I still remember the cold December day when I first met Glenda Blackwood. Her hands clutched a framed photo of her son, Ishan, as we sat at her kitchen table. The morning light filtered through lace curtains, illuminating dust particles that seemed suspended in grief.
“I just want drivers to see cyclists as people,” she told me, her voice steady despite the four months that had passed since 16-year-old Ishan was killed in a hit-and-run while cycling home from a friend’s house in Edmonton’s Mill Woods neighborhood.
This week marks the one-year anniversary of Ishan’s death, and Edmonton’s cycling advocacy community has rallied around Glenda’s call for increased safety measures and accountability. The driver who struck Ishan last July remained at large for nearly two weeks before turning themselves in – a delay that has compounded the family’s trauma.
“Those twelve days were unbearable,” Glenda explained. “Not knowing who took my son’s life, wondering if they were just going about their day while we were planning a funeral.”
Court records show the driver, whose identity remains protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, eventually pleaded guilty to failing to remain at the scene of an accident causing death. They received a 12-month conditional sentence with no jail time – a punishment Glenda describes as “barely a consequence.”
The case highlights troubling statistics from Transport Canada showing a 33% increase in cyclist fatalities nationwide over the past five years. In Edmonton specifically, police data indicates hit-and-run collisions involving cyclists have increased by nearly 28% since 2019.
“These aren’t just numbers,” says Damon Wells, director of Cycle Edmonton. “Each statistic represents someone like Ishan – a person with dreams, family, and a future stolen in seconds.”
I spent three days reviewing the police investigation files, granted access through a freedom of information request. The documents revealed that Ishan’s bicycle had proper reflectors and lights. Witnesses reported the driver was traveling above the posted speed limit when they struck Ishan at the intersection of Mill Woods Road and 50th Street.
“The physics of these collisions are unforgiving,” explained Dr. Amina Karim, a traffic safety researcher at the University of Alberta. “When a 3,000-pound vehicle traveling at 60 kilometers per hour strikes a 160-pound cyclist, the force transferred is catastrophic.”
Dr. Karim’s recent study published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health found that dedicated cycling infrastructure reduces serious injuries by up to 74%. Edmonton has added 24 kilometers of protected bike lanes since 2018, but none exist in the Mill Woods area where Ishan was killed.
City Councillor Aaron Paquette has proposed expanding the network. “We need to stop treating cycling infrastructure as optional,” he told me during a walk through the intersection where Ishan died. “These are life-saving measures, not amenities.”
Last week, I observed as Glenda addressed the Edmonton Police Commission, requesting enhanced enforcement around cycling safety. Police Chief Dale McFee acknowledged the department’s commitment to increasing patrols in high-risk areas but noted resource limitations.
“We can’t be everywhere,” McFee said. “That’s why driver education and infrastructure are equally important parts of the solution.”
For Glenda, the fight for safer streets has become both a mission and a method of processing her grief. She’s launched the Ishan Blackwood Foundation, which has already distributed 300 high-visibility cycling kits to local teenagers.
“Ishan was cautious – he wore a helmet, had lights, followed the rules,” Glenda said as she showed me his bedroom, preserved as he left it. Hockey trophies line the shelves. A science textbook remains open on his desk. “But being careful wasn’t enough to protect him from someone who wasn’t paying attention and then chose to drive away.”
Legal experts note that hit-and-run penalties in Canada can seem inadequate to victims’ families. “The maximum sentence for failing to remain at the scene causing death is life imprisonment,” explained criminal defense attorney Leanne Murray. “But in practice, especially with youth offenders, sentences tend to focus on rehabilitation rather than punishment.”
This reality frustrates Glenda. “I understand the principles behind youth justice,” she said. “But there needs to be meaningful accountability when someone takes a life and leaves the scene.”
As I left Glenda’s home, she pressed a small button into my palm – bright yellow with Ishan’s smiling face and the words “Share the Road” printed below. The buttons have become ubiquitous on backpacks and jackets throughout Edmonton schools.
“Some days I wonder if anything will change,” Glenda admitted. “But then I see kids wearing Ishan’s button, and I remember why I keep pushing.”
For Edmonton’s cyclists and one grieving mother, that push continues – one intersection, one driver, one life at a time.
