Immigrant responsible for fatal crash wins chance to remain in Canada

Yasir Baig, the man responsible for the deadly accident which killed 22 year old Nicole Turcotte was given the chance to avoid deportation back to his native Pakistan..The incident, which occurred in January 2018 on the Queen Elizabeth Way (QEW) near Mississauga, Ontario, was caused after Baig, who claimed someone flashed their high beams at him, came to a complete stop on the highway, causing a fatal five car pile-up. He then fled the scene of the accident but turned himself in to the police 12 days later. .The court heard that Baig had cut in front of traffic in the left passing lane and proceeded the slow down to 50 km/h, causing those behind him to quickly hit the brakes. After a driver behind him flashed their high beams in response to his driving, Baig reportedly got angry and slammed on his brakes in the middle of the QEW, leading to the pile-up..In October 2022, he pled guilty to dangerous driving causing death and was sentenced to six months less a day in prison and a 32-month driving ban. Due to his conviction, he was deemed "inadmissible to this country" by Canada's Immigration Division and had a removal order implemented against him in May of 2024..As a result he took his case to the Immigration Appeal Division (IAD) and pleaded against the removal order on “humanitarian and compassionate grounds so that he could maintain his permanent resident status and remain in Canada.” After the IAD turned down his request, Baig took his appeal to the Federal Court seeking a judicial review. .The federal court found that the IAD "fell into error" by not taking into consideration the impact on Baig's wife and three children, who, Baig claimed, would have no choice but to move to Pakistan with him should he be deported. According to Justice Anne Turley, “in assessing the best interests of the children, the IAD did not consider (Baig’s) evidence that his wife and children would return to Pakistan with him if he was removed from Canada, nor the resulting hardship on the children due to the language barriers and the lack of educational accommodations.”.However, in a decision following the review this past January, the IAD found that the Federal Court's review was insufficient “to allow the appeal or to stay (his) removal from Canada.” The IAD also found that Baig was a "continued threat to public safety” and "has shown minimal potential for rehabilitation.".The IAD determined that it would be in the best interest of Baig's children that he stay in Canada, but went on to say that, “... the continued threat (Baig) poses to the safety of the Canadian public given his minimal possibility for rehabilitation outweighs the best interests of the appellant in this case.”.Despite this, Justice Turley determined that the IAD’s decision was “unreasonable” and “must be set aside.” Turley granted Baig's application for judicial review, stating that the IAD must give the case a redetermination.