Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, Truck Driver in Fatal Hockey Team Bus Crash, Set for Deportation to India

Los Angeles/May 25, 2024
NRIpress.club/Ramesh/A.Gary Singh

Over six years after the tragic Humboldt Broncos bus crash, Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, the truck driver responsible, has been ordered to be deported. A virtual hearing by the Immigration and Refugee Board in Calgary on Friday led to the decision.

During the hearing, Trent Cook of the immigration division stated, "I can't consider humanitarian and compassionate factors. My role today is to determine if the minister has established the facts supporting their allegation that you're inadmissible for serious criminality. I am satisfied that the minister's report is well founded. I am required by law to issue you a deportation order."

Sidhu's lawyer, Michael Greene, indicated that the decision was inevitable, noting that deportation only required proof that Sidhu was not a Canadian citizen and had committed a serious crime. "That happened," Greene said. "There’s no contest, which is why we conceded those points, and it was over and done with within minutes."

Sidhu, who moved to Canada from India in 2014, lived in Calgary. He received an eight-year prison sentence for dangerous driving in the April 2018 bus crash in Saskatchewan that killed 16 people and injured 13 others. Sidhu ran a stop sign at a rural intersection, causing the collision with the Broncos’ team bus en route to a playoff game.

Scott Thomas, father of Evan Thomas, a Humboldt Broncos forward killed in the crash, was not surprised by the decision. "Our family never thought deportation was necessary," he said. "I feel bad for Mr. Sidhu; this step seems unnecessary."

Thomas acknowledged that Sidhu had served his sentence. "The penalty from Judge Cardinal in Melfort was fair given Canadian laws," he said. "The tragedy's scope unfairly subjects him to deportation."

Toby Boulet, who lost his son Logan in the crash, supported the decision. "We believe Mr. Sidhu should be deported and are prepared for further appeals," he said.

Broncos player Ryan Straschnitzki, paralyzed from crash injuries, found the decision irrelevant. "I wish him all the best," he said. "He has to live with the consequences, and I’ve detached myself from the situation."

Sidhu was granted full parole last year. Greene noted that the deportation process might take months or years. He plans to apply for the return of Sidhu's permanent resident status on humanitarian and compassionate grounds, considering his family's circumstances, including their child's health issues.

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