Skip to content

Family taking drunk driving message to PM

The mother of a Red Deer woman killed by a drunk driver nearly two years ago is seeking a sit-down with Prime Minister Stephen Harper in hopes of seeking tougher enforcement on impaired driving laws.

The mother of a Red Deer woman killed by a drunk driver nearly two years ago is seeking a sit-down with Prime Minister Stephen Harper in hopes of seeking tougher enforcement on impaired driving laws.

Sandra Green said on Monday that she’s passed a message onto Harper’s office in hopes of meeting with the leader. She’d like to see sentencing and parole changes regarding those who get behind the wheel impaired and then kill.

“He’s basically the top on the political ladder and he’s also a family man,” said Green. “I would just expect some support from him. He had said he wanted to crackdown on violent criminals and those who break the law in a very violent way, which I think killing someone by impaired driving to be a part of.”

She’s also calling on federal Justice Minister and Attorney General of Canada Rob Nicholson to make changes to the parole board.

The family was shocked and upset to hear that the National Parole Board of Canada had granted day parole to Chad Mitchell Olsen, 24, of Sedalia, during a hearing on Dec. 16 at Bowden Institution. Olsen was cleared for a half-way house.

Green recently met with Red Deer Conservative MP Earl Dreeshen, who said he’d appeal to federal Public Safety Minister Vic Toews, who oversees the parole board.

Toews has since replied via a Dec. 23 email to the Advocate, saying, “first and foremost, on behalf of our government I would like to extend condolences to the family and friends of Brad and Krista Howe.”

“While I cannot comment on specific decisions of the Parole Board, I can say that our government is committed to ensuring that offenders are held fully accountable for their actions,” said Toews. “That is why we introduced reforms in the Safe Streets and Communities Act to move towards earned parole, rather than automatically letting criminals out of jail before they are ready. I would also like to remind all Canadians, especially at this time of year, not to drink and drive”

Sandra Green calls Toews’ reply as political rhetoric.

“He (Olsen) hasn’t even served one-third of the original sentence,” said Green. “And why would we (as Canadians) spend all this money on an appeal, initiated by the Crown, and have it bear no weight?”

Sandra’s daughter Karla Green, who is now caring for the children, wonders what Toews means by “earned parole.”

“He hasn’t done anything — he’s maybe taken an AA course,” Green said. “In such a short time, how can he be reformed?”

Olsen had three times the legal limit of alcohol in his blood when his pickup truck rammed into the Howes’ car. He had been given a three-and-a-half year jail term following an Alberta Court of Appeal decision. Olsen was originally sentenced last April to two years and three months after earlier pleading guilty to two counts of impaired driving causing death.

Karla said the news that Olsen was getting day parole, which could mean he was home for Christmas, was “extremely disappointing.”

“I think our system is really failing the public and a family who has been left devastated by a drunk driver,” said Karla. “Nothing has been carried out to what was expected.”

Karla said she believes Olsen should serve out his full sentence in jail.

“When he gets out, he can understand what it’s like to spend a year without his family. He has no idea and never will because nothing is being enforced.”

Olsen is trying to fight the system by consistently asking for parole, she added.

“He’s giving this big sob story on how terrible he feels — but so do we,” Karla said. “And nobody has come to us during this entire process of him getting parole and saying, ‘has he done anything to rectify what he’s inflicted on your family?’”

Karla said she’s further disappointed to hear that some members of Alberta’s hospitality industry are mounting a fight against new impaired driving laws.

The province plans to have an automatic three-day suspension and a three-day vehicle seizure for a first offence involving drivers who record a blood-alcohol level between .05 and .08. The Criminal Code violation starts at .08.

“Restaurant owners say they’re concerned about loss of liquor sales,” said Karla. “I wonder if they wouldn’t be more concerned about losing a family member over a little bit of money. . . to me it’s just disgusting.”

Sandra Green will be revving up efforts to get thousands of signatures for her petition which lobbies for stricter Canadian laws on impaired driving. That petition can be found online at www.itsnotanaccidentitsmurder.info

ltester@www.reddeeradvocate.com