidhu was a permanent resident at the time of the crash. In Canada, a criminal conviction with a sentence of more than six months makes a permanent resident ineligible to reside in the country. In June, Sidhu’s immigration lawyer, Michael Greene, said he hoped to have a chance to argue his client’s possible deportation before the Federal Court of Canada.
Read more: ‘Permanent banishment’: Lawyer for trucker in Broncos crash hopes to back deportation
“He’ll just keep spinning if he stays in Canada. If he is deported, he will be anonymous, you will not find him over there again and that will be the end of the story with him. Left. And maybe it will be the end of the story for the rest of us,” Herold said. Trending Stories
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Story continues below ad The parole board panel grilled Sidhu for three hours during Wednesday’s hearing, questioning him about inconsistencies in some of his initial statements, including telling his boss he was distracted by a flapping tarp and then explaining to the RCMP that he had the sun in his eyes. Other families are also reacting to the parole board’s decision. Scott Thomas, father of Evan Thomas, said his family was aware of the decision. “We said from the day Mr. Sidhu pleaded guilty in Melfort that we didn’t care if his sentence was one day, 10 years or the rest of his life. We still feel that way,” Thomas said. “Our family has moved forward in our efforts to remember and celebrate the life and legacy of our son and brother Evan. The situation surrounding Mr. Sidhu’s sentence and release is no longer a matter of concern to our family.” “We would like to extend our love to the Broncos family and wish them the best in their grief journey.” 2:07 Saskatchewan, Canada remember lives lost on 4th anniversary of tragedy Saskatchewan, Canada remember lives lost on 4th anniversary of tragedy – April 6, 2022 Toby Boulet, father of Logan Boulet, said their family did not want Sidhu to be given day parole or full parole and are disappointed with the decision. Story continues below ad “We’ve chosen to focus our energy on passionately helping organ transplant groups across Canada and the US move the needle to increase organ and tissue donor registration numbers, research and … just helping others as best we can,” he said Boulet. “We have no feelings for Mr. Sidhu and what he wants and feels he deserves. We want our Logan back, but we can’t have this. We will continue to focus our energy on things we can control, not things we can’t.” Global News also reached out to other families who either did not respond or declined to comment. Global News reached out to Sidhu’s lawyer, who did not respond before publication. — with files from The Canadian Press © 2022 Global News, a division of Corus Entertainment Inc.
