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A dozen Metro Vancouver mayors have sent a letter to the federal Justice Minister demanding that serial killer Robert Pickton never be granted parole.
The letter, dated April 24, was signed by the mayors of Vancouver (Ken Sim), Delta (George Harvey), Anmore (John McEwen), Belcarra (Jamie Ross), Burnaby (Mike Hurley), Lions Bay (Ken Berry ), Pitt Meadows (Nicole MacDonald), Port Coquitlam (Brad West), Richmond (Malcolm Brodie), West Vancouver (Mark Sager), White Rock (Megan Knight) and Port Moody (Meghan Lahti).
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Addressed to federal Justice Minister Arif Virani, the letter states that allowing Pickton any level of parole “would undermine the integrity of our justice system and also jeopardize the safety and well-being of our communities. “He demonstrated a lack of remorse and the depravity of his actions serve as stark reminders of the danger he represents to society.”
Pickton, 74, is a serial rapist and killer who was charged in February 2002 with the murders of 26 women, almost all of whom he picked up in Vancouver’s downtown east and took to his home in Port Coquitlam, where they were brutalized. and murdered. In 2007, Pickton was convicted of the murder of six of the women whose remains were found on his pig farm.
He was sentenced to 25 years in prison without the possibility of parole for 25 years, that is, February 2027.
However, federal law states that a person sentenced to Pickton can apply for day parole three years before being eligible for full parole.
The Parole Board of Canada has confirmed that Pickton can apply for day parole, but such applications can take months before a hearing is scheduled.
The PBC said it had not received a request for day parole from Pickton.
“Should Pickton apply for parole, we respectfully urge you to take all necessary steps to ensure that he is not granted parole under any circumstances,” the mayor’s letter said.
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The mayor’s letter comes two months after federal Conservative leader Pierre Poilievre made the same call on X, formerly known as Twitter.
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With files from Canadian Press
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