A short video of clips from previous vigils, photos, and video tributes was played on the jumbotron at the Elgar Petersen Arena to honour those lost and those involved in the April 6, 2018 bus tragedy. (Becky Zimmer/northeastNOW Staff)

By Becky Zimmer

We believe

Humboldt remembers on fourth anniversary of tragic bus accident

Apr 6, 2022 | 7:03 PM

It was a beautiful April day in Humboldt with the snow melting away and people out enjoying the sunshine.

It was also a somber day for reflection as the City of Humboldt and the Humboldt Broncos honoured those lost in the 2018 bus accident.

Members of the public were invited to Elgar Petersen Arena where a commemorative video was played on the jumbotron.

Clips included shots from the first vigil in 2019, the last public vigil the city was able to hold following the COVID-19 pandemic, personal and team photos of the 2017-2018 Broncos, as well as the staff and others who were lost that night, including Brody Hinz, Tyler Bieber, and Glen Doerksen, the driver of the bus.

In the aftermath of the accident, the video also noted and showed the 11,000 gifts of support that were sent from around the world to Humboldt, as well as the 4,000 quilts that were made for the families and those directly impacted by the tragic accident, including EMS, police, fire, and health care workers that were on the scene and in the hospitals taking care of victims that night.

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Also included was videos from the schools of victims showing their support for Humboldt. Large groups of children and their teachers yelled out their support with two simple words; “We believe.”

Current head coach of the Humboldt Broncos, Scott Barney, was also shown gathering the team at centre ice to voice their support, again with a simple feeling; “we play for them.”

Members of the 2021-2022 Humboldt Broncos honoured those lost in the 2018 bus accident. (Becky Zimmer/northeastNOW Staff)

Throughout the video, the message was clear; in big letters “Thank you to each and every one of you.”

In the crowd sat former mayor of Humboldt Rob Muench.

Seeing the videos and photos brought him back to that day and the difficult weeks that followed.

“I can only imagine what the parents are going through and the families. You know, it’s just one of those things where you know, four years, everyone says, you know, time will heal and it certainly has but it doesn’t take much to bring it back.”

In that time, Muench — who is still a councilor with the city council — other city staff and the Humboldt fire chief have talked with other communities about emergency preparedness.

The biggest thing that Muench recommended was for groups to rely on each other during times of stress and tragedy.

“We brought people together from the community that maybe would never have come together for any other reason, you know, brought our emergency services people and brought our clergy and brought our you know, the families and everything together, the schools were a big component. You know, and I don’t think you’d ever see that with anything else.”

As a member of the Humboldt Ministerial Association, Rev. Matteo Carboni helped organize both the vigil that took place mere days after the crash and the first anniversary vigil in 2019.

Many people have come together to ensure that the legacies of the 29 people are honoured and carry on as the years progress.

That is an ongoing process, Carboni told northeastNOW, as the community continues to remember the victims and their families.

“We have memorial service every year, the art gallery has the gifts people sent in after the crash. And so you know, as a community we’re still in that remembrance stage, and we are still figuring out ways forward.”

For Muench, the memorial centre that the city is working towards will be the good that comes from the tragedy.

“This is going to be something that hopefully is going to enlightenment and show, not only Canada, but the world, you know, how we worked through this and how we came out the other side.”

The video played during the memorial is now available on the City’s Facebook Page and on the 2017-18 Humboldt Broncos Tribute Page.

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becky.zimmer@pattisonmedia.com

On Twitter: @bex_zim