Former MLA convicted of sex offence granted parole last August: documents

A former Alberta MLA serving a three-year sentence for sexual interference was paroled last August, according to parole board documents obtained by Postmedia.

Donald Brian Macintyre was recommended for day parole followed by full parole after six months on Aug. 14, 2019 — just over seven months into his sentence.

Macintyre, the former MLA for Innisfail-sylvan Lake, pleaded guilty in a Red Deer courtroom on Jan. 11, 2019, to a count of sexual interference, admitting he sexually touched a girl under the age of 14 on five to 10 occasions between January 2010 and December 2011.

In its decision, the Parole Board of Canada panel granted day parole — usually available to offenders six months before they are eligible for full parole. Inmates can usually apply for full parole one-third of the way through their sentence.

People on day parole typically spend the night at a correctional institution or a community-based residential facility. The board concluded Macintyre, who is in his early 60s, had a “very low risk of reoffending.”

“Through our discussions with you, the board finds that you have taken every opportunity to come to understand the causes of your poor decision-making which resulted in sexually offending against your child victim,” the board told Macintyre.

Macintyre was first elected as a Wildrose MLA in 2015, and sat under the UCP banner after the two parties merged.

He resigned his seat in February 2018, around the time he was charged.

The victim, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, came forward to an adult about the crimes in 2015.

In an agreed statement of facts, Macintyre admitted he told his victim that “God was OK with the touching.”

The former MLA is ordered to stay away from female children under the age of 18 unless accompanied by an adult who is aware of his criminal history. He is also to avoid his victim, and follow a treatment plan focused on “mental health and sexual deviancy.” The court also ordered him to register under the Sex Offender Information Registry Act