Roger Bilodeau, who was convicted in the killing of two Métis hunters, Jacob Sansom and Maurice Cardinal, in March 2020 near Glendon has been denied full parole but will continue with day parole for the next six months.
On Jan. 22 a parole board panel again reviewed Bilodeau's parole conditions and extended day parole, which includes a curfew between 11 p.m. and 6 a.m., counselling and no contact with the victim's family.
Jacob Sansom and his uncle Maurice Cardinal were shot by Bilodeau's son Anthony on a rural road after a chase on rural roads. The two had stopped in front of the Bilodeau home for a short time, while out driving, causing Roger Bilodeau to call his son and take chase after the men. At a t-intersection the men exited their vehicles and after a confrontation, Anthony Bilodeau shot and killed the victims.
Roger Bilodeau was sentenced to five-and-a-half years in jail for manslaughter with a firearm. He was granted day parole in April 2024 and also requested full parole in October 2024, which was also denied.
Members of Sansom's and Cardinal's family asked that Bilodeau be prohibited from having parole in Alberta, but that request was denied by the board.
"A restriction on the whole of Alberta would essentially remove you from all of your family and community supports," the report says. "This is not conducive to rehabilitation and reintegration. In declining to impose a geographic restriction on Alberta, the Board finds the previously imposed 'no contact with victims' family' condition sufficient to prevent harm, protect society and avoid inadvertent contact."
The January parole board decision called Bilodeau's actions that night "devastating."
"On one fateful night, you displayed a profound lack of judgement and engaged in a series of poor decisions that resulted in the deaths of two innocent victims," the parole decision reads. "These decisions were based on unfounded assumptions, unjustified beliefs and biases and a wholly unreasonable perception of events not based in reality. The harm to the victims' family and the larger community has been nothing short of devastating, ongoing and profound."
The panel said that although Bilodeau has been following his parole conditions, the seriousness of his offence prevented them from approving full parole.
"To your credit, you have thus far proven yourself to be stable and of good behaviour in the community," writes the parole hearing report author. "However, these few months of day parole must be weighed against the severity of the index offence and the extraordinary harm flowing from the loss of two innocent victims. It must be remembered that despite a lack of prior criminal history, you committed manslaughter for no reason other than your own poor decisions and cognitive distortions."
The parole decision noted that Bilodeau participated in a mentorship program, religious activities, men's group counselling, completed a boot camp program and worked in the prison.
