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A former Vernon pharmacist convicted of manslaughter has had his day parole revoked.
The Parole Board of Canada reviewed the case involving Shaun Ross Wiebe, 48, and decided on Nov. 26 to revoke his parole.
Wiebe pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 2023 in connection with the March 2018 death of his common law partner, Heather Barker. He was sentenced to four years in jail minus time served in custody (three years, five months, 12 days), but was released on day parole a year into his sentence in June 2024, and was living on Vancouver Island.
He is slated for statutory release from prison in 2026.
In its nine-page decision, the board, by way of a video hearing, considered a number of legal criteria.
To cancel the suspension, the board has to be satisfied Wiebe will not reoffend and present an undue risk to society. But, if the board is satisfied Wiebe, by reoffending, presents a risk to society, it can terminate his day parole “if the undue risk is due to circumstances beyond your control, or revoke your day parole in any other case.”
Wiebe began serving his sentence in June 2023 and is also subject to a DNA order, a 10-year firearms prohibition, and a no contact order.
After a period of consuming alcohol in March 2018, Wiebe and Barker got into an argument in which he accused her of stealing narcotics from his pharmacy. The argument escalated into a physical altercation during which Wiebe became enraged, threw Barker to the ground, jumped on her, and repeatedly struck her head on the floor.
The victim was left in a coma with severe injuries and, although she was transported to hospital by ambulance, she never regained consciousness.
At sentencing, the judge noted aggravating factors in Wiebe’s case to include his abuse of a position of trust as the victim’s intimate partner, that the offence occurred in a place where the victim should have felt safe, and the victim’s vulnerability due to her intoxication and smaller stature.
Noted mitigating factors included Wiebe entering a guilty plea, accepting responsibility, lack of a criminal record, positive community support, compliance on bail, and his expressed remorse.
The board reviewed and considered the victim impact statements on file, including the most recent statement submitted in March 2025. The victim impact statements, including the most recent submission, underscore the enduring harm caused by Wiebe’s actions.
“It is apparent that the emotional and psychological trauma experienced by the victim’s loved ones remain profound and unresolved,” wrote the board. “Your offence caused the victim’s death, and therefore clearly caused serious harm.”
While the judge who imposed the sentence on Wiebe, and the Canadian Police Information Centre, stated he had “no criminal record,” the board said Wiebe’s file suggests he does have additional convictions that do not appear on his official record, specifically a conviction for assault in 2013, and for obstruction in 2010.
His record, said the board, also reflects charges for uttering threats, causing a disturbance, assault, mischief, and failure to comply offences that were stayed by Crown counsel.
“Several of your previous convictions and stayed charges relate to domestic incidents between you and your former intimate partners,” said the board.
Wiebe completed previous periods of community supervision without noted concern, said the board, and he was released on bail in relation to the index offence (manslaughter) in 2021. He remained on bail until his sentencing, and the board noted Wiebe had taken proactive steps toward treatment during this time, and there were no breaches or concerns with Wiebe while out on bail.
The board noted Wiebe has a history of tumultuous intimate relationships. That includes two previous marriages and several common-law relationships, one of which produced a child. The board said he has a history of engaging in domestic abuse.
As an adult, Wiebe turned to alcohol to cope with life stresstors, and this turned into a significant addiction that resulted in several withdrawal-related hospitalizations.
“Your relationship with the victim of the index offence (Barker) was fraught with mutual substance abuse,” said the board.
Wiebe was given a Spousal Assault Risk Assessment, and the results suggested he poses a high risk to reoffend toward an intimate partner, and a low risk toward others in the context of family violence.
His score on the Statistical Information on Recidivism scale suggests Wiebe presents a low risk of reoffending after release. And his Criminal Risk Index score suggests that there is a six per cent chance he’ll reoffend within three years of release.
Wiebe, said the board, is described as someone with “a tendency towards unstable intimate relationships, infidelity, and jealousy; and you have a history of resorting to substance abuse to cope with negative emotions. You have poor emotional management, poor coping strategies, and a tendency to deflect blame onto others.”
The Correctional Service of Canada said there were no significant concerns with Wiebe’s behaviour while in prison. He received excellent performance reports on his work inside the prison, he maintained his sobriety, had a good relationship with his case management team, and completed a couple of programs.
In June 2024, Wiebe was granted six months of day parole with the board noting he had demonstrated manageability under community supervision, completed programming, along with Wiebe’s “insight, viable release plan, and lengthy period of sobriety.”
The board authorized overnight leave privileges and imposed six special conditions on his release, including drug and alcohol prohibition, not contacting the victims, and travelling outside his release area. He was also to follow a treatment program and report all relationships with women.
Wiebe was released from prison to a community residential facility on Vancouver Island in August 2024, and he successfully completed a pair of recovery and community maintenance programs, as well as attending regular counselling sessions at a men’s therapy centre.
His files notes concerns with his attitude, described as entitled, arrogant, and argumentative, and that Wiebe “demonstrated a tendency to become frustrated, pushy, and sarcastic” when he didn’t get his way.
In March of this year, Wiebe requested to be allowed extended leave privileges so he could stay in Saskatchewan over a long weekend. The board authorized for up to 10 days of extended leave for this purpose. The trip was completed without any noted concerns.
In June, Wiebe’s case management team became aware of a relationship that Wiebe had previously reported as being “very casual in nature that had developed into something more,” though Wiebe said it was not romantic. He was warned and counselled about having failed to report the change.
The team expressed concerns regarding the women’s emotional vulnerability and volatility, and advised Wiebe to have no contact with her.
Wiebe requested in May extended leave privileges again for a time in July, and that the geographic restriction be removed as it no longer seemed to be related to any victim proximity concerns. The board complied with the requests.
He then reported, in August, a new friendship with a woman he met through Alcoholics Anonymous and church, that the friendship had developed into a relationship, and that he was interested in living with her upon his release. Wiebe’s case team expressed concern about the speed with which the relationship was progressing.
The board learned in September that Wiebe had been routinely signing out to areas outside of his release area without advising his case team, an issue he had already been counselled on. He was confined to his facility for a weekend and was to have a meeting with his team on the following Monday, but Wiebe summoned an ambulance for himself and left the facility.
He sent a text message indicating he’d gone to a hospital due to a panic attack and chest pains. But the case management team received information he had checked into hospital for detox, and admitted to having consumed large amounts of alcohol (26 oz) daily during his release.
“Given that this constituted a breach of your special conditions, your release was suspended,” the board told Wiebe.
In a post-suspension interview, Wiebe said the sign-outs were the primary reason (for the suspension) and was the result of a misunderstanding. When asked what he was doing on the various occasions he signed out to unspecified locations for 12-to-15 hours, Wiebe said he was “just driving around and thinking.” He said his new girlfriend had been to the hospital to visit him, but she denied that.
Wiebe admitted to drinking alcohol, saying he consumed beer during an 11-hour sign-out period on Sept. 11. He made no mention of the 26 0z of alcohol per day the hospital said he admitted to. Wiebe said he lied to the hospital about how much he drank in order to get anxiety treatment. He claimed he had been suffering from “a lot of stress related to his approaching statutory release,” though he did not report the stress to his team.
The board said Wiebe’s file indicated he refused to meaningfully engage in any honest or transparent conversations about his recent activities. When asked about specifics, Wiebe asked about when he would be released.
When that happens, Wiebe has said he would like to be released to Saskatchewan. His parents have written letters of support, saying they would financially help out their son. The local parole office in Saskatchewan was not willing to accept Wiebe, and they suggested a residency condition may be necessary.
Wiebe’s file said he would be released on Vancouver Island, even though he has no confirmed accommodations there. He wants to reside with his new girlfriend, but a community assessment conducted with her noted she had a recent relapse into cocaine use and is not considered a viable option.
Correctional Service of Canada says Wiebe’s risk has become “unmanageable,” and recommended the day parole be revoked, noting his return to alcohol consumption, lack of insight into the concerns of his breach, failing to reach out to his case team regarding increased stress/anxiety, and suspected dishonesty about the extent of alcohol use in the community.
The decision to revoke Wiebe’s day parole, said the board, “was particularly challenging, given the positive aspects of your case related to the stability you demonstrated in the community for a good portion of your release…”
“The board finds the parallels to the factors that contributed to the index offence, and the rapid decline of your stability following the introduction of a relationship, represent a highly risk relevant aspect of your case that can not be ignored, given your capacity for extreme violence,” said the board. “Consequently, the board concludes that you will, by reoffending before the expiration of your sentence, present an undue risk to society. Therefore, the board revokes your day parole release.”
Upon release, Wiebe will be ordered to follow a treatment plan/program arranged by his parole supervisor in the areas of family/intimate partner violence and substance misuse. He will also be on a curfew from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m., unless he has prior written permission from his parole officer.