Board orders deportation for trucker in horrific Humboldt Broncos crash
The truck driver who caused the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash is set to be deported to India following a decision from a federal immigration official on Friday.
Jaskirat Singh Sidhu’s lawyer did not contest the decision, noting the official had “limited discretion”, because all that is required to deport Sidhu is proof he is not a Canadian citizen and has committed a serious crime.
A permanent resident is someone who has been given permanent resident status in Canada but is not yet a Canadian citizen.
Sidhu became a permanent resident a month before the crash that left 16 people dead and 13 others injured.
He was a rookie truck driver from Calgary who drove through a stop sign and into the path of the junior hockey team's bus at a rural intersection near Tisdale Saskatchewan in April of 2018.
Toby Boulet, the father of crash victim Logan Boulet, told CTV News he is grateful for the board’s decision.
"Bernadine and I are thankful for the decision today as we continue to believe that Mr. Sidhu should be deported from Canada. We are prepared to remain diligent in this belief even as Mr. Sidhu may launch further appeals,” he said.
Sidhu pleaded guilty to dangerous driving offences and was sentenced to eight years in prison.
He was granted full parole last year.
A criminal conviction that carries a sentence of more than six months makes a permanent resident ineligible to remain in the country.
Two years ago, the Canada Border Services Agency recommended deportation, and Greene went to court to fight it.
In December, the Federal Court dismissed applications from Sidhu's lawyer Michael Greene, who had argued border officials didn't consider Sidhu's previously clean criminal record and remorse. He wanted the court to order the border agency to conduct a second review.
"This is part of the sadness of the whole process. We're left with a situation where permanent residents have no rights whatsoever to have their personal circumstances considered," Greene said.
Greene said Sidhu won't immediately be taken into custody after the hearing is over.
He said a pre-removal risk assessment has to be conducted and Sidhu can also ask for a deferral while his request for permanent resident status is considered.
The process, Greene said, could take months or years.
-With files from the Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
16-year-old boy fatally shot outside Scarborough plaza identified
Police have identified a teenage boy who was fatally shot in Scarborough’s L’Amoreaux neighbourhood on Saturday afternoon.
Joe Alwyn says breakup with Taylor Swift was 'a hard thing to navigate'
Joe Alwyn is speaking publicly for the first time about the end of his years-long relationship with Taylor Swift.
Ottawa Food Bank receives largest donation in its 40-year history
210,000 pounds of food was delivered to the Ottawa Food Bank on Saturday, the largest donation in its 40-year history.
Ontario Northland bus fire closes part of Highway 400
Part of Highway 400 was closed on Sunday after an Ontario Northland bus caught on fire.
Your father’s diet before you were born could have affected your health, a new study suggests
Your father's diet before you were born could have played a role in your health, a new study has found.
Prince William shares childhood photo of him and King Charles III for Father's Day
Prince William on Sunday shared a photograph showing him as a child with his father, King Charles III, to mark Father’s Day in the United Kingdom this year.
Singh 'more alarmed' after reading report, but won't break from Liberal-NDP agreement
Federal NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh says he is 'even more alarmed than before' after reading the un-redacted report alleging there are MPs and senators who are participating to some degree in foreign interference efforts.
Global study ranks two Canadian cities high on list of most expensive places to buy a home
As Canadians continue to struggle with the extremely high cost of buying a home in some of the country’s major urban centres, a new global report is underscoring just how expensive some of those markets are.
'We're in pretty good shape': Calgary goes low in water consumption after state of local emergency declared
On a day that a local state of emergency was declared in Calgary, city residents answered a request from the mayor and emergency officials to use less water.