Pansy woman fined for driving without licence

A Pansy woman will face a fine after driving with a suspended licence due to unpaid tickets.

Shannon Marie Blais, 44, pleaded guilty to operating a motor vehicle while prohibited, in a Steinbach court on Friday.

“It’s really simple. It’s absolutely black and white. You can’t drive without a licence,” provincial court Judge Margaret Wiebe told the court.

Crown prosecutor Caitlin Hentig read the facts for the court. RCMP were patrolling Highway 12 on May 22 when they noticed a truck with no lights and no licence plate.

Blais told officers at the time the truck belonged to her employer and she didn’t have time to put a plate on the vehicle. When running her licence through the system, officers found she had a suspended licence from unpaid tickets.

Hentig told the court that Blais’ previous driving offenses on her criminal record should be taken into account during sentencing.

“Anytime there’s a breach of a court order, denunciation and deterrence are the primary sentencing principles,” she said.

Court heard officers later arrested Blais on an outstanding warrant because Blais didn’t complete the necessary community service hours on time as part of a sentence for prior charges. She was taken into custody on July 23 and will stay in jail until February 10, 2026.

Defense lawyer Tara Walker told the court a driving ban would make life difficult because Blais lives in a rural town without taxis or buses. Court heard Blais had multiple physical and mental health issues that required her needing to drive to places for care. Driving is also necessary for her to stay employed, said Walker.

Walker said Blais was in a “bad relationship” with her partner for multiple years and suffered severe head trauma from a domestic assault. Blais went into a coma, had a steel plate surgically-placed in her head and became addicted to prescribed painkillers following the assault. While in custody, court heard Blais completed multiple programs in addressing past trauma.

Before she was taken into custody, Blais worked as a seasonal farmhand for a local farmer, helping take care of the property and cooking for him.

On the day of the offense, Walker said Blais was helping remove scrap metal from the farmer’s yard in a farm truck to her partner’s property.

“Given that this offense was part of what brought her back into custody off her CSO, a fine on top of that will send a message to Miss Blais,” Walker said.

Hentig asked for a sentence of $1,000 fine and a two year driving ban, while Walker asked for a no ban and a $500 fine.

Wiebe differed from both recommendations and sentenced Blais to a $750 fine with no driving ban.