
Memorials, tributes announced on 7th anniversary of Humboldt Broncos bus tragedy
CBC
Former Humboldt Bronco player Tyler Smith has been on a whirlwind journey since surviving the bus crash on April 6, 2018, that took the lives of 16 people and injured 13 others on the bus.
Nevertheless, Smith says, the anniversary day will still be a tough one.
"There's been a lot of growth and there's been a lot of change," he said. "I am now understanding my grief journey a little bit better."
He said he plans to light his candles, as he does every year.
"I think they would still want us to, you know, get out there and enjoy the day," Smith said. "I'll be heading to my brother's place to go side by side with one of the other guys as well."
It's still important to acknowledge the families who lost loved ones, so a simple text or message would go a long way, said Smith.
"If you know somebody that was impacted that day, I want you to send a text, I want you to make a phone call.… It still goes a long way, and I know it's appreciated."
Smith says he met an older woman who told him the biggest fear with loss is forgetting, which got him thinking.
"It really hit home," he said. "But I think for hockey fans, Saskatchewan people and Canadians … I know we'll never forget."
Since the crash, Smith went on to become the winner of season 9 of The Amazing Race Canada in 2023.
He also now focuses on mental health awareness, and is a motivational speaker who shares his experiences and struggles with others.
"I think it's difficult roads that lead to beautiful destinations," he said. "There were some difficult, difficult roads, and I think there still are. But I think it's been pretty interesting and unique, how it has led to the world of connection and the world of opportunity."
Two memorial projects have been announced by a local committee to honour the 2017-18 Broncos team.
The first entails securing a paving contract this spring to complete Phase 1 of a memorial to be located at the intersection of Highways 35 and 335 near Tisdale — about 125 kilometres as the crow flies northeast of Humboldt — where the fatal accident occurred.

For the first time this campaign, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre made a stop in Nova Scotia on Thursday — the second province he's visited led by a Progressive Conservative premier conspicuously absent from the federal party's events. Poilievre's sole campaign trip to Nova Scotia ended without meeting Premier Tim Houston, who did not attend Poilievre's Trenton, N.S., rally just minutes from Houston's own provincial riding.