Premiers Demand Bail Reform in Letter to Prime Minister, Citing Murder of BC Woman

British Columbia Premier David Eby (L) speaks to reporters with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith during meetings with Canada's other premiers at the Council of the Federation in Halifax on July 16, 2024. The Canadian Press/Darren Calabrese

Canada’s premiers have penned a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to push for a review of the country’s bail system after the slaying of a Surrey, B.C., woman in her home last month.

Tori Dunn, 30, was killed in her home on June 16. Adam Troy Mann, the 40-year-old Ontario man charged in connection with her murder, had been released from jail just days before despite a violent criminal history. He had been charged in relation to another stabbing just a week prior to Ms. Dunn’s death.

Ms. Dunn’s murder is one example of  what the premiers described as a growing trend of “repeat and violent offenders being released into our communities without proper considerations,” in the letter they penned at last week’s Council of the Federation meeting.

The premiers said provincial prosecutors had urged Mr. Mann “not be released into the community.

“Clearly, in this case, Bill C-48 failed to keep a violent offender from posing a serious risk to public safety,” the premiers wrote, referencing the federal bail reform legislation.

Bill C-48, which became law in January, places a reverse onus on violent offenders, forcing them to remain in detention while awaiting trial unless they can prove they are not a flight risk or a threat to public safety. It remains unclear why Mr. Mann was released despite apparently failing to meet the terms of the legislation.

“Police services should not have to chase the same criminal three or four times because of an inadequate bail system,” the premiers added. “This not only represents a drain on policing resources but is a hindrance to public safety.”

Justice Minister Arif Virani said in a December 2023 statement announcing the bail reform measures in Bill C-48 that the legislation aimed to address Canadians’ concerns on violent crime.

“Canadians should know that their voices have been heard as we strengthen our bail system,” Minister of Justice Arif Virani said. “The changes we made target serious repeat offending involving weapons such as guns and knives, as well as those accused of repeat intimate partner violence.”

Second Call for Reform

B.C. Premier David Eby, while speaking at an unrelated July 22 news conference, said he broached the topic of bail reform at the Council of the Federation meeting last week. He told the “horrific story” of Ms. Dunn’s murder, Mr. Eby said, adding that he was not the only premier with a clear example of “where the laws have failed.”

These types of stories are “exactly what we were fighting to prevent. This is exactly why we went to Ottawa with the premiers to demand the changes that were made,” he said, referencing a letter sent to Mr. Trudeau calling for bail reform last year.

The premiers from all 13 provinces and territories signed a January 2023 letter urging Ottawa to take “immediate action” to strengthen the country’s bail system.

The initial call for reform came after the 2022 killing of 28-year-old Const. Greg Pierzchala, a member of the Ontario Provincial Police. One of the two people facing a first-degree murder charge in his death had been initially denied bail in a separate case involving assault and weapons charges but was released after a review.

Mr. Trudeau said at the time his government was looking “carefully” and “quickly” at the letter from Canada’s premiers.

The prime minister said he understood there was “a real concern out there,” adding that “challenges around impacts, particularly on Indigenous or minority groups” have to be taken into account.

While Ottawa responded by making changes to Canada’s bail system in the form of Bill C-48, more needs to be done, Mr. Eby said.

The new letter asks “in a very straightforward way” that the government “address gaps that are clearly taking place” with the new bail laws, he said.

Ottawa must “work with judiciary to ensure that the laws are being implemented as intended, while recognizing the independence of the judiciary to ensure that every judge has access to the training and education that they need to understand the implications of the changes to the criminal law,” Mr. Eby added.

The Epoch Times contacted The Prime Minister’s Office and Public Safety Canada for comment but did not receive a response prior to publication.

A Criminal History

The man accused in Ms. Dunn’s murder was once deemed an “unmanageable risk” unsuitable for community supervision, in a pre-sentencing report after he was convicted of a home invasion in Ontario more than a decade ago.

Court records in B.C., Ontario, and New Brunswick show Mr. Mann has a criminal history dating back decades.

He was sentenced in 2009 to 12 years in prison for robbery and various weapons offences in connection with a home invasion, which he unsuccessfully appealed.

An Ontario Court of Appeal ruling in 2010 said Mr. Mann had accumulated 22 previous convictions by age 25, including violent offences involving firearms and robberies.

The ruling said that a pre-sentence report on Mr. Mann was “very bleak,” and that he was “not suitable for community supervision, as he appears to be an unmanageable risk while in the community.”

Court records appear to indicate he was granted statutory release in July 2019.

Mr. Mann was found guilty of possessing a weapon for dangerous purpose, and wilfully resisting or obstructing a peace officer in March of this year. He was then found guilty of breaching a probation order on June 5.

Court records show Mr. Mann is due in Surrey Provincial Court on July 2 in relation to an alleged aggravated assault that occurred in Surrey on May 26.

B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma previously said prosecutors argued against Mr. Mann’s release. Ms. Sharma said in a June 28 statement that the province would be “looking at what happened here and advocating to Ottawa to ensure the federal Criminal Code is responsive to public safety needs.”

The Canadian Press contributed to this article.