Woman convicted in fatal drunk driving crash approved for day parole

Brittany Barry, who pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing death after a 2024 crash that killed two people, has been granted day parole. The Parole Board of Canada's decision, dated August 11, comes after Barry served approximately 18 months of her six-year sentence.

During the crash near Saskatoon on October 19, 2024, Barry was driving the wrong way on a highway and had a blood alcohol level more than twice the legal limit. Her own children were also injured in the collision.

The parole board acknowledged the profound grief and ongoing anger felt by the victims' families. "Many describe feeling intense grief and still harbour anger towards you, for the shocking deaths of their loved ones," the decision stated. "The impacts of your offences are profound, widespread, and the harm continues to be re-experienced."

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Many describe feeling intense grief and still harbour anger towards you, for the shocking deaths of their loved ones. The impacts of your offences are profound, widespread, and the harm continues to be re-experienced.

However, the board also recognized Barry's acceptance of responsibility and her commitment to personal development. "You bear full responsibility for your actions and are accountable for the harm caused," it said. Barry expressed an intention to live a life of sobriety to honor the victims.

Upon her release to a halfway house for a six-month duration, Barry will be prohibited from consuming alcohol or entering bars. She must also avoid contact with the victims' families, except for her own children, and will undergo required treatment and counseling. Absences from the halfway house for family visits, church, and Alcoholics Anonymous meetings are permitted, though her mode of transportation will be determined later due to a seven-year driving suspension.

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You bear full responsibility for your actions and are accountable for the harm caused. To honour the victims, you said that you intend to live a life of sobriety and never again let yourself get to that point in your life where you return to criminal behaviours.