At least she has the honor and good sense to accept responsibility in a public way. The first and most vital step to recovery.

Too bad the brass at the RCMP don't have the same courage. They demonstrate the opposite quality at every step of the Dziekanski situation. 

Oh, please don't make yourself available to media, Constance. What purpose does this serve? You have an illness and you are taking steps to get better. That's all anyone needs to know. Take care of yourself. 

"In order to learn from my mistakes and to restore public confidence, I will be taking a leave from my job and a medical leave from my position..."

This is the right thing to do. If only Gordon Campbell had done the same thing. If a leave wasn't feasible due to the nature of the position then resignation is appropriate. 

It wont cost her anything. The Department of Justice decides what the RCMP admit or dont. Do not be fooled. 

I take back my comments. I just heard her on CBC Radio blaming "a couple of ciders in the sun."

Sure, just two ciders, then drive your car into a house and go to sleep. 

Where is the apology to the home owner who lives with the trauma of the vehicle coming through the front door?
Isn't putting the cart before the horse to skip her father's disappointment and skip to "he would be proud of me coming forward"? like she has a choice.
Thankfully he is NOT a part of this as she would would have us believe.

When she gives him a rest and takes responsibility for her first accident which cost him the ability to buy his grandchildren gifts, and not have choice of whether he could retire or not, maybe then, something will have sunken in. Other than this, her children should be left out of people's comments. They are to be complimented for being survivor's. 

Given Parking Meter Gate (this week), the summer road closures (last week) and the Burrard Street Bridge crapola (two weeks ago) I'm only surprised that she drove a car into somebody's house, and not a bicycle or 'public transit'. That would have been much more politically correct. A final question: can we use her parking space while she's on (paid?) leave?
 

Wow...what kind of example does Ms. Barnes set for youth, who use most of the facilities, that she as a Park Board Commissioner decides the fate of?

Now....instead of spending more money on programs for youth, to prevent this kind of unforunate circumstance, We (the taxpayers) are paying her salary, while she takes a paid leave to enroll in 12 step program that only benefits herself.

Obviously from what has been reported, this isnt the first time she has driven recklessly. First Stevenson's DUI, now her. What's next, a school board member will do the same... and it will be 3 for 3 for Vision Vancover. 

I like most of her statement, her ownership of the mistake, but the commenter is right - she should have made a public apology to the people whose house she drove into. And crisis communications advises transparency up front - she should have included if people were at home at the time, and if she terrified them, she should demonstrate that she recognizes the effect of that.
I'm disappointed that she is claiming medical leave as Park Board Commissioner. She won't be doing the tasks of her position, yet will be paid for doing them. Ethically, she should recognize that this condition is not one that taxpayers should pay for. 

I guess the votes are in. The majority have spoken. 

First, let us take the bare facts of the case. Vancouver parks commissioner Constance Barnes is a fairly well known political role model to all of society, especially now that her name is well known in, at the very least, most of British Columbia. At Iona Beach she attended an event where she proceeded to consume enough alcohol to skyrocket her blood-alcohol level to 0.210 where the legal limit is 0.080, nearly three times the limit. Furthermore, after such an event, she also decides to drive herself home at 11:00 PM, proceeds to speed, fall asleep at the wheel, and run straight through the front door of a resident’s home. She apologized to the Lee family in court (though I do not believe that she has put much emphasis on this apology in public), and put great emphasis on her apology to her family and friends for the embarrassment she has caused them. Then here comes the court case facts. She got a One year ban on her driver’s license (Most people who run through houses get at least a two year ban) and a $1000 fine for driving impaired (minimum fine is $600 and a one year ban) and then an additional $750 for dangerous driving. The damages to the house are at an estimated $20,000. Now for my analysis. As a public role model, the fine was not nearly severe enough. First, why should she still be a parks commissioner? But even worse than this, she is taking time off her job, taking medical leave for an incident that did not even happen while she was on the job, while a lot of people cannot even receive unemployment insurance and can’t even find a job. Why not put a good hard working, law abiding citizen into her place that is worthy of her place in society. Furthermore, how much are the taxpayers paying her while she is on medical leave? I’m sure it is a lot more than she had to pay in her fine. And finally, what about the destroyed Lee family’s house, who is going to have to pay for Barnes “mistake”? Oh, yes, you guessed it, the taxpayers. So in my opinion, heavier sentence, paying for damages to the house, a larger fine (as she put everyone else at risk as well and only luck prevented her from killing anyone) and certainly not allowing her to keep her job would be the right course of action.