Close X
Sunday, November 10, 2024
ADVT 
National

Advocacy Group Formed By Families Who Lost Loved Ones In Semi-Truck Crashes

The Canadian Press, 06 Mar, 2020 07:54 PM

    A new non-profit group advocating road safety has been formed nearly two years after a deadly hockey bus crash in rural Saskatchewan.

     

    Safer Roads Canada was founded by families, including some Humboldt Broncos parents, who have lost loved ones in crashes involving semi-trucks.

     

    Sixteen people were killed and 13 were injured when an inexperienced truck driver ran a stop sign and barrelled into the path of the junior team's bus in Saskatchewan in April 2018.

     

    Executive director Pattie Fair's husband, Steve Babij, was killed in another crash involving a semi-truck driven by an inexperienced driver who lost control in Rogers Pass, B.C.

     

    She says everyone deserves to get home safely and that means ensuring drivers are well trained.

     

    Fair says statistics from Transport Canada show that there are 400 fatal crashes a year involving heavy vehicles such as semis.

     

    Broncos parents add that they want to do everything they can to make Canada's roads safer.

     

    "Our goal is to spare others the hardship of losing someone they love to a senseless crash that could have been prevented," Carol Brons, a director of Safer Roads Canada, said in a release Friday.

     

    Brons, who lives in Lake Lenore, Sask, lost her daughter, Dayna Brons, who was an athletic therapist for the Broncos and died in the days after the crash.

     

    Ginny Hunter, whose son Logan was also killed, said the group will push for changes by governments.

     

    "We commend Saskatchewan, Alberta, Manitoba and Ontario for already implementing mandatory entry-level training programs, but more needs to be done," said the B.C. resident. "A driver in any other province or territory can still obtain a Class 1 licence and be insured without completing a mandatory training program."

     

    Hunter and Fair said they have expressed their concerns to the British Columbia government, because roads such as the Trans-Canada through the Rogers Pass and the Coquihalla Highway are some of the most dangerous in the country.

     

    Federal Transport Minister Mark Garneau and provincial ministers announced national safety code standards for entry-level training of commercial truck drivers in February.

     

    "As we approach the two-year anniversary of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, Canada has not announced a timeline to implement this national standard," said Chris Joseph, whose son Jaxon was killed in the Broncos crash. "This should be a priority and we deserve some answers."

     

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Wet'suwet'en Hereditary Chiefs To Meet Today With Federal And B.C. Governments

    HOUSTON, B.C. - A meeting between Wet'suwet'en hereditary chiefs and the federal and British Columbia government is expected to take place today.    

    Wet'suwet'en Hereditary Chiefs To Meet Today With Federal And B.C. Governments

    Ottawa's LRT Line Leaves Thousands Out In The Cold During Heavy Snowstorm

    OTTAWA - Many transit riders in Ottawa were left out in the cold during a heavy snowstorm after serious power issues on the city's beleaguered new light-rail system ground service to a snail's pace Thursday.    

    Ottawa's LRT Line Leaves Thousands Out In The Cold During Heavy Snowstorm

    Quebec Man Pleads Guilty To Killing Sex Worker While Out On Day Parole

    Quebec Man Pleads Guilty To Killing Sex Worker While Out On Day Parole
    QUEBEC - A man sentenced to life in prison in 2006 for the murder of his partner has pleaded guilty to killing a sex worker while out on day parole.    

    Quebec Man Pleads Guilty To Killing Sex Worker While Out On Day Parole

    RCMP To Stop Providing Security For Prince Harry And Meghan: Minister

    Public Safety Canada says the RCMP has been providing security for the Duke and Duchess of Sussex since November, but plans to stop in coming weeks.

    RCMP To Stop Providing Security For Prince Harry And Meghan: Minister

    New Westminster Police Request For Witnesses In The Investigation Of High Risk Missing Person – NIRLA SHARMA

    The New Westminster Police Department is looking for any witnesses regarding the disappearance of 44-year-old New Westminster resident Nirla Sharma. Mrs.

    New Westminster Police Request For Witnesses In The Investigation Of High Risk Missing Person – NIRLA SHARMA

    City Of Surrey's Proposed Municipal Police Force Approved By The Provincial Government

    he Minister of Public Safety and Solicitor General, Mike Farnworth has reviewed the report submitted by the Provincial Municipal Policing Transition Study Committee, and the City of Surrey has been given approval to proceed with the formation of Surrey Police Department.  

    City Of Surrey's Proposed Municipal Police Force Approved By The Provincial Government