Truck driver in deadly Broncos crash granted day parole

W5: The Humboldt Driver, update Jaskirat Sidhu has lost his bid to stay in Canada, but as W5's Avery Haines reports, his lawyer and his wife say their fight isn't over.

The Parole Board of Canada has granted Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, the trucker who caused the deadly Humboldt Broncos bus crash, day parole for six months.

Sidhu was sentenced to eight years after he pleaded guilty to dangerous driving charges for the 2018 crash that killed 16 and injured 13.

He went through a stop sign at a rural Saskatchewan intersection and drove into the path of the junior hockey team's bus as it was on its way to a playoff game.

Sidhu, who has been serving his sentence at a prison in Bowden, Alta., is asking to be released pending possible deportation.

Some Broncos family members spent about 90 minutes addressing the board.

The Canada Border Services Agency recommended in March that Sidhu be handed over to the Immigration and Refugee Board to decide if he should be deported back to India.

His lawyer is seeking to argue against deportation in Federal Court.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2022.