Board loosens parole leash on Robert Latimer

SASKATOON – The National Parole Board has agreed to further relax Robert Latimer’s parole conditions, allowing him to spend five nights a week in his Victoria apartment and only two nights a week in a halfway house.

The decision comes on the heels of a Federal Court ruling last month that ordered the board to reconsider, on an expedited basis, Latimer’s year-old request for the change.

Latimer, a farmer from Wilkie, Sask., received a life sentence in 1997 for second-degree murder in the 1993 carbon monoxide poisoning death of his daughter, Tracy, who was born with cerebral palsy and lived with severe chronic pain. The case sparked a nationwide debate on euthanasia.

He will be eligible for full parole in less than four months.

Latimer, 56, had been on a "two and five" – spending two nights a week at his own place and five nights a week at the halfway house – since September 2008.

Parole board members, backed by the National Parole Board’s appeal division, repeatedly denied his requests for a "five and two" on the basis that Latimer’s case did not meet the board’s policy manual’s definition of "exceptional circumstances" which would justify a reduction in his nightly reporting requirements.

However, the Federal Court ruled the "exceptional circumstances" test was an improper limit on the board’s discretion and was inconsistent with the principles of the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, which governs day parole and calls for the least restrictive measures consistent with protection of the public.

In light of that ruling, the board reversed its earlier refusal after conducting an in-office review of Latimer’s file, according to a Sept. 1 decision sheet released Wednesday.

"According to your Case Management Team, your reintegration has been steadily progressing since your initial release into the community over two years ago," the board wrote, noting Latimer recently finished the third year of an electrician program and expects to complete his fourth year by March.

"File information indicates that you handled the stress of a family member’s medical difficulties in an appropriate manner. There are no concerns regarding your behaviour in the community and your CMT currently assesses your risk to re-offend as very low."