Buckle up for the Broncos, mother urges

Seatbelts a must on coach buses, says Tricia Wack.

On April 6, my son Stephen Wack was killed in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash. Stephen was a 21-year-old six-foot-five defenceman with a smile and heart to match his size. Above all else, Stephen valued his relationships with God, family, friends and teammates. While playing out his junior hockey years, Stephen’s intellect and creativity led him to pursue an interest in videography. He proved to be a talented videographer, and he planned to attain a business degree to facilitate his career in the field.

My deepest gratitude goes out to the many first responders who handled our loved ones with care, and investigators for their diligence and open communication throughout the investigative process.

On July 6, charges were laid against the truck driver, Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, including 16 counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death, and 13 counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing bodily injury.

To Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, I say the following: I forgive you. Since Stephen’s death in the crash that day, I often ask myself, what would Stephen think, say or do? The answers often govern my actions. I can say with conviction that my son Stephen would forgive you. Stephen was a spiritual young man with a strong faith in God; he practised forgiveness with an open heart and was compassionate by nature. That said, we have driving laws for the protection and safety of our citizens. The driver of the truck is charged with violating laws resulting in the death of 16 and injury of 13, and it is just that he be tried accordingly. For me personally, however, closure is not dependent on the outcome of the case; I continue to heal and grow through my grief.

I would like to address the need for shoulderharness seatbelts on all coach buses in Canada, along with the need for legislation making it compulsory to wear those seatbelts. My son Stephen was killed in the Broncos bus crash when he was launched from his seat upon impact,

They woke up that morning with hopes to win the game but instead they united the world.

smashing the back of his head and breaking his neck. Envision for a moment, if you will, that being your child or loved one. Following the results of the investigation into the crash, we were shocked to learn that there were lap seatbelts on that bus. Seatbelts left unworn were rendered useless. While the crash scene depicts devastation, look more closely and you will see the majority of bus seats intact. What would the outcome have been if the team had been wearing shoulder-harness seatbelts that day?

In the days following the crash, my husband and I asked ourselves, why are we required to wear seatbelts in vehicles and on planes, but not on buses? I recall growing up before seatbelt laws were passed for cars, and the back seat with siblings was a free-for-all, driving our parents crazy. Eventually, laws were put into place making it compulsory to wear seatbelts in vehicles for a reason: seatbelts save lives.

Investigating further, I learned that in the United Kingdom, coach bus passengers are legally required to wear seatbelts. Typically, before a bus departs, a seatbelt announcement is made telling passengers to buckle up. Our federal government recently announced that as of Sept. 1, 2020, seatbelts will be mandatory on newly built medium and large highway buses. While this is a step in the right direction, seatbelts can only save lives if people wear them. Let’s enact a law to empower bus drivers and those in authority on buses to facilitate the wearing of those bus belts. I cannot say whether the wearing of seatbelts on the Broncos bus that day would have saved lives or limited injury of any of the 29 passengers. But what if a seatbelt had saved even one life? And what if that one life was your son. Your daughter. Your loved one.

In response to the Humboldt Broncos bus crash, people across our nation have united in love and support. We have felt that; we have found healing and strength in that. And because of that, we now have a voice. I would like to use that voice to unite our nation in enacting positive change so that the legacy of my son and those on the Broncos bus that fateful day will be carried forward. Let’s buckle up for the Broncos.

Did you ever notice how quickly an issue can be sidetracked and those speaking out or protesting become the story?

The case of the teepee camp on the legislative grounds is one such example. The original reason for the protest camp was to protest the justice and social issues that face Saskatchewan’s Indigenous people. But once the case got to court, the province argued the protesters didn’t have a proper permit. I doubt they would have got one if they had applied. The province also complained that the protesters were thumbing their noses at the bylaws and they were unable to mow the lawn and maintain the land.

Somehow the injustice and social conditions that face our people on a daily basis are not as important as the ability to manicure the legislative grounds.

The province continues to ignore the plea for substantial social change. These days political parties appeal to their base and shore up their support. It’s the latest recipe for success at the polls, but it does not allow for fundamental change. They say that a politician thinks of the next election while a statesman thinks of the next generation. Right now, this province has a shortage of statesmen.

In the United States the Afro-american community has complained at the excessive use of force by police forces and the assaults and casualties among their people. The NFL players came to their support and took a knee during the national anthem. This peaceful expression of their concern for their people was interpreted as disrespectful to the flag and anthem, the reason behind their protest has been ignored and overshadowed by the reaction to their tactics.

It also didn’t help when U.S.

President Trump weighed in and said they should “fire the son of a bitch.” This may appeal to his supporters, but his actions are dividing American society along racial lines.

The public face of this issue is Colin Kaepernick, a former NFL quarterback who is now a free agent. He has been both demonized and honoured for standing up for what he believes. This apparently is good enough for Nike, who made Kaepernick the centrepiece of their new ad campaign. The ad showed a black and white portrait of Kaepernick with a caption superimposed. “Believe in something, even if it means losing everything.”

Once again, the roots of Kaepernick’s protest are totally missed. Instead of looking back at the issue of police violence against unarmed black people, the focus is on people burning their shoes and cutting off Nike logos. Once again Trump wades in commenting and fanning the flames coming from his base.

There is nothing new about the tactic of transferring blame and First Nations are no stranger to this tactic.

The battle of the Little Big Horn isn’t remembered as a sneak attack on the Sioux people but because it went wrong it is regarded as a massacre. On the other hand, the battle at Wounded

Knee is really a massacre of unarmed women and children, but in American history it was a noble battle with medals handed out.

Here in Canada we have had to put up with this old tactic of transferring blame. For years the events of 1885 included the “looting of Battleford.” This action was the direct result of government incompetence and cruelty. The chiefs wanted to meet with the Indian Agent and request help for their people. He refused to meet and he and the townspeople hid in the fort. The town was looted and that was the story. The term looting of Battleford was only recently removed from information at the fort.

In a more contemporary setting the siege of Oka was the direct result of a land grab for a golf course. The story was how the local people at Kanehsatake resisted, set up a blockade and maintained a standoff for most of the summer. The original stupidity of the local government and police force was never examined.

When we hear references to the fake news it is not what is meant. The real fake news is how an issue can be twisted to match the narrative of the government of the day. We need to look at the underlying issues behind the headlines. Nothing occurs in a vacuum.