Premiers cite slain B.C. woman in letter calling for review of federal bail reform

Canada’s premiers have written a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau questioning the effectiveness of the federal government’s recent bail reform.

The letter cites the case of Tori Dunn, who was killed in what police believe was a random attack in her Surrey, B.C., home in June.

Adam Mann, the man accused in her death, had been charged in a previous stabbing just a week prior to the killing.

In the letter inked at the recent Council of the Federation meeting, the premiers say, “provincial prosecutors had urged that he not be released into the community.”

“Clearly, in this case, Bill C-48 failed to keep a violent offender from posing a serious risk to public safety.”

Bill C-48 is the federal government’s 2023 changes to the bail system which require violent offenders to prove why they should be granted bail.

“In the case of the Dunn family, these changes didn’t work. The goal of the request to the federal government is that they take a systematic look across the country,” B.C. Premier David Eby said on Monday.

“This is exactly what we were fighting to prevent. This is exactly why we went to Ottawa with the premiers to demand the changes that were made.”

Dunn’s father Aron Dunn said he was happy to see a recognition that more changes are needed to the judicial system, but that he felt like the premiers’ language was too “soft.”

“I want them to know it might be different if it happened to one of their family members or daughters. I don’t know what they are thinking when they make these laws,” he said.

“This is a serious offender in and out of prison, dating back … 22 years or whatever, and violence against women. They had him in jail and decided to let him go.”

The family has launched a petition calling for a comprehensive review