Process begins to sort out Broncos donations

A four-time Olympic gold medallist, a retired judge, a surgeon and a National Hockey League executive are among those expected to advise the Humboldt Broncos on how to divide millions of dollars raised online after a horrific bus crash.

As the court process aimed at distributing more than $14.6 million gets underway, the non-profit corporation responsible for the funds wants to advance $50,000 to each of the 29 families affected directly by the crash.

In an affidavit filed last week, Humboldt Broncos Memorial Fund Inc. president and Broncos director Darrin Duell said those funds are “urgently” required by some of the families, spouses and next of kin.

“Many of (them) have experienced significant financial hardship as a result of the accident, including significant funeral expenses, travel costs, loss of income and (in some cases) loss of employment,” the document said.

Sixteen people died, and another 13 were injured after the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League team’s bus collided with a tractortrailer north of Tisdale April 6, just after 5 p.m.

In what is believed to be the most successful online fundraising effort in Canadian history, a GoFundMe page set up by Humboldt resident Sylvie Kellington raised $15.2 million from more than 140,000 donors before it was shut down.

According to court documents, those funds — less $482,712 to cover GoFundMe’s costs, plus $48,499.97 as a reserve to cover any disputed donations — are in high-interest savings accounts.

While some experts have suggested leaving the courts out of the distribution process, the team has committed to distributing the funds under a process outlined in Saskatchewan’s Informal Public Appeals Act.

Speaking at a news conference in Humboldt earlier this week, Broncos president Kevin Garinger reiterated earlier comments to Postmedia News that the team always planned to go through the courts.

In his affidavit, Duell proposed establishing a five-member advisory committee to make recommendations on how the cash should be paid out. That committee is expected to include former hockey player Hayley Wickenheiser; Mark Chipman, chair of Winnipeg Jets owner True North Sports and Entertainment Ltd., and Saskatoon surgeon Peter Spafford.

Kevin Cameron, executive director of the Canadian Centre for Threat Assessment and Trauma Response, has also agreed to sit on the committee, Duell said in his affidavit.

It is unclear how long the process will take, but Garinger told Postmedia News last month he expects cheques to start going out around the beginning of September.