RCMP monitoring social media in aftermath of Broncos bus crash

Saskatchewan RCMP say they are keeping an eye on social media in the aftermath of the Humboldt Broncos team bus crash, but are not aware of any threats against the driver of the tractor-trailer involved in the collision.

Sixteen people have died and another 13 were injured, some severely, when the Humboldt Broncos’ bus collided with the semi north of Tisdale around 5 p.m. on April 6. The truck driver was uninjured.

Social media channels have been flooded with messages of support for the victims and the city of about 5,900 people east of Saskatoon.

Comments about the truck driver — who has not yet been identified — are polarized, with some defending him and others lobbing insults and assigning blame for the crash before the RCMP have completed their investigation.

On Tuesday, the RCMP took the unusual step of issuing a news release debunking a false rumour about the semi-truck driver that began circulating in Humboldt and elsewhere in the days after the crash.

However, according to RCMP spokesman Cpl. Rob King, the force has not identified any specific posts that could lead to a formal response. The RCMP monitors social media channels and relies on others to flag troubling messages, he added.

“We’ll investigate any complaint of (online) behaviour. We would encourage anyone who sees concerning information online to contact their local detachment to report it,” King said.

“We know that our province will continue to come together as we grieve for those lost and support those that are recovering,” provincial government spokesman Jim Billington wrote in a prepared statement.

“As such, the Government of Saskatchewan would urge everyone to continue to react in a way that honours the lives of those lost in this tragedy and to remember our personal responsibility for our comments, including those on social media.”

The province has called for calm online at least twice previously — after Colten Boushie was shot near Biggar in August 2016, and during Gerald Stanley’s murder trial in connection with Boushie’s death. Stanley was acquitted in February.

The truck driver involved in the crash works for Adesh Deol Trucking Ltd., a small Calgarybased company. RCMP said he was detained after the collision at the intersection of Highways 35 and 335 but subsequently released and offered counselling.

Adesh Deol Trucking owner Sukhmander Singh said the man had only been behind the wheel at his company for “about a month.” Singh added: “I don’t know what’s wrong over there, why this went wrong for this guy.”