After serving less than a year in prison, Lindsey Coyle will be released on parole this September with the duration of her sentence to be served at home in Fort Frances.
According to the Parole Board of Canada (PBC): “Parole is part of a sentence and may be granted only by a board of parole. It always includes an initial period of imprisonment following which the offender may live in the community for the remainder of the sentence under the supervision of a Correctional Service Canada parole officer and under certain conditions. Failure to abide by these conditions could mean the offender is returned to prison.”
Coyle was sentenced to two years imprisonment in January, 2024, after pleading guilty to Criminal Negligence Causing Death in November of 2022. The sentence was handed down just over nine years since the death of Hermina Fletcher on Jan. 4, 2015.
Coyle sat quietly with a parole officer via video from the Grand Valley Institution for Women in Kitchener. Her expression changed little as the Parole Board heard victim impact statements from Fletcher’s ex daughter-in-law and two granddaughters who discussed the emotional pain and mental health strain Fletcher’s death and the ongoing court proceedings have put on their lives.
Each family member asked that if released Coyle not be allowed to reside in certain geographic areas including Fort Frances and Thunder Bay. However, because Coyle’s family and support system is in Fort Frances she’ll be allowed to return and live here, but she is under the restriction not to contact any of the victims, directly or indirectly..
The two parole board members discussed Coyle’s past, what led to her drug and alcohol addictions, what she has done since her incarceration to avail of services, and what she’s done to mitigate the potential for relapse.
According to the PBC, allowing an offender to be released for parole is largely dependent on risk to the public.
“PBC is an independent administrative tribunal free from any political or bureaucratic interference or external pressure. Neither the Minister of Public Safety, Democratic Institutions and Intergovernmental Affairs, nor the Commissioner of Corrections, nor the Chairperson of PBC can influence a Board member’s vote.
“Board members assess each case individually in terms of risk and public safety. The Board’s assessment of the risk presented by an offender on parole is based on three major factors, criminal history, institutional behaviour and benefit from programs, and release plan.”
Rather than releasing Coyle to a halfway house which would likely have been located in Thunder Bay, Coyle will be allowed to return to Fort Frances to live with her fiancé and children.
Coyle said that a halfway house wouldn’t be to her benefit because her bank accounts are frozen because of the civil decision against her.
Coyle owes the Fletcher family $130,000 after being found liable for damages plus costs. She said during the hearing that she and her fiancé would be working on devising a payment plan upon her parole and discussing it with legal representation.
Coyle will return to Fort Frances under strict conditions not to consume drugs or alcohol, to avoid any contact with the victims of her crime, and must abide by a curfew. She will not be allowed beyond 80 km from her residence without permission from her parole officer and will undergo regular testing for drug and alcohol use.
During the hearing, Coyle said that big life changes have been a trigger in the past for her drug and alcohol use so the Parole Board designated that any changes in romantic relationship be reported to her parole officer right away as well as any changes in the custody arrangements with her child’s biological father.
Coyle will be released sometime in September with the written Parole Board decision to be released in about two weeks.
As the hearing wrapped up, the members of the Parole Board thanked the victims for reading statements but added that the parole system doesn’t really allow for them to take victims into account when making their decisions.
