Humboldt holds memorial service on anniversary of bus tragedy

To mark the first anniversary of the Humboldt Broncos bus tragedy, a memorial service will be held in the city Saturday afternoon.

It’s meant to pay tribute to the 16 people who died and the 13 others who survived after the Broncos’ team bus collided with a semi on the way to a playoff game in Nipawin on April 6, 2018.

The service will be held at the Elgar Petersen Arena in Humboldt starting at 4:45 p.m. — 980 CJME and 650 CKOM will carry it live.

At 4:50 p.m., the approximate time when the crash happened, there will be a moment of silence.

In addition to hymns and prayers, there will be messages from Jamie Brockman, the president of the Humboldt Broncos hockey club, and mayor Rob Meunch.

Muench said the service will have a positive touch to it to give some hope to the community.

After an emotionally-draining year involving the court process leading up to the anniversary, the mayor said Humboldt is looking forward to better days.

“We want to be remembered by more than just this and how our community reacted to this as opposed to the sadness of the event itself,” Meunch said. “After this weekend, I think you’ll see that movement towards a little bit more of a normal, regular, everyday life. It’s going to be more prominent in the community.”

Part of that process, he added, was watching the Humboldt Broncos rebuild and return to the ice for the next season.

“It was nice for the community to get back to the rink over the winter. It’s something we’ve always done,” said Muench.

Plans for a permanent memorial to the Humboldt Broncos are also underway. A committee, which includes the families, has been formed and is in the early stages.

Muench said building a memorial is going to be a difficult process and added it’s clear the committee wants to put a lot of thought into it, taking the time to do it right.

— With files from 650 CKOM’s Chris Vandenbreekel