The mood was sombre at City Hall on Monday night as the Humboldt Broncos bus accident tragedy weighed heavily on the minds of those at that night’s council meeting.
A subdued and grim-faced Mayor Ryan Bater struggled to keep his emotions in check as he provided opening remarks on the tragedy.
“Since Friday evening the hearts of the nation have been in Humboldt, as have the hearts of the sporting community in North America and beyond,” said Bater.
“Since Friday evening moms and dads have been hugging their children a little tighter. This is the most tragic event to happen to a sporting organization in the history of North America. And the response on a global scale has been extraordinary. Through the weekend, professional and amateur sports events saw tributes to the Humboldt Broncos hockey club. Communities across the globe have had public displays of sympathy and tribute, and world leaders have offered their condolences and support to everybody affected by this tragedy.
“And we’ve seen that through local leaders in Saskatchewan. Our premier, our prime minister, the leader of our closest international neighbour the President of the United States, Her Majesty, the Duke of Edinburgh, and this list goes on and on.
“I think it’s had such a strong reaction because it’s instantly relatable to a lot of us. Many of us have travelled to compete in the sporting competitions in other communities, or we have loved ones who have done that. We know that here in the Battlefords we have a lot of organizations whether it is sport or dance or cultural groups who travel regularly to represent our community and to compete in the sport or activity that they are passionate about, and this is from cheerleading to basketball to baseball to golf and skiing and the list goes on and on and on, and this is especially true of hockey.
“This tragedy hits close to a lot of us here at home in the Battlefords. It hasn’t escaped anybody in this community that we have a team here that competes in this same league, and there are many personal connections to the people directly affected by this accident.
“This has also been a stark reminder that while most of our Saskatchewan highways are straight and flat, they can still be a dangerous place.
“If there is any encouragement that we can take from this I would offer this. Canada is the second-largest country in the entire world and we have 35 million people, over 35 million people who live here. And when we see a tragedy like this in our country we’re really just one big village. And we come together and we support each other and that’s what I really love about living here, and living in Saskatchewan, is that we share these tragedies, we cry together, we grieve together. And that’s why, I think, I know we all think it’s really important right now that we let the people of Humboldt know that they’re not alone in this, that we share in this. And beyond the community of Humboldt this impacted families throughout western Canada, because there were people who were playing on that team or were a staff member of that team all over western Canada, and there are families suffering across Canada because of it.
“That’s why we wear green today and I thank you all for doing so, that’s why the flags out front of City Hall are at half-mast and will continue to be for 15 days. And that’s why I would like all of us to share a moment of silence out of respect for the lives that have been lost, for the family members, the billet family members and friends who are left behind to grieve. For those who are still fighting in the hospital and who are recovering, for the first responders whose lives will likely never be the same, and for a community that is showing tremendous strength in coming to terms with this horrific tragedy.”
