Yukon man sentenced for selling drugs that caused fatal overdose

A Yukon judge has issued a decision that could be precedent-setting after a man pleaded guilty to manslaughter for selling drugs that caused a fatal overdose. 

Justice Micheal Cozens ordered Jared Skookum to two years less a day behind bars on Monday, with credit for time already served, as well as a three-year probation order. 

Skookum has already served his two-year less a day sentence while waiting for sentencing. He remains in custody facing other, unrelated charges.

Skookum, a citizen of Little Salmon/Carmacks First Nation, is the first person in the Yukon to receive a sentence in this first case of its kind in the territory. 

The court heard that Skookum sold drugs to Stephanie Pye in April 2022. Shortly after the transaction, the 36-year-old woman was found dead in a Whitehorse hotel room after using the substance she purchased. Pye, a citizen of Liard First Nation, died of an overdose involving fentanyl and etizolam — a drug similar to Valium. 

Skookum initially pleaded not guilty after the charge was laid against him last year, but changed his plea in Whitehorse territorial court in June. 

• Yukon RCMP lay 1st ever manslaughter charge over opioid overdose

• Yukon man pleads guilty to manslaughter for selling drugs to woman who fatally overdosed

This was the first Yukon RCMP investigation into an opioid overdose death that's resulted in a manslaughter charge.

The RCMP declined commenting on the sentencing and on what impact it could have for future similar cases. 

Meanwhile, Yukon's chief coroner Heather Jones said she hopes such legal actions will contribute to end "these preventable and senseless losses."

"We have grown tired of loosing our children, our parents, our friends, our colleagues, our neighbours … our grandchildren, our grandparents, our aunties and uncles ... our loved ones," she wrote in a emailed statement to CBC.

"These losses have deeply affected the fabric of our communities as lost potential has become replaced with deep grief. The real action in charging this drug dealer with manslaughter does bring hope … hope that this too will add to the necessary difference needed to counter this unbearable crisis." 

Jones said her office recorded 123 drug-related deaths in the Yukon since 2016, either as the result of toxic illicit opioids or non-opioid substance toxicity.  

During the sentencing, Cozens acknowledged that Skookum's charges require a sentence that denounce the severity of his actions, but said it remains a challenging case. 

Cozens recognized that dealers are often themselves drug addicts — too many are selling the drugs to feed their own addiction. Defence lawyer Jennifer Cunningham had previously stated that Skookum "had serious addiction issues with opioids" himself, and had overdosed multiple times.

One of these overdoses, however, was experienced with Pye a few weeks prior to her death. According to an agreed statement of facts filed in court, Skookum and Pye had partied together on March 21, 2022, during which they both overdosed on illicit drugs but survived. 

Cozens noted that Skookum knew the possible outcome of the drugs he sold. His knowledge of Pye's previous overdose was considered an aggravating factor in sentencing.