OttawaA Gatineau man who pleaded guilty to causing the deaths of two people in a collision while driving under the influence has been sentenced to six years in prison.Jason Chénier-Beaulne was 18 when he crashed his car in Buckingham, Que., after leaving a party in 2023CBC News · Posted: Nov 14, 2025 10:56 AM EST | Last Updated: 2 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 2 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Hydro crews examine the scene of a collision in the Buckingham sector of Gatineau, Que., on Oct. 8, 2023. Jason Chénier-Beaulne has been sentenced to six years in prison for the crash, which killed two people. (David Bates/CBC)A Gatineau, Que., man who pleaded guilty to causing the deaths of two people in an collision while driving under the influence of alcohol has been sentenced to six years in prison.On Oct. 8, 2023, Jason Chénier-Beaulne, then 18, left a party in a vehicle with two friends while “intoxicated by the combined effects of alcohol and cannabis,” according to the judgment. He had a probationary licence at the time.After driving at high speed and performing dangerous maneuvers, Chénier-Beaulne lost control of his Toyota Corolla, which struck several Hydro-Québec poles in the Buckingham sector of Gatineau before catching fire. His two passengers, whose identities are protected by a publication ban, were killed. In February, Chénier-Beaulne pleaded guilty to two charges of dangerous driving causing death, and two counts of impaired driving causing death. The Crown, represented by Audrey-Élizabeth Picard, and defence lawyer Romain Goyard, made a joint sentencing submission to Judge Isabelle Michaud, who accepted it on Tuesday. The submission also included a prohibition from driving in Canada for 10 years. Chénier-Beaulne’s offences were “serious and merits a significant prison sentence,” Michaud wrote in a 10-page judgment accepting the joint sentencing submission as “reasonable and appropriate.”Chénier-Beaulne, who was on bail until the sentencing, was handcuffed and taken into custody immediately after the judgment on Tuesday. Despite the lengthy custodial sentence, Michaud said Chénier-Beaulne, now 21, had taken significant mitigating actions since his arrest. His guilty plea avoided a lengthy trial that would have been difficult for the families of his victims. Chénier-Beaulne also co-operated with the police investigation, underwent therapy for substance abuse and has been sober for the past two years. He has held a stable job and expressed sincere remorse for his crimes. With files from Radio-Canada
Gatineau man jailed for 6 years over impaired crash that killed 2
