View From the Legislature

Last Thursday morning in my role as Minister of Justice, I was in Gimli to celebrate the opening of the new RCMP detachment in that community. Officers from across the region, along with many first responders, gathered together to tour and officially open the newest police station in the province. Local officials remarked about the important work that RCMP and first responders do in rural areas both in terms of community safety and responding to accidents and emergencies.

I was reminded of this driving home later that morning in the R.M. of St. Andrews when I saw a number of police and emergency responders on the scene of a very serious vehicle collision that took the life of two Manitobans. It was only a short time later that Manitobans learned of the unimaginable tragedy near Carberry Manitoba. Details emerged throughout the day that a bus from Dauphin, filled with seniors on a day trip, was struck crossing the Trans-Canada highway. RCMP would ultimately report the shocking news that of the 25 people aboard the bus, 15 had died and 10, as of the writing of this article, remain in hospital.

This deadly day on Manitoba roads was a jarring reminder of both the fragility of life, and the incredible toll that these tragedies take on families and on communities. In the case of the community of Dauphin, virtually every resident will be touched by the loss of so many community citizens. Support services were quickly established in Dauphin to assist those just beginning the process of grieving.

In the days ahead, Manitobans will learn more about the individuals who were killed in the crash near Carberry and undoubtedly, we will hear of the impact that their lives have had on their family, community, and Manitoba. And as a province and a community, citizens will come together in both public and private ways to offer support to those who have lost family and friends.

During this time of tremendous grief in the province, we also remember those who rushed to the scene of the bus crash. Very little could have prepared police, firefighters, and medical responders for the scene that they were being called to. Support came from across the region and from neighboring jurisdictions. Air and ground ambulance support was deployed and there was an immediate response from hospital staff who were put on alert to assist the seriously injured. As Manitobans, we also keep these emergency responders in our thoughts as they also must cope with the trauma of that day.

In times of tragedy and grief, there is always a very basic human desire to provide words of comfort. Sometimes those words are just impossible to come by or simply seem inadequate in response to the loss. But the collective caring of Manitobans can also speak in a greater way than any words can. All Manitobans are united in grief for those whose families have been shattered and in gratitude for the emergency responders who are committed to saving lives.