Man guilty of two assaults receives house arrest

A man who assaulted his partner and a Canna Cabana employee in separate incidents was sentenced to six months of house arrest last week in Brandon provincial court.

Dylan Fontaine, 26, previously pleaded guilty to two counts of assault and a single count of breaching his undertaking.

The Crown recommended a total sentence of 135 days in custody, followed by 18 months of supervised probation, while defence argued for either a conditional discharge or house arrest.

A conditional discharge means the offender is guilty of the offence, but no conviction appears on their record if they follow specific court-ordered conditions for a set period of time.

“Both of these assaults are very concerning and serious, but for slightly different reasons,” Crown attorney Reid Girard said.

On May 23, 2025, Fontaine assaulted a woman while she was working at Canna Cabana in Brandon. Girard recommended 15 days in custody for the assault and said this kind of attack is concerning for the community to hear about.

He said the victim was vulnerable by virtue of being an employee at the business.

“It was a random, unprovoked assault against an employee who was simply trying to do her job, and I think that’s very concerning,” he said.

On June 20, 2025, Fontaine publicly assaulted his ex-partner by repeatedly punching her in the face, despite being on an undertaking with a condition not to have contact with her.

Girard said the assault only came to an end when two people walking by “pulled Mr. Fontaine off the victim.”

When police found the victim, her lip was bruised and bleeding, her shin was cut and her glasses were broken, court heard.

Girard recommended a sentence of 120 days of custody for this assault and a concurrent 30 days for breaching the no-contact order.

The Crown said Fontaine’s offending seems to stem from an unhealthy relationship with alcohol, and that while the Crown hadn’t seen any official certificates, Fontaine has managed to stay away from alcohol since he was released after his most recent charge.

However, he said there are several aggravating factors, including that he has a prior assault conviction on his criminal record, which was in relation to a previous domestic partner, and that he not only breached the no-contact order, but also assaulted the victim.

The Crown said Fontaine is not a candidate for a conditional sentence — house arrest — and his inability to follow the no-contact condition reflects that, adding conditional sentences come with substantially more onerous conditions.

He said the seriousness of the offences requires time in custody, and a conditional sentence wouldn’t send the appropriate message of general deterrence.

Defence lawyer Philip Sieklicki said Fontaine feels terrible about his actions and is “a different individual than he was at the time of his offending behaviour.”

Fontaine was drinking alcohol and using marijuana daily, court heard. Sieklicki said his client told him he was drunk during both assaults.

Fontaine spent four days in custody before he was released after the second assault. Sieklicki said during his time at the correctional centre, Fontaine alleged he was beaten up and described his experience as “terrifying.”

“That was a pretty shocking experience for young Mr. Fontaine,” Sieklicki said. “He indicated to me that he doesn’t want that future.”

Since his release, Sieklicki said Fontaine has taken his release-order conditions seriously. He said he was on a condition to abstain from alcohol, and there’s no indication he breached it.

Fontaine has completed anger management programming and was an “active participant,” court heard.

“He’s shown insight into his warning signs when it comes to anger provoking situations,” Sieklicki said.

Sieklicki said Fontaine has Gladue factors, including that his mother went to residential school.

When given a chance to speak, Fontaine apologized for his actions and said he would like to apologize to the victims if possible.

Judge Donovan Dvorak told Fontaine abuse and violence have no place in a relationship.

“Attacking partners and attacking … a woman who’s just doing her job is, to me, unthinkable and unacceptable and, of course, criminal,” he said.

He said he was inclined to sentence him to time in custody but recognized the fact that “there are far too many Indigenous males in custody.” He said in the past people haven’t been given a chance to change, and in Fontaine’s case, he has been trying to make a change.

Dvorak said he wanted to continue to give Fontaine that opportunity and imposed a six-month conditional sentence.

» sanderson@brandonsun.com