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Navjeet Singh was arrested in Ontario on Thursday in connection with a fatal crash in Manitoba last year.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
Singh was arrested by Peel Regional Police and the Canada Border Services Agency at Toronto\u2019s Pearson International Airport shortly before 8 a.m. CT Thursday, RCMP said in a later news release.<\/p>\n
Singh arrived in Canada on an Ethiopian Airlines flight, the release said. RCMP had obtained information that he would be on that flight.<\/p>\n
He is set to be flown back to Winnipeg to appear before a judge in the coming days.<\/p>\n
The victim\u2019s family was notified by Carman RCMP on Thursday. They told the Free Press Thursday evening that they were relieved Singh was taken into custody in Canada.<\/p>\n
On Friday, they called on the Canadian and provincial governments to take immediate action to address what they say is corruption and negligence surrounding the licensing and training of foreign semi-truck drivers.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe United States has already, very recently, recognized the dangers and taken steps to strengthen oversight and put a full stop on truck-driving visas,\u201d the family said in a statement to the Free Press.<\/p>\n
\u201cCanada should be following this lead. Families are being killed on our highways because unqualified drivers are pouring through a compromised system. This is not an issue that can be ignored any longer. Public safety should come before political convenience, and reforms must begin now.\u201d<\/p>\n
Failed to attend police interview<\/p>\n
Police allege Singh was behind the wheel of a semi-trailer that went through a stop sign at an intersection about 13 kilometres west of Altona and struck the SUV driven by Unger. She died at the scene, while Alexa later died in hospital.<\/p>\n
Singh, from Brampton, Ont., faces two counts of dangerous driving causing death and one count of obstructing a peace officer. Investigators believe he had been hiding in the Greater Toronto Area since his release from hospital shortly after the crash.<\/p>\n
RCMP arranged to meet Singh the day after he was discharged. He initially told officers he was too shaken to provide a statement and then failed to attend the scheduled interview, police said previously.<\/p>\n
Singh was expected to remain in Winnipeg with a friend while RCMP examined the crash site and the possibility of criminal charges.<\/p>\n
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t SUPPLIED<\/p>\n Sara Unger, 35, and her eight-year-old daughter, Alexa Unger, were killed in the November collision west of Altona.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n At the time, Manitoba RCMP defended the decision not to detain him after the crash, suggesting there was no indication he would be a flight risk.<\/p>\n \u201cHindsight is always 20\/20,\u201d spokesman Sgt. Paul Manaigre said at the time. \u201cWhen you look at, \u2018OK, now he is running,\u2019 well, then of course we should have detained him, but when you can\u2019t get information from the driver at the hospital\u2026 we can\u2019t talk to him.\u201d<\/p>\n Investigators worked with multiple government agencies to find Singh, including Manitoba Motor Carrier Enforcement, Transport Canada and the CBSA.<\/p>\n \u201cThis investigation was a combined effort and could not have been accomplished without the hard work of multiple policing organizations,\u201d Pembina Valley RCMP Cpl. Jamie Sokolosky said in the news release.<\/p>\n \u201cThis has been an extremely tough time for the family. We thank everyone who put their concerns and comments out there \u2014 we all came together to ensure this apprehension was successful.\u201d<\/p>\n \u2018We want to forgive\u2019<\/p>\n The family of the victims told the Free Press after the crash they were ready to forgive the driver before he fled.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s such a redirection of our attention. It is so unnecessary. I thought this guy must have felt guilt, must have felt remorse,\u201d Suzy Thiessen, the victims\u2019 sister-in-law and aunt, said in November.<\/p>\n \u201cWe want to forgive, but now he is evading, and it\u2019s just so hard\u2026 to think that he wants forgiveness when he is not taking responsibility.\u201d<\/p>\n The charges against Singh have not been tested in court.<\/p>\n \n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t SUPPLIED<\/p>\n Family members told the Free Press Unger was a devoted mother, deeply engaged in her church and community. Alexa was described in her obituary as \u201cthe most sassy full of life little girl you could ever meet.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Family members of the victims told the Free Press that Unger was a devoted mother, deeply engaged in both her church and community.<\/p>\n Born in Mexico, she was one of nine children. Her family relocated to Ontario before settling in Manitoba when she was 10.<\/p>\n \u201cShe had a big heart, wanted everyone to get along. Her main focus was to grow her faith, and the evidence she left behind is so reassuring that she is in a better place,\u201d her obituary stated.<\/p>\n The obituary described Alexa as \u201cthe most sassy full of life little girl you could ever meet.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cHer love for Jesus and singing was strong, almost like a burning fire, and (she) wasn\u2019t afraid or embarrassed to tell or show everyone around her,\u201d it said.<\/p>\n \u201cShe passed away in her daddy\u2019s arms at (Health Sciences Centre), to go be with her mom and Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n Unger was survived by her husband, Peter Unger, and a son.<\/p>\n Bail not out of the question<\/p>\n Meanwhile, a Winnipeg criminal defence lawyer said bail for Singh isn\u2019t out of the question, despite his decision to flee after the crash.<\/p>\n Scott Newman told the Free Press on Friday that judges weigh several factors in granting bail, even when someone is considered a flight risk.<\/p>\n \u201cThere are things you can do to minimize the risk of that,\u201d Newman said, pointing to measures such as surrendering a passport or immigration documents, or wearing an ankle monitor.<\/p>\n \u201cThey\u2019re not just going to look at the fact he didn\u2019t come back to turn himself in,\u201d Newman said. \u201cIt\u2019s clear that he left the country. That\u2019s the main concern. But it\u2019s hard to do that without a passport or travel documents.\u201d<\/p>\n Newman added Singh\u2019s lack of a criminal record, combined with his arrest, could weigh in favour of release.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd that might shift the onus on bail \u2014 does he have to prove he should be released, or does the Crown have to prove he needs to remain in custody?\u201d he said. \u201cIf he has no prior criminal record, it\u2019s harder for the Crown to prove that he should be held in custody.\u201d<\/p>\n If Singh intends to live in Ontario, Newman said, a significant cash deposit could be required.<\/p>\n \u201cIf somebody\u2019s putting up $50,000 cash for him, that\u2019s a good incentive for them to ensure he returns to court as required. So there are all sorts of factors.<\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s certainly not a foregone conclusion, but certainly the allegation of fleeing the jurisdiction is going to make it more challenging to get bail.\u201d<\/p>\n scott.billeck@freepress.mb.ca<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Scott Billeck Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade\u2019s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.\u00a0 Read more about Scott<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/p>\n
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