FIVE YEARS IN PRISON
Drunk driver sentenced
A theatre-lover and avid volunteer buried in her grad dress. A football prospect with innate speed whose team leaves an empty locker in their dressing room. A dancer who celebrated the birth of a nephew the day she was nearly killed.
On Monday, a Fort Saskatchewan judge heard from friends and loved ones of three local teenagers whose lives ended or were forever changed because of a drunk driver.
Christopher Rempel, 45, was sentenced to five years in prison after pleading guilty earlier this year to two counts of dangerous driving causing death and a third count of dangerous driving causing bodily harm.
According to an agreed statement of facts, Rempel was nearly two-and-a-half times the legal limit when he drove his F-350 in the wrong lane on Highway 21 after dark on Sept. 17, 2020.
After travelling several kilometres down the divided highway without his headlights, Rempel collided head-on with a Ford Escape driven by 17-year-old Alexandra Ollington.
Ollington and her 16-year-old friend Keithan Peters were killed instantly.
Morgan Maltby, 15, was hospitalized with life-altering injuries.
Ollington's mother, Maria Popiwchak, said she and the other families are not satisfied with the five-year sentence. She said Rempel will be eligible for day parole in about 14 months — a third of the way through his sentence.
“How does serving a 14-month sentence seem right after taking two young lives and changing a third forever?” she said in an interview.
“(Courts are) not really taking into consideration the fact that society's views on these types of offences are changing,” she added. “The sentences should also be reflective of the harm done to society. But they're not.”
Judge Karl Wilberg heard victim impact statements from more than two dozen people during sentencing, detailing the teens' lives and the far-reaching impacts of their deaths.
Ollington was an honour student who had recently graduated from Archbishop Jordan Catholic High School in Sherwood Park. She was active in the theatre program and was thought of as the “mom” of her friend group.
As a kid, she donated her hair to children's cancer victims and used her birthdays to raise support for worthy causes.
Ollington wanted to be an EMT, but her mother encouraged her to pursue post-secondary as a fallback. On Sept. 1, she began online courses at the University of Alberta, where she planned to study languages and political science.
The morning of the crash, Ollington and her mother had received negative COVID -19 tests. She was excited to see her friends again and made plans to hang out after completing her studies.
Popiwchak recalled frantically phoning her daughter after hearing of a crash on Highway 21. She arrived on scene and saw the mangled remains of her SUV. Rempel's pickup had only minor damage.
“I buried my daughter in her satin graduation gown,” Popiwchak told court. “She looked so beautiful in it.”
Peters attended Salisbury Composite High School in Sherwood Park, where he was a gifted wide receiver. His mother recalled football coaches gushing to her about his speed and dexterity. One encouraged her to insure her son's hands. At the time of the crash, he was beginning the process of committing to a university. He hoped to continue to play football competitively but also dreamed of being a physical therapist or chiropractor.
“His love was on the football field,” his mother said. “This is the place where he was most happy and free.”
Maltby, the youngest of the crash's victims, read her own victim impact statement through tears.
A student at Fort Saskatchewan High, she is no longer able to pursue her passion of competitive dance and basketball. The crash left her with numerous broken bones — including her tibia, wrist, femur and four ribs. During surgery, she suffered four strokes.
Maltby had no memory of the crash, and her family had to hold off on telling her that her best friend and boyfriend had been killed until she could retain her memory.
Cheryl Sutherland, Maltby's mother, said the crash happened 12 hours after her older daughter gave birth to her first grandson.
“This is a day our family should celebrate, but his birthday will never go by without also remembering tragedy,” she said.
`I WILL BURN IN HELL'
The Crown and defence agreed on an overall sentence of five years, followed by a five-year driving prohibition.
Wilberg told attendees he is obligated to accept a joint submission unless it is out of sync with the public interest or existing case law. He concluded that in Rempel's case, five years was an acceptable punishment.
He called Rempel's crimes “dangerous, foolish, selfish and destructive,” but credited him for quickly pleading guilty and expressing “genuine” remorse.
He noted Rempel, a Saskatchewan resident, has no prior criminal record and significant community and family support.
Rempel apologized to the families Monday, telling them he wished he had been struck dead before driving that night.
“I know many of you wish I were dead and to be honest I wish I was dead, too,” he told court before sentencing. “I will burn in hell for what I've done. I know this.”