St. John’s sends love to Humboldt
Public invited to submit messages of support until Friday
The City of St. John’s is doing what it can to show support to the city of Humboldt, Sask., following Friday’s horrific bus accident.
The crash left 15 Junior A hockey league players and coaches dead, with 14 still in hospital.
Deputy Mayor Sheilagh O’leary, who served as acting mayor at Monday’s council meeting while Mayor Danny Breen is away, says the heartwrenching news spread quickly across the country.
“It’s something we all feel,” said O’leary.
“What do we do? We pool together as a community to send love and support. You can’t bring back those lives that are lost, but it is really important that we give support to our friends and neighbours in Saskatchewan.”
As a show of solidarity, postcards and posters are available for the public to sign at city hall, the Mews Centre and the Paul Reynolds Centre.
Members of the public are invited to write their messages until Friday, when they will be sent to Humboldt town council.
City hall was a shade of green on Monday evening as a show of support. Councillors wore green ribbons at the council meeting.
The show of support is all the more significant after news that Parker Tobin, a goalie with the Humboldt Broncos whose parents are both originally from Conception Bay North, was declared dead after first thought to have survived the crash.
O’leary says it’s an extra layer of sadness to the tragedy.
“Newfoundlanders, we’re everywhere,” said O’leary.
“Even if we didn’t have a Newfoundland connection, it doesn’t diminish the tragedy of the situation. It’s a heartwrenching scenario.”