Saskatoon woman asks prime minister about bail reform bill

Saskatoon's Julie Sowers is advocating for a bail-reform bill called Wynn's Law and on Thursday she got to take her concerns to the prime minister.

The bill is named after Const. David Matthew Wynn, who died in hospital on Jan. 21, 2015, four days after he was shot in the head while responding to a stolen-vehicle call at the Apex Casino in St. Albert, Alta.

His killer, a career criminal named Shawn Rehn, was out on bail at the time. Rehn killed himself hours after shooting Wynn.

Sowers, who is friends with Wynn's widow, Shelly MacInnis-Wynn, said Rehn had dozens of current charges at the time of his bail hearing, but the judge didn't hear about them.

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Wynn's Law would make it mandatory for prosecutors to bring past and current criminal history forward at such hearings.

"It is obvious that Dave Wynn would still be alive today should this man had not been let out on bail," Sowers told Saskatoon Morning host Julianne Hazlewood.

On Wednesday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was taking questions at a town hall meeting in Saskatoon and Sowers got to ask why the Liberal government wasn't supporting bill S-217.

At first, Sowers was disappointed with the response.

"He didn't really respond," she said. "He danced around the issue."

However, after the meeting, officials approached her and they exchanged contact information. She was asked to provide more information, she said.

On that basis, Sowers said, she walked out of the meeting feeling hopeful.

"I think it did bring awareness," she said.

She thinks Wynn's law is something that would have broad support from the public.

"It would make such a huge impact that would save many lives, not just police officer lives," she said.