25| O akville B eaver | T hursday,June 14,2018 insidehalton.com Tra fal ga rR d. Dundas St. X Expires: June 30th, 2018 Coupon Valid from 11am to Closing Valid at Oakville Location Only Expires: June 30th, 2018 Coupon Valid from 11am to Closing Valid at Oakville Location Only Expires: June 30th, 2018 Coupon Valid from 11am to Closing With Coupon Eat-In or Take-Out With Coupon Eat-In or Take-Out Haddock Fish & Chips 2 for $18 Lunch Halibut Fish & Chips 2 for $18 Valid at Oakville Location Only Expires: June 30th, 2018 Coupon Valid from 11am to Closing With Coupon With Coupon Eat-In or Take-Out Eat-In or Take-Out Seafood Platter King Cod Fish & Chips 2 for $30 2 for $20 HALIBUT HOUSE fish & chips 270 Hays Blvd., Oakville 289-725-9887 (Beside Walmart) Book your reservation now for Father's Day June 17th (Sunday) and get free mini cakes for the whole family and we offer $3 Beers on Father's Day only! ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING Thursday, June 21, 2018 | 5:00 - 6:00 pm Oakville Trafalgar Memorial Hospital 3001 Hospital Gate, Oakville, ON By-law changes will be recommended. Audited financial statements will be available at the meeting. RSVP to aradford@haltonhealthcare.comwww.haltonhealthcare.com The driver's licence of an Oakville man who was found guilty of careless driving in the death of a cy- clist has been suspended for two years. In sentencing Joseph Drake, a justice of the peace in Milton said she wanted to send a message of deterrence to others. Drake, 24, was given an 18-month suspension plus a six-month suspension, during which time he must take a safe driv- ing course and only drive in the presence of an approved in- structor. He must also pay a $2,000 fine within six months. Justice of the peace Liisa Ritchie said on June 7 that she feels the sen- tence addresses the wrongful conduct and is meant to en- courage Drake and others to treat driving as a privi- lege. Drake was found guilty of careless driving in the death of Oakville cyclist Stephen Smith, 57, on March 19, after a trial in Provincial Offences Court. The sentence is essen- tially what the Crown had sought, while the defence had asked that he be al- lowed to drive for work, medical appointments and church. Drake was driving a Sat- urn Vue when he struck Smith from behind just af- ter 7 p.m. on Aug. 14, 2016. Smith was taken to hospi- tal but died from his inju- ries. Drake admitted to see- ing a cyclist while he was westbound on Lakeshore Road at the intersection of Third Line, but he doesn't know how he struck him. "I have no doubt that the death of Mr. Smith will af- fect him for the rest of his life," Ritchie said, referring to an apology Drake made to Smith's family during sentencing submissions in May. The death of Smith has hurt a large number of people, she said. "The loss has been ab- solutely dev- astating to the family, his friends and the com- munity," she said, express- ing her con- dolences. "It has a pro- found impact and their lives are forever altered," she said. "This was a completely avoidable collision and the consequences were tragic," Ritchie said, adding that the fine and licence sus- pension are the maximum allowable penalties. "This tragedy is com- pounded by the devastat- ing impact on family and friends. No sentence can adequately address that." At the same time, she said this was not the worse case of careless driving that has ever occurred, since drugs, alcohol or speeding were not in- volved. Although victim-impact statements were not read in court, they were provid- ed to the Oakville Beaver. Smith's life partner, Theresa McGlaughlin, wrote that it is impossible for her to describe just how much he is missed every day. "It physically hurts to think about going home to an empty house every day," she wrote. "How do I ex- plain the emotional impact when my best friend, soul- mate, confidant and lover is just gone, because of someone else's careless- ness?" Jeffrey Bark- er, Smith's lifelong friend- , said in his victim-impact statement that instead of golfing with Smith, he end- ed up drafting the eulogy he was to give at his funer- al. He wrote: "What was the impact?" you ask. After all, every one of us loses friends and family. But when it occurs in this fash- ion; on a clear, dry, beauti- ful early summer evening when Steve was, in the words of the court, "there to be seen and had, in fact been observed by Mr. Drake ..."? Well, that's a pretty lousy way to lose more than 40 years of histo- ry with the promise of many more." Following court, McGlaughlin said the sen- tence "is what it is." Ritchie noted that Drake seemed indifferent to the process surrounding his sentencing. She said that his probation officer had difficulty contacting him, and that he did not re- turn calls on occasion. The probation officer was told that Drake forgot to call back. It was unclear whether it was disinterest on Drake's behalf or avoid- ance of the process, Ritchie said. She also noted that he has twice-weekly panic at- tacks, takes sleep medica- tion, has a low mood and was prescribed anti-anxi- ety medications that he doesn't use. The justice of the peace said she was impressed that he has been employed at Microsoft since April and that he has a good sup- port system at home with his parents, a sister and a girlfriend. Ritchie added that Drake admitted to being a heavy user of marijuana and alcohol in university and that he continues to use marijuana twice a day to help alleviate his anxi- ety. As part of his sentence, he is restricted from using illegal drugs unless they are properly prescribed by a medical doctor. NEWS Oakville man gets licence suspension, $2,000 fine for death of cyclist JULIE SLACK jslack@metroland.com This was a completely avoidable collision and the consequences were tragic. -Justice of the peace Liisa Ritchie