Carberry bus crash first responders inducted into Order of Buffalo Hunt for life-saving efforts

Premier Wab Kinew inducted 134 first responders into the Order of the Buffalo Hunt on Monday, bestowing one of the province's highest honours during a ceremony recognizing their life-saving efforts and bravery during Manitoba's deadliest bus crash.

The order honours Manitobans who have made outstanding contributions to the province in the areas of leadership, service and community commitment.

"This is a room full of heroes … Not only did you go above and beyond, not only did you save lives, not only did you have each other's backs, I know that, I can only imagine that you took some stuff home with you that day as well too," Kinew said.

"I hope that as you're on your own journeys to process, to heal and to reflect on what you have done to serve your fellow Manitobans, may this be some measure of encouragement and reassurance for you that your good deeds do not go unnoticed," he said. 

Members of the Carberry North Cypress-Langford Fire & Rescue, including the fire departments in Neepawa and Brandon, were some of the first people to respond to the crash in Carberry, Man., that killed 17 people on June 15, 2023. 

The bus was carrying 25 people — most of them seniors from Dauphin and the surrounding area — who were headed to a casino near Carberry on a day trip when it was struck by a semi at the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 5 intersection. 

First responders at Shared Health's emergency medical services, Manitoba RCMP, the STARS air ambulance, as well as hospitals in Brandon, Portage la Prairie and Winnipeg also responded to the collision and were inducted. 

Kinew had announced he would award those people with the order during a ceremony in August that unveiled a second monument to honour first responders and remember those who lost their life in the crash. 

The first monument was unveiled in Dauphin earlier in the summer. 

The honour was accepted on behalf of the first responders by:

• Keith Loney, fire chief of Carberry North Cypress-Langford Fire and Rescue.
• Yves Guillas, fire chief of the Neepawa Volunteer Fire Department.
• Terry Parlow, chief, and Kevin Garrioch of Brandon Fire and Emergency Services.
• Ryan Schenk and Grant Winder from the Office of the Fire Commissioner. 

A loud burst of applause rang out at the legislative building as they signed the official registry for the Order of the Buffalo Hunt, which was established in 1957 and is accompanied by a certificate of membership signed by the premier.

Guillas recalled first hearing of the crash, not realizing how bad it would turn out to be.

"We had no idea. We heard 'bus' — that's all we heard," Guillas said. "We get there and it was worse than we thought it could be."

Responders arrived at a chaotic scene. Many of the dead and injured had been thrown from the bus, which had burst into flames. Crews worked to find survivors amid debris that was strewn in all directions, and got them to hospital by air and ground ambulance.

Kinew told reporters after the ceremony that it was important to acknowledge the acts of valour the first responders showed while responding to such a traumatic event, and to continue to honour the victims, survivors and their families. 

The Manitoba government has taken steps to support law enforcement, paramedics and firefighters by paying for three mental health counsellors that are dedicated to the services following the death of a Winnipeg firefighter in April, but he said the province needs to do more. 

"On a day like that fateful, tragic day outside of Carberry, I think we can expect that there's a need to offer additional support," he said.

"There's going to be a requirement that we continue to ensure that these folks on the front lines have the assistance that they need so that they can enjoy the time with their families."

Guillas said help had been offered from the beginning: "We've been meeting with people and it's been excellent."