Van de Vorst family looks to hold convicted drunk driver to promises as day parole granted

Lou and Linda Van de Vorst aren’t too pleased about the prospect of Catherine McKay being granted day parole just over four years after she drove drunk and took the lives of their son, his wife and their two children.

But they’re resigned to the fact that this is how the Canadian correctional system works.

“The fact that she’s getting out so early does not give us satisfaction,” Lou told 650 CKOM on Friday.

“But on the other hand, if that’s the way the law works, we have to come to grips with that.”

McKay is just shy of four years into a 10-year sentence for four counts of impaired driving causing death, stemming from a crash on Jan. 1, 2016 that claimed the lives of Jordan Van de Vorst, his wife Chanda, and their children — two-year-old Miguire and five-year-old Kamryn.

She had been serving her sentence at the Okimaw Ohci Healing Lodge southeast of Maple Creek, Sask.

McKay had requested full parole, but was instead granted day parole on Mar. 26 and is being mandated to live at a halfway house for six months — after which she’ll be re-evaluated.

Lou and Linda said they were aware the parole hearing was coming up, and they were planning to attend until the COVID-19 pandemic forced the proceedings to continue on the phone.

They had intended to oppose McKay’s appeal for full parole.

“We felt that giving her full parole would be opening her up to failure in terms of getting her rehabilitation done,” Lou said.

The couple said they’re still finding special occasions very difficult after losing four members of their family too soon.

“Nothing is the same and nothing will ever be the same,” Linda said.

“There’s the underlying feeling that we all know we’re missing four people that we really love and we really miss.”

While the family had hoped McKay would serve a longer sentence, they acknowledge no amount of time would make up for their loss.

Instead, the Van de Vorst’s are looking to McKay to reintegrate into society and advocate against drunk driving in the future.

Linda noted that McKay pledged to do so during her court proceedings.

“I’m going to hold her to that promise,” Linda said.

“She’s got a lot to prove … that’s all we’ve got, is to bank on her promise that she’s going to be faithful to do what she said she would do.”