Alberta teachers nix talk by murderer

EDMONTON • A man convicted of strangling a woman in Vancouver in 2007 has been dropped as a presenter at a teachers’ convention in Calgary.

Andrew Evans was found guilty in 2009 of beating and strangling Nicole Parisien after he flew into a “blind rage” over his inability to get an erection. He was sentenced to life without parole for 10 years, but won day parole in 2014. Today, he works as at the Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre.

The Calgary City Teachers’ Convention, scheduled for Feb. 14 and 15, billed Evans as someone familiar with the struggles of addiction, and said his “message is one of hope,” having “the lived experience of active addiction and active recovery.”

On Wednesday night, hours after National Post reported on the teachers’ invitation to the convicted killer, they retracted it.

“After reviewing concerns shared about Andy Evans speaking at Calgary Teachers’ Convention, I have consulted with organizers and we will be cancelling the session. I sincerely regret the impact this has had on survivors, victims and their supporters,” said Greg Jeffery, president of the Alberta Teachers Association.

Jonathan Teghtmeyer, a spokesman for the association, which organized the convention, said there had been few complaints from teachers, though it received backlash from the public.

“Teachers are smart and thoughtful professionals capable of examining contentious issues and sensitive topics with critical thought,” the Alberta Teachers’ Association said in a statement. “By sharing this story with teachers, it is hoped that lives can be saved and other tragedies can be prevented.”

The statement added that the organization does not “shy away from scheduling controversial sessions.”

But Teghtmeyer said this session was organized by the Alberta Adolescent Recovery Centre, and he suggested the teachers’ association didn’t know about Evans’ past.

“I don’t think the organizers were fully aware,” Teghtmeyer said.

In August 2007, Evans had a few beers and “six or seven tokes of marijuana” at home, then a couple of shots of liquor at a friend’s place — plus some ecstasy — and seven more beers at a club.

He found some sex workers on Craigslist, and made appointments to see two of them. Parisien’s place was nearby. Upon arrival, he handed over $200.

“Despite several attempts at various kinds of sexual activity, Mr. Evans was not able to get an erection,” the court ruling says. “Mr. Evans said he recalled becoming extremely frustrated and angry. He described going into a blind rage. He could not recall whether he first began choking or hitting her, but he recalled doing both.”

The ruling says Evans remembered hitting her 10 or 15 times; the autopsy found she’d been choked to death.

A jury found him guilty of second-degree murder.