The offender, Lezane Okimaw, pleaded guilty to impaired operation causing bodily harm after a head-on collision that resulted in devastating, life-altering injuries to the victim.
The court considered aggravating factors, including a high blood alcohol concentration and the severity of the victim's injuries.
Mitigating factors included the offender's youth, guilty plea, remorse, and sustained sobriety since the incident.
Crucially, the court applied Gladue principles, recognizing the profound impact of intergenerational trauma from residential schools on the offender's moral blameworthiness and addiction.
The Crown sought a three-year custodial sentence, while the defence proposed an eighteen-month conditional sentence.
The court imposed a 21-month conditional sentence, followed by 18 months of probation, a 21-month driving prohibition, and mandatory weapons prohibitions, finding that a conditional sentence was appropriate given the Gladue factors and the offender's rehabilitation efforts, and would not endanger community safety.