SASKATOON — Corey Hannah didn’t go to the parole hearing.
He said he knew what the outcome would be. He’s seen it before, the way the justice system works for first-time offenders. He and his wife, Karen, had already said what they needed to say at Brittany Barry’s sentencing in March 2025, when they read their victim impact statements in court.
“We didn't want to drag ourselves all through that,” said Corey in a phone interview on Aug. 17.
So when the parole board granted Barry day parole on Aug. 11, Corey said he wasn’t surprised.
But that didn’t make it easy.
“It’s kind of hard to take,” he said.
Barry, 34, was sentenced to nearly six years in prison for two counts of impaired driving causing death and impaired driving causing bodily harm. Her breath samples registered 190 and 210 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood — nearly three times the legal limit.
On Oct. 19, 2024, she drove the wrong way on Highway 11 near Dundurn, crashing head-on into a vehicle, killing Jamie Hannah, 20, and her mother Laura Hannah, 53, of Alberta.
Barry’s own young children, passengers in her truck, were injured, with one being airlifted to hospital.
Barry has served just over a year in custody and has been approved for placement at a community-based residential facility for six months, effective upon her eligibility for day parole.
“She killed two people,” said Corey. “But she has no previous record or anything. It’s just the way that the system works."
Karen Hannah said she thought about the weight Barry carries.
“Every single time that she thinks about Laura and Jamie, she knows it's her fault, she admitted to that in [court],” said Karen. “So she's got the grief and the sadness and the hurt, along with knowing that it was her fault. I just, I have compassion for her in thinking about that weight to carry.”
Corey said when Barry apologized in court, he believed her. He said she didn’t have to apologize, admit her guilt, and take her punishment.
“She didn't drag us through a trial,” he said.
“I genuinely feel that she was sorry. She made a mistake. Everybody thinks that it's just six years, but it's not. She has this sentence for the rest of her life.”
He said Barry has restrictions that will follow her long after her release, including the seven-year driving prohibition, a ban on consuming alcohol, mandatory parole supervision for four more years, and a civil lawsuit from the family.
“She can’t drive for seven years after the six years, so that’s 13 years of no driving for her,” said Corey. “She is still going to get sued.”
At the sentencing hearing, Karen said she left a Bible on a courtroom bench, and saw Barry take it with her.
“For us, we just hope she finds God,” said Corey. “We believe that He’s the ultimate judge in the end. Let God be the judge.”
Karen agreed.
“I just hope that, like Corey said, that she finds God through this because that's the only thing that will help her have a semblance of peace in her life.”
Corey contrasted his own response with that of other family members.
“They look at it as that she should be punished forever,” he said. “She does deserve to be punished, yes. But that sentence is forever.”
Friend doesn’t forgive
Leslie Toovey wasn’t at the parole hearing either.
“I’m disgusted, absolutely disgusted,” she said.
Toovey, a friend of the family, was at the sentencing. She said she watched Barry’s face as family members read their victim impact statements.
“She smirked in [the prisoner's] box,” said Toovey.
When it was Toovey’s turn to read her victim impact statement to the court, she didn’t hold back. She said her husband kept telling her, “Leslie, you can’t say that in court.”
She said it anyway.
“I hate you,” she told Barry at the sentencing.
She hasn’t changed her mind.
“Not once when we were reading our victim impact statements at her sentencing, did she look up,” said Toovey. “Did she acknowledge any of us? No. She said in her quick little blurb, ‘I'm so sorry.’ No, you're not. You’re sorry that you got caught.”
Toovey said she doesn’t think she will ever forgive Barry.
“I just, I hate her,” she said.
Then she paused.
“Corey and Karen forgive her but they are very spiritual people. They are very with God. And I’m not. I think that’s the difference.”
MADD unveils roadside memorial signs in Dundurn
Two months ago, on June 5, MADD Canada unveiled two roadside memorial signs in Dudurn, just north and south of the intersection where Laura and Jamie died.
Reanne Hannah, daughter of Laura Hannah and sister of Jamie Hannah, gave a statement to media at the unveiling through MADD Canada.
"Losing my mom, Laura, and my sister, Jamie, shattered our family in ways words cannot describe," said Reanne. "There is an emptiness at every holiday, every birthday, and in every moment they should still be here. We are sharing their story because no other family should have to endure this kind of pain and loss."
Parole board cites Barry’s lack of criminal record
The parole board, in its Aug. 11 decision, cited Barry’s lack of a criminal record, acceptance of responsibility, expressions of remorse, and completion of all assigned programs as factors in granting day parole.
Arielle Nkongmeneck, communications manager for MADD Canada, told SaskToday on Aug. 18 that the parole board’s decision, while painful for the family, follows a familiar pattern.
“Parole is often a difficult process for families of those killed by impaired drivers. They often feel that the sentence imposed is not harsh enough for the harm caused and then find out that the driver may not serve that entire sentence in prison.”
She added that impaired drivers are often considered good candidates for early release because they often do not have criminal records like many of those you find in a federal prison.
“In terms of risk, which is what the parole board considers, impaired drivers are often considered low risk given the weight put on someone’s past criminal history,” said Nkongmeneck. “On one hand, the decision is not surprising but that does not take away from how difficult this is for the Hannah family and friends.”
Nkongmeneck said the courts have been taking impaired driving more seriously in recent years.
“Sentences for impaired driving causing death and injury have increased incrementally over the past decade or so. While many families do not think sentences are harsh enough to reflect the harm done, the range of sentences we see today is longer than we saw a decade ago.
“Of course, there is no sentence that can reflect the kind of loss the Hannah family has suffered,” added Nkongmenec. “But MADD Canada is encouraged that courts are taking impaired driving more seriously and sentences better reflect the seriousness of this violent crime and we expect to see sentences continue to increase incrementally. Ideally, people make the choice not to drive impaired because when we talk about sentencing, the harm has already been done.”
For Nkongmenec, the tragedy that killed Laura Hannah and Jamie Hannah is a reminder of what’s at stake and what can be done to prevent it.
“Impaired driving and the harm that it causes to families like the Hannahs is 100 per cent preventable,” she said. “We all have a role to play in stopping impaired driving. If we are going to consume alcohol, cannabis and/or other drugs, we need to make a plan to get home safely. If we see someone who we think is driving impaired, we need to call 911 because we may be preventing a tragedy and saving someone’s life. We need to talk to the young people in our lives and our family and friends about the importance of planning ahead.”
She urged the public to never drive while impaired, never get into a vehicle with someone who is impaired, always plan ahead for a safe ride home, and call 911 if they suspect a driver is impaired.
ljoy@sasktoday.ca
