'We want justice for our daughter': Family of Jordyn Reimer disappointed by province not ordering independent review

The family of a Winnipeg woman killed by a drunk driver is frustrated after they tried to have another person charged for giving the truck keys back to the driver.

Jordyn Reimer, 24, was acting as her friends' designated driver when they went out in May 2022. At the corner of Bond Street and Kildare Avenue West, her vehicle was hit by a truck driven by Tyler Goodman.

Reimer died in the crash, and Goodman was sentenced to seven years in jail after he pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing death.

During the trial, the court heard a friend had taken the keys away from Goodman the night of the crash, but later on, another friend gave him the keys back.

Reimer's parents, Karen and Doug, had been asking the provincial government for a third-party independent review of the decision not to prosecute the friend.

On Thursday, Justice Minister Matt Wiebe announced that a review would not happen.

"What we've always expressed is that we wanted to be very thorough and serious about looking at this case, about making sure that all the steps were taken and that our prosecutors were making the best decision possible," said Wiebe. "Ultimately, the decision that was made by our prosecutors is one that is supported by the facts and supported by the circumstances of the case."

After meeting with the minister, Reimer's parents said they were angered by the decision.

"We are strongly opposed to the reasons for not ordering the independent review, and Matt Wiebe's decision-making is flawed in our mind because he went back and consulted with Crown attorneys with the Justice Department, which is the place we are complaining about," said Karen.

"We want justice for our daughter because this guy set in motion and killed our daughter."

She said her hope was that this would send a message to other people in the future and potentially save their lives.

Karen and Doug called the decision disappointing.

"We're very disappointed in the fact that they're just consulting the same people," said Doug. "As soon as he said that to us, we knew that it was over. That's not an independent review, that's not a true consultation."

In a statement to CTV News Crown attorneys said two meetings were held on whether to pursue charges and they involved different sets of attorneys. Their conclusion noted the Crown could not prove beyond a reasonable doubt the passengers intentionally assisted the driver to drive impaired.

They added such a charge would be a first and that there is no similar case law where criminal liability was found in similar circumstances.

Despite what they have learned, Karen and Doug said they aren't going away.

"We keep being told all the way along we can't do anything, but we're trying to find ways to do something. Next step is we will ask for a meeting with the premier. We will ask Wab Kinew to sit down and talk with us again. He also says he's tough on crime," said Karen.

The family said they will continue to search for an independent, third-party review outside of Manitoba