Family of Jordyn Reimer vows to fight on after Crown refuses to charge 2nd man in fatal crash

The family of a woman killed by a drunk driver in 2022 was left frustrated Thursday after time ran out on a resolution calling for an independent review of the Crown's decision not to prosecute the driver's alleged accomplice.

Manitoba's Opposition Tories put forward the resolution during question period at the Manitoba Legislature, which called for an out-of-province review of the case, but it didn't get to a vote. 

"For us, going back to the same people that have already said they don't want to prosecute, to us, whether it's different prosecutors, it's the same office," Jordyn Reimer's mother, Karen, said outside the chamber on Thursday. "And that is really a conflict of interest and it is not an unbiased, good due process." 

Reimer's parents have pleaded for charges against a friend of the driver who killed their daughter. He was one of the passengers in the vehicle when the fatal crash occurred. 

However, after a review the Manitoba Prosecution Service found the standards required to charge the man had not been met. As well, there was "no reported case law" where criminal liability was found in similar circumstances.

In July, Manitoba Justice Minister Matt Wiebe — who is also Manitoba's attorney general — told the Reimers the province planned to follow recommendations by Crown prosecutors not to proceed with charges against the man who allegedly gave the keys to the driver behind the wheel when their daughter was killed. 

Reimer, 24, was killed in the early hours of May 1, 2022, in a two-vehicle collision at the intersection of Bond Street and Kildare Avenue while she was on her way to pick up a friend.

Late last year, Tyler Scott Goodman was sentenced to seven years in prison after pleading guilty to impaired driving and failing to stop at the scene.

Court heard that as Goodman was about to leave a bar, where he had consumed nine or 10 drinks, a woman confronted him and grabbed the jacket where he kept his keys. But one of Goodman's friends took the keys back, telling her not to worry and that he would drive because he was not as drunk.

Goodman ran two stop signs before hitting the driver's side of Reimer's SUV, court heard. He was going more than 100 km/h at the time of the collision.

Goodman and the three passengers in his vehicle left the accident scene on foot, court heard. 

On Thursday, Wiebe said the case had been reviewed twice by two separate groups of Crown attorneys who agreed there wasn't enough evidence to lay charges.

"We asked the best lawyers that we have in this province to take a look at this to see if there was any path forward," said Wiebe. "I'm confident that they did the work and that they did it in a professional and honest way." 

Wiebe also touched on the issue during the morning session of question period on Thursday. 

He said usually in all fatality cases, proposed prosecutorial decisions are reviewed by Crown attorneys at a case conference. 

Wiebe said he asked for another case conference after the Crown's office concluded there wasn't enough evidence to charge Goodman's friend. 

He said a different group of senior Crown attorneys reviewed and assessed "the decision and to ensure that the right choice was made and was reached in the law."

"In this case, the charging standard was not met and so prosecution against the passenger could not proceed," he said. 

Wiebe also said he's working with Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada to build on provincial legislation and education to deter impaired driving. He also welcomed input from the Reimer family and Opposition Progressive Conservatives.

"There's a lot of opportunity here to to build on legislation, he said. 

The Reimers say their fight for an independent review isn't over. 

"If they're so confident that their decision is just, then an out of province review should validate their decision," Karen Reimer said.