'Not getting on a plane any time soon': Deportation decision delayed in Humboldt Broncos case
A decision on whether a former truck driver who caused the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash should be deported to India likely won't be coming until the new year.
A lawyer for Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, 33, had sent a voluminous amount of paperwork to the Canada Border Services Agency earlier this year arguing why he should be allowed to stay in Canada once his sentence has been served.
Sidhu was sentenced to eight years after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing death and bodily harm in the April 2018 collision that killed 16 people and injured 13.
Court was told Sidhu, a newly married permanent resident, had missed a stop sign at a rural Saskatchewan intersection and drove into the path of the Broncos bus carrying players and staff to a junior hockey league playoff game.
The Canada Border Services Agency is to write a report recommending whether he be allowed to stay in his adopted country or be deported. The deadline for the paperwork to be submitted was Nov. 28, but that has been delayed one month.
“Since it's been so long since we made our original submissions, they wanted to give us an opportunity to update our information with anything new before they made a decision,” Calgary immigration lawyer Michael Greene said in an interview with The Canadian Press.
Greene said there's not a lot of new information to submit, but he wants to be thorough and has asked for some updated correctional reports.
“The psychologist is going to pay (Sidhu) another visit just to see if there's been any changes in his mental health that could affect his report,” he said.
“We're confident we submitted a very strong package in the first place but, on the other hand, it's a difficult decision and we don't want to go back and say, 'Oh, we missed something that we should have had in there.”'
The 415 pages sent to the federal agency include letters from Sidhu's family, the public and three Broncos families, including Scott Thomas whose 18-year-old son, Evan, died in the crash.
“I know for a fact that (Sidhu) will never drive a semi again. I know for a fact that if he could take back what happened that day he would in a heartbeat. He would trade places with any one of those boys,” Thomas said earlier this year.
Greene said he's surprised by the positive feedback in the case, especially after his client spoke to a few media outlets to tell his story.
“It's tough because I think most Canadians felt genuine pain and anguish for the victims and I expected that would result in a lot of anger, and it's surprisingly not been the case,” Greene said.
“This never leaves (Sidhu) so he's battling his own post-traumatic stress as are so many people who've been touched by this. He's ... really committed to making something positive out of a terrible situation.”
Chris Joseph, whose son Jaxon also died in the crash, is one of several Broncos families who have written letters asking for Sidhu to be deported. He said it's the law and laws are there for a reason.
“I can appreciate how 29 families can feel different ways about him but, in my view, the matter of deportation is not about forgiveness. It's not about how you feel about a person. It's not about whether you think he made a single mistake,” Joseph said.
“If he's deported, I could maybe even toy with the idea of considering forgiveness. But if he's not deported, then we're going to be even more hurt and I don't think I'll ever get to that place.”
Greene said his client has not sought parole and was only moved from medium security to minimum security at the end of August.
Either way, the lawyer said, Sidhu wouldn't be leaving the country immediately.
“There are other processes and he's not getting on a plane any time soon, even if they decide that's what they want to do.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Dec. 6, 2021
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
DEVELOPING Live updates as Stormy Daniels testifies at Trump hush money trial
Adult film star Stormy Daniels will take the stand a second time Thursday as former U.S. president Donald Trump’s hush money case continues in Manhattan. Follow live updates here.
BREAKING Toronto Maple Leafs fire head coach Sheldon Keefe
The Toronto Maple Leafs have fired head coach Sheldon Keefe. The team made the announcement Thursday after the Original Six franchise lost to the Boston Bruins in seven games in the first round of the Stanley Cup playoffs.
Bank of Canada says financial system is stable, but risks remain
The Bank of Canada says the Canadian financial system is stable, but risks remain due to debt servicing costs among households and businesses and stretched valuations of financial assets.
Why these immigrants to Canada say they're thinking about leaving, or have already moved on
For some immigrants, their dreams of permanently settling in Canada have taken an unexpected twist.
Here are the ultraprocessed foods you most need to avoid, according to a 30-year study
Studies have shown that ultraprocessed foods can have a detrimental impact on health. But 30 years of research show they don’t all have the same impact.
Court to hear about search for remains as Winnipeg murder trial enters second day
A courtroom in Winnipeg is expected to hear testimony today about the search for the remains of the four victims of Jeremy Skibicki.
Capital gains tax change 'shortsighted' and 'sows division' business groups tell Freeland
Forging ahead with increasing Canada's capital gains inclusion rate 'sows division,' and is a 'shortsighted' way to improve the deficit, business groups are warning Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland.
Ontario man frustrated after $3,500 paving job leaves driveway in shambles
An Ontario man considering having his driveway paved received a quote from a company for $7,000, but then, another paver in the neighbourhood knocked on his door and offered half that rate.
'We can and we must do better': First ever Air Accessibility Summit hits Ottawa
Federal ministers, airline executives and members of the disability community are gathering in Ottawa today for the first ever Air Accessibility Summit.