By Angela Brown

Battlefords vigil brings community together to remember bus crash victims

Apr 8, 2018 | 10:18 PM

The Battlefords community came together Sunday evening for a vigil to remember the victims of the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team bus crash.

A small gathering attended the event at St. Joseph Calasanctius Parish in North Battleford. Some had a connection to those on the bus that night while many simply wanted to show their support and join in prayer.

A semi tractor-trailer collided with the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team’s bus near Tisdale on April 6, leaving 15 dead and 14 injured.     

During Sunday’s vigil in North Battleford, people in attendance lit 15 candles in memory of each of the 15 individuals who died as a result of the collision, many of them youth.

“Oftentimes, we feel helpless to do anything when something like this happens,” said St. Joseph’s church parishioner Tammy Iverson Sunday. “But because of my faith, I felt like our church doors needed to be opened tonight, to anyone in the community that wanted to just come and pray and remember – all those who have been affected by this and the tragedies in our own community in such a short time.” 

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The North Battleford resident helped organize the vigil after hearing about the tragedy on the news and reading the social media. She said she wanted to do something locally as a community to help.

Iverson said people feeling burdened by this tragedy as well as their own individual losses often don’t take the time to come together as a community to mourn and support one another, although she added “in the last while North Battleford has really been banding together.”  

“This evening is just part of that – giving people a place to come and sit in quiet if they want, or if they want to talk to someone,” she said. “If anyone needs comfort or support, we’re here for that too.”

Iverson said her own family has also been personally affected by the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team tragedy.

“I have two great nephews who play junior hockey that are from Regina,” she said. “They both knew some fellows on the Humboldt Broncos team. So when your own hurt, you hurt that much more too. But really the whole community, the whole province, the whole country is reeling because of this. I think it is awesome how everyone is coming together.” 

angela.brown@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @battlefordsNOW