Metro Vancouver mayors say Robert Pickton should never be paroled

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A dozen mayors from Metro Vancouver have sent a letter to the federal minister of justice demanding that serial killer Robert Pickton never be granted day 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 poses 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 Eastside and took to his home in Port Coquitlam where they were brutalized and killed. In 2007 Pickton was convicted for the murders of six of those women whose remains were found at his pig farm.

He was given a 25-year jail sentence with no chance of parole for 25 years, meaning February 2027.

However, federal law states a person with Pickton’s sentence can apply for day parole three years before eligibility for full parole.

The Parole Board of Canada has confirmed that Pickton can ask for day parole, but such requests can take months before a hearing is scheduled.

The PBC said that it had not received an application from Pickton for day parole. 

“Should Pickton apply for parole, we respectfully urge you to take all necessary measures to ensure that he is not granted parole under any circumstances,” the mayor’s letter read.

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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