Saskatchewan communities grateful for support after Humboldt tragedy

Four of the Humboldt Broncos hockey players injured in Friday’s horrific bus crash that killed 15 other people remain in critical condition today. The Saskatchewan Health Authority says eight others are also still in hospital in Saskatoon, four of them listed as serious and four stable.

Meanwhile, the #HumboldtStrong movement continues to pull communities together as people grieve for the victims and rally for the their families and survivors. Support has been pouring in from across the country and all parts of the globe, and it is being received with gratitude.

“That’s been one of the nicest things support-wise, and mental health-wise. It’s really comforted a lot of people with all the support we have seen come in, not just from across Saskatchewan or Western Canada or even across the country, but from around the world. It’s amazing,” says Andrew Dawson, morning co-host and anchor at CJME in Regina.

“I was anchoring and hosting some coverage on Saturday and a tweet came up from US President Donald Trump and even I was surprised at how much it comforted me, that it actually made me feel better that the president of the United States had said that America is in our corner. It’s really nice to get all this support from around the world. It really does offer a level of comfort,” he tells NEWS 1130.

 

As of 7 a.m. Tuesday, a GoFundMe page set up for survivors and victims’ families had reached $6.8 million, one of the top five fundraising efforts ever on the website.

“It started with such a modest goal on Friday night or early Saturday morning when it was set up of just a few thousand dollars. It has continued to grow, they keep adding to the total and they keep adding to the goal. That ‘s money that is going to be directed right to families and they can certainly use the extra financial assistance right now,” says Dawson, adding that the #PutYourSticksOut movement in support of Humboldt is also spreading fast.

Greg Harper, Vancouver reporter for Breakfast Television on City, is in Saskatchewan.

“Immediately, you can see how tightly knit this community is in Saskatoon, which is about 150 km west of Humboldt. I’m seeing signs everywhere, on sandwich boards, inside businesses, on a bill board, and they all say the same thing — Humboldt Strong,” he says.

“This is a community trying to deal with a horrible tragedy.”

 

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“I’ve managed to keep my emotions under control for all of this, mostly,” says Dawson.

“But last night and this morning, seeing the hockey sticks left out on porches with candles… it’s very touching when it’s in your neighbourhood and it’s very touching when you see it on social media in your country, but when you see major news organizations in the US and Britain tweeting and showing stories that they have done about people leaving hockey sticks on their porches — even in Hawaii — it’s just an incredible show of support and it is greatly appreciated.”

Dawson, a former NEWS 1130 anchor, says the support is very much needed in his home province.

“After an event like this, there is always that glare of attention and everybody wants to pitch in and do something. But as the days go on, other things start to creep into your life and take priority and you tend to forget about the victims and the families. I don’t think that is going to happen in this case. There’s just so much love and support in the community of Humboldt and they are going to need it not only in the hours ahead but the weeks, months and years ahead. They’re going to need that continual support. The longest term issue is how people handle this mentally.”