Catherine McKay pleads guilty to drunk driving causing death after crash killed family of 4

A woman charged after a family of four died following a crash in Saskatoon in January has pleaded guilty to four counts of impaired driving causing death.

Catherine McKay was originally facing 16 charges, but they were rolled into four more serious charges by the Crown prosecutor.

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Jordan and Chanda Van de Vorst were killed on a Sunday morning when their car was hit at the intersection of Highway 11 and Wanuskewin Road, which is on the outskirts of Saskatoon. 

Their two-year-old son, Miguire, and five-year-old daughter, Kamryn, were rushed to hospital and later died.

McKay, who entered the pleas Wednesday, will be back in Saskatoon provincial court to be sentenced on July 27. 

​Louis Van de Vorst, the father of Jordan Van de Vorst, fought back tears as he told reporters he was relieved by the plea.

"It's not a happy day for anyone, but relieved that she's accepted responsibility for what happened, for what she did," he told reporters outside court. 

The deaths renewed calls for a review of the deadly intersection where the crash took place.

Louis Van de Vorst reacts to Catherine McKay guilty plea.

8 years ago

Duration 0:40

Louis Van de Vorst reacts after Catherine McKay pleads guilty to drunk driving charges, says intersection of Highway 11 and Wanuskewin Road not the main cause.

The Ministry of Highways and the Rural Municipality of Corman Park agreed last month to make changes to the intersection this summer, but Louis Van de Vorst said Wednesday this case was not about the intersection. 

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"Quite honestly, that intersection has not been a factor as far as I'm concerned," he said.

"It's the fact that she was impaired at the time. That's why that accident happened, not because of the intersection, but because she was impaired."

Jordan Van de Vorst was an avid photographer and had an idea for the "sunset challenge," where people would all take a photo of the sunset at the exact same time from wherever they were, but died before it became a reality.

After he died, a group of photographers set up a sunset photography tribute event in memory of the family. 

People from all over the world got out their cameras to snap beautiful sunset pictures for the Van de Vorsts.