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Humboldt Crash Driver Gets Daily Freedom

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Day parole has been granted for a driver that killed 16 people, many of them teenagers.

The transport truck driver, Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, blew a stop sign in rural Saskatchewan and hit a bus carrying members of the Humboldt Broncos hockey team in 2018. 13 people were injured, and 16 died because of the drivers negligence.

Families of the victims made impact statements condemning the driver, and pleading to turn down the day parole request.

Sidhu apologized afterwards, stating that he “…deeply hurt every one of them. I destroyed their dreams, destroyed their future and now I have given them unbearable pain”.

After a seven-hour hearing, the Parole Board of Canada granted the trucker day parole for six months.

The Board also said that if Sidhu follows all conditions, he will get full parole after those six months. His initial sentence was for eight years.

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Green Shirt Day For Organ Donation

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Canadians from coast to coast are encouraged to wear green on Thursday.

April 7 marks Green Shirt Day across the country in honour of the Logan Boulet Effect.

The Humboldt Broncos defenceman was one of 16 people killed when the bus carrying the team was struck by a semi-trailer truck in Saskatchewan on April 6, 2018.

Boulet passed away the next day and his parents, acting on their son’s desire, offered to donate his organs, saving six lives.

“What happened after that turned a tragedy into an inspiration for all Canadians,” said Jenn Martin, who represents the Canadian Transplant Association.

“He actually inspired over 150,000 people to register as organ donors.”

Logan Boulet (Image submitted)

Martin said they continue to use Boulet’s inspiration to encourage organ donation every April.

Organ donation is an important cause for Martin, who is an organ donor recipient herself.

“It took me three years to find my donor. It ended up being a live donor somewhere across the country,” she said.

“The gift of that life — the energy, the health I have again, to be with my boys and continue to build memories — is incredible.”

Martin encouraged Canadians to register as an organ donor, if they have not done so already, and share their wishes with others.

“A lot of people don’t realize that even if you’re a donor, at that grieving moment, your family can override your decision. That’s so, so important to share your wishes ahead of time.”

You can learn more about Green Shirt Day and how to register to become an organ donor in your province by clicking here.

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Remembering The Humboldt Broncos Bus Crash

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April 6th, 2018, a day that changed the hockey world.

Wednesday marks the four year anniversary of a junior hockey team’s trip to a playoff game that ended in tragedy.

Sixteen members of the Humboldt Broncos of the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League (SJHL) were killed, thirteen injured when the northbound coach bus struck a westbound semi-trailer truck near Armley, Saskatchewan.

The semi-trailer was travelling at a speed of approximately 100 km/h.

Ten players, two coaches, a statistician, radio announcer, athletic trainer, and bus driver were killed.

Submitted photo of the tribute involving the SIJHL’s Thief River Falls Norskies and Thunder Bay North Stars (Mike Tallari)

Kam River Fighting Walleye (SIJHL) defenceman Kersey Reich is from Estevan and was taking part in a Fall Camp for Midget ‘AAA’ Hockey.

“Immediately the tone around everything was different,” Reich remembered. “Lots of (my teammates) had friends on the bus and it really affected the whole hockey world. It was a tragedy for sure, especially to happen in my home province.”

Reich also had a specific friend on the bus, who unfortunately passed away in the crash.

“That obviously affected me personally,” Reich noted. “It really put things in perspective as to how lucky we all are to play junior hockey and do things together as a team, like ride a bus.”

The 29-year-old driver of the semi Jaskirat Singh Sidhu pled guilty to sixteen counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and 13 counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily injury.

He was sentenced to 8 years in prison and is still fighting to stay in Canada.

The crash happened just 22 minutes outside of the final destination in Armley, Saskatchewan.

Randy MacLEAN, who was the Vice President for the team at the time recalls the outpouring of support, “A tragedy, while at the same time we witnessed the amazing things that happen when people and communities and the nation pull together to support each other in a crisis situation.”

He added, “The giving and humanity and the compassion, empathy of our fellow citizens within Humboldt, the province of Saskatchewan, the country of Canada and all over the world was something that was an honour to be a part of, an honour to support and an honour to work through such a horrific event,”

The club played their first home game of the 2018–19 season on September 12th against the Nipawin Hawks.

With files from Kevin Jeffrey and Tara Clow.