Crash survivor relieved to see Nicholas Villeneuve heading back to trial
CBC
Josh Whiteway is once again hopeful there will be consequences for the alleged drunk driver who caused him so much pain and loss.
The 31-year-old from Lewisporte was heartened to hear the news from the Newfoundland and Labrador Court of Appeal on Wednesday, ordering Nicholas Villeneuve to stand trial for eight charges, including two counts of impaired driving causing death.
"It's obviously good news and it's a step in the right direction," Whiteway told CBC News on Wednesday.
Whiteway was en route to the airport on July 7, 2019, along with his then-girlfriend Suzanne Lush and her parents, John and Sandra Lush.
Police believe Villeneuve was drunk, on his way home from a music festival, when he crashed his truck into the SUV and killed John and Sandra Lush. Whiteway was left partially paralyzed, while Suzanne Lush suffered eight broken ribs, as well as broken bones in her sternum, wrist and foot.
Despite her injuries, she managed to help Whiteway to safety as the vehicle burned.
Villeneuve provided blood samples to police and hospital staff, but all the evidence in the case was ruled inadmissible after his lawyer filed a challenge under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
At issue in the case was when exactly Villeneuve had been detained by police, and whether or not the officer had read him his rights in a timely manner. The provincial court judge ruled everything collected — blood samples, phone records and information from his vehicle — was obtained improperly because Villeneuve was detained without being told he could speak with a lawyer.
Three judges with the court of appeal now say the provincial court judge made serious factual errors in assessing Villeneuve's detainment.
The case has been sent back to the provincial court where he will stand trial.
"It means that at last, there's some sense made of all of this," Whiteway said. "Nothing is set in stone or anything yet, but it means a lot for all of us to finally see the three judges get together and to agree that this was mishandled and that it deserves to go back to trial. It's a good day for everybody."
Whiteway, who uses a wheelchair, said it's hard to keep the events of that night out of his mind. He was an engineer in Calgary before the crash, with his entire life and career ahead of him. He moved home to Lewisporte afterwards, to be closer to family as he worked toward recovery.
"It's been tough. You try not to think about it every day and night but it creeps into your thoughts frequently," he said, noting it was harder after Villeneuve's charges were dropped in 2021.
"It's been hard to accept that that's the way it was going to be. And I think we haven't accepted it."
The Association of Yukon Fire Chiefs says about 80 per cent of volunteer firefighters in the territory are wearing expired protective equipment, putting them in danger and in violation of occupational health and safety regulations when they respond to emergencies.
Environment Minister Steven Guilbeault will be given a new portfolio in Mark Carney's cabinet, a source with knowledge of the decision told Radio-Canada.
The Alberta government has suspended a loan program at Picture Butte Feeder Cooperative, the province's largest cattle financing cooperative, after an inspection alleged a number of financial mismanagement and regulatory issues.
If you look up at the sky late, late Thursday in the Toronto area, there's a chance you'll be able to see a total lunar eclipse and what's called a blood moon.
When wintertime calls, go where it's warm.
Colby Leamon had lost a close family member, and was looking for a dog to provide emotional support.
The cost of a 24-pack of beer could increase $3 to $5 because of 25 per cent tariffs on aluminum exported to the United States, according to a craft brewery in northern Ontario.
Fire tore through a seafood processing plant in Cape John, N.S., on Wednesday night.
Another of New Brunswick's new municipal councils has become embroiled in drama and bitter conflict.
Tardiness is nothing new at Via Rail, but late arrivals are reaching historic levels in a key corridor since passenger trains have been forced to slow down at hundreds of rail crossings operated by CN Rail.
Walmart Canada will stop selling machetes — a type of weapon frequently used in violent crimes — in stores across the country, after Manitoba's government pressured the retailer to restrict online sales.
The parents of two 15-year-old girls at Evan Hardy Collegiate in Saskatoon say they went to police and the school multiple times between June and August 2024 with concerns about escalating online threats from the student now accused of setting one of the girls on fire in a school hallway.
After more than two years of developing an official plan, the City of Charlottetown is getting close to voting on adopting it. Some residents have concerns with higher density housing the plan could make way for, but others are welcoming it.