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Shane Ertmoed, serving a life sentence for the sexual assault and murder of 10-year-old Heather Thomas in 2000, was granted a 60-day unescorted temporary absence from prison to take cooking classes but this leave has been delayed. This decision has sparked calls for legislative change from Conservative MP Frank Caputo after meeting with Thomas’s mother, Jody Aspin, who seeks stricter rules governing such releases due to the risk Ertmoed poses. The family's lawyer, Rebecca Darnell, argues that there should be a higher burden of proof on offenders like Ertmoed to justify their release into society without posing any risk of reoffending.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-09,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
The Parole Board recently granted Shane Ertmoed, convicted in 2002 for the sexual assault and murder of 10-year-old Heather Thomas near Cloverdale, a 60-day unescorted temporary absence from prison to take cooking classes. The leave was later delayed but has sparked outrage among politicians and the victim's family. Ertmoed, serving life for his crime, was denied day parole last year due to the risk he posed. Jody Aspin, Heather’s mother, met with Frank Caputo, a Conservative MP from Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola, urging changes to the rules governing temporary absences for high-risk offenders like Ertmoed. Caputo has raised concerns in the House of Commons about how such offenders can be approved for unescorted leaves, highlighting the need for stricter regulations on parole decisions.
Written for “Child Killer Release Controversy” on 2026-10-09,
grounded in this article and the 0 other(s) covering the same event.
Why this leaning score
The article's own words the score was based on. Each is quoted
verbatim and was checked against the article text before being
stored, so you can find it in the original.
Leaning: leans right for article 67298 (high confidence, 1 verified quote) · logged 2026-10-09
The planned leave of child killer Shane Ertmoed from a Vancouver Island prison has now caught the attention of some politicians.
asserted
leave → plan → politicians
In late September, Ertmoed, who is serving a life sentence, was granted a 60-day unescorted temporary absence from prison to take cooking classes.
asserted
who → serve → classes
That was then delayed, but the mother of his victim has now met with Frank Caputo, the Conservative MP for Kamloops-Thompson-Nicola, looking to make changes to the rules governing temporary absences.
asserted
mother → delay → absences
Ertmoed, then 24, was convicted in 2002 of the sexual assault and killing of 10-year-old Heather Thomas.
asserted
Ertmoed → convict → Thomas
Thomas disappeared on Oct. 1, 2000, while riding a bike outside her father’s townhouse complex in Cloverdale.
Her body was found three weeks later in Alouette Lake.
asserted
body → disappear → Lake
Thomas’ mother, Jody Aspin, said all she has wanted to do, since losing her daughter, is protect other children.
asserted
she → say → children
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“Heather wasn’t protected,” she told Global News, “but I want to make sure other children are.”
asserted
children → get → News
Ertmoed was denied day parole last year because he still posed a risk of serious harm to others.
asserted
he → deny → others
“There needs to be a situation where the onus is reversed and he has to justify his release into society and there has to be no risk of reoffending,” the family’s lawyer, Rebecca Darnell, said.
asserted
lawyer → need → reoffending
Caputo has already raised the case in the House of Commons, questioning the government about how an offender like Ertmoed could be approved for an unescorted absence.
uncertain
offender → raise → absence
The government says the Parole Board is independent, but Caputo says its answers have not been satisfactory.
asserted
answers → say → ?
“Well, it’s true in that they make decisions on their own that they are independent, but what that leaves out is that the Parole Board is interpreting the laws that parliament puts before the Parole Board,” he said.
asserted
he → ’ → Board
“So, if we want changes to how the Parole Board makes its decisions, we need to change the rules and we do that through legislation in parliament.
asserted
we → want → parliament
Aspin said she is ready to fight as long as necessary.
asserted
she → say → ?
“I am going to do whatever I can until the day I die and even then, I know my son will take over at some point,” she said.
asserted
she → go → point
“She has so many friends, so many family.
asserted
She → have → friends
There isn’t one person that won’t step in, even after I’m gone.
asserted
I → be → ?
I won’t stop.”
asserted
I → stop → ?
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