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The Humboldt tragedy: What we know so far
Fifteen people connected to the Humboldt Broncos died after the junior hockey team’s bus collided with a tractor-trailer in Saskatchewan on Friday. Here’s what we know so far:
The crash: Late Friday afternoon, the Broncos’ team bus collided with a tractor-trailer at the intersection of Highway 35 and Highway 335 about 300 kilometres north of Regina. Both vehicles were obliterated by the impact. The bus would have had the right of way, while the semi would have had a stop sign. The RCMP said it was too early to comment on the cause of the collision, or say if any charges would be considered. In 1997, a crash at the same intersection left six people dead.
The victims: Those killed included many young players, their coach and assistant coach, a play-by-play radio announcer, a stats-keeper, and a bus driver. These are their names: Tyler Bieber, 29, Humboldt, Sask.; Logan Boulet, 21, Lethbridge, Alta.; Mark Cross, 27, Strasbourg, Sask.; Glen Doerksen, 59, Carrot River, Sask.; Brody Hinz, 18, Humboldt, Sask.; Adam Herold, 16, Montmartre, Sask.; Darcy Haugan, 42, Humboldt, Sask.; Logan Hunter, 18, St. Albert, Alta.; Jaxon Joseph, 20, Edmonton; Xavier Labelle, 18, Saskatoon; Jacob Leicht, 19, Humboldt, Sask.; Conner Lukan, 21, Slave Lake, Alta.; Logan Schatz, 20, Allan, Sask.; Evan Thomas, 18, Saskatoon; Stephen Wack, 21, St. Albert, Alta.
Vigils, tributes and support: Thousands gathered at the Elger Petersen Arena in Humboldt last night to remember the victims. “God, we are hurt,” Sean Brandow, a pastor and the team’s chaplain, said during the prayer service. “There are so many questions, so many unanswered things. We need you so badly.” On Saturday night, NHL arenas across North America held moments of silence before play, while Broncos stickers dotted the helmets of every player. Meanwhile, a GoFundMe digital fundraising campaign for those affected by the tragedy has brought in more than $4.6-million in contributions so far.
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Kinder Morgan is suspending ‘non-essential’ spending on the Trans Mountain pipeline
The company issued an ultimatum saying it won’t spend any more funds unless the B.C. government agrees, by the end of May, to halt its efforts to quash the project. “If we cannot reach agreement by May 31st, it is difficult to conceive of any scenario in which we would proceed with the project,” Kinder Morgan chief executive officer Steve Kean said in a news release.
The federal government, which supports the project, called on B.C. Premier John Horgan to end all threats to delay Trans Mountain. But Horgan said he is committed to fighting the project. Alberta Premier Rachel Notley said her government would go so far as becoming a direct investor in Trans Mountain in order to keep it alive.
The Globe’s editorial board argues that Ottawa must use whatever tools it has to get Trans Mountain back on track: “To do otherwise threatens the basic tenets of confederation. A province cannot use underhanded tactics to effectively seize control of the development of this country’s resources. And it especially cannot do it in the name of environmental principles it only adheres to when it is in its political interest, but abandons when it sees a dollar in it.”
At least 40 people were killed in an alleged gas attack in Syria
U.S. President Donald Trump blamed Syrian government forces for the attack in the suburbs of Damascus. He issued a warning that there would be a “big price to pay” for the “mindless CHEMICAL attack.” Trump issued a rare personal attack on Russian President Vladimir Putin for supporting the Syrian regime of Bashar al-Assad. First responders said they found bodies collapsed on floors, some foaming at the mouth. Survivors were said to have smelled like chlorine. For its part, Syria denied the allegations that it was a chemical attack.
Hungary’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban won a third straight term in power
Orban’s anti-immigration message helped propel his Fidesz party to a strong majority in parliament. In 2015, Orban build a razor-wire fence on the Serbian border to keep out migrants fleeing the Middle East and Africa. He’s also sparred with the European Union, which sued Hungary for failing to accept quotas of refugees. Hungary responded by handing the EU a €400-million bill for the fence. With a two-thirds majority, Orban’s party would once again have the authority to change constitutional laws, powers which critics say they have already used to erode democratic checks and balances.
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IN CASE YOU MISSED IT
Former Brazilian president Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva handed himself over to police
After delivering a speech to supporters, da Silva turned himself in to begin serving a 12-year sentence for corruption and money-laundering. Many Brazilians praised his jailing as a turning point to combat political corruption in the country. But for others, his arrest marks the end of an era that saw 30 million people lifted out of poverty. During his time in office, da Silva implemented redistributive policies and affirmative action programs for public universities. Supporters believe he was targeted by the Brazilian elite who resent his effort to shift power in an unequal country.
MORNING MARKETS
Stocks rise
Global stocks rose on Monday as the U.S. government played down fears of a trade war with China that has roiled markets over the last week. Tokyo’s Nikkei gained 0.5 per cent, Hong Kong’s Hang Seng 1.3 per cent, and the Shanghai Composite 0.2 per cent. In Europe, London’s FTSE 100, Germany’s DAX and the Paris CAC 40 were up by between 0.2 and 0.9 per cent by about 5:40 a.m. ET. New York futures were also up. The Canadian dollar is holding just above 78 US cents. Oil markets stabilized after having lost around 2 per cent last Friday.
WHAT EVERYONE’S TALKING ABOUT
Old age alone shouldn’t be considered a justification for physician-assisted death
“Age is a chronic, not a terminal, condition. And yet, as Canadians live longer, we often do not celebrate our longevity, but worry about its continuance. Suddenly, the idea of a long life is seen as something fearful and worth ending. A current example is the recent Globe and Mail report of the March 27 shared death by lethal medical injection of George and Shirley Brickenden, both in their 90s, in their Toronto retirement home. They were, by all reports, an engaging, intelligent and relatively healthy couple. The story raises real concerns about the grey-zone of medical ethics, targeting the end zone of what today is being promoted as a reasonable basis to end life. The question is: Who is fragile and how do we respond to their needs and fears?” – Tom Koch, Toronto-based consultant in gerontology and chronic care
Being alone together: How to embrace a universal feeling
“In Canada, a widely quoted figure reveals that 1.4 million elderly people experience feelings of loneliness. At the other end of life, 66 per cent of Canadian university students admitted to feeling isolated in the previous year. More of us are living alone than at any point in our country’s history (although this can, of course, be a blessing: Living with someone does not preclude loneliness, as anyone in a bad marriage can tell you). And yet, where does this pain present itself? Not on the pages of Instagram, the land of endless vacations and cocktails that magically refill themselves. Nor on Facebook, the digital wedding and baby registry, where designer couples are joined at the lips and require a surgeon to separate them. We all know that social media require a Maggie Smith level of performance and that we are rarely shown the mess backstage, but that doesn’t make it hurt less when the performance seems so flawless.” – Elizabeth Renzetti (for subscribers)
Lose the plot: Why there’s more than one queer narrative
“The frustration … with Hollywood’s fixation with the coming-out narrative, to the near exclusion of all other stories, is that it freezes LGBTQ lives at the moment after realization and declaration. It’s a woefully limited lens. It’s a depressing experience for a queer moviegoer to see films that tell us over and over and over again that the world hates us and fears us, and that being ourselves might come at a cost. How long will it take until LGBTQ characters in film have a plot line and purpose beyond wrestling with who they are?” – Rachel Giese, author of Boys: What It Means to Become a Man
LIVING BETTER
An anti-inflammatory diet may guard against cancer
The North American diet relies heavily on red and processed meats, refined grains and added sugars, factors which have been linked to higher levels of inflammation. And new research has tied a pro-inflammatory diet to an increased risk of cancer. A better diet, writes Leslie Beck, may be a Mediterranean one: it’s packed with fruit and vegetables while low in red meat.
MOMENT IN TIME
Saddam Hussein statue toppled in Baghdad
April 9, 2003: For a moment on April 9, 2003, it felt as if Operation Iraqi Freedom had delivered on its promise. The U.S. military rolled into the heart of Baghdad, an iconic statue of Saddam Hussein was pulled down and a crowd of Iraqis celebrated. But even then, there were signs of trouble ahead. First of all, the crowd in the square that day was small. Most Iraqis stayed in their homes, worried about what might come next. With a colleague, I drove to the poor Shia neighbourhood of Saddam City (since renamed Sadr City). People there told us that the American and British soldiers were only welcome in Iraq for one year. If they stayed longer, residents warned, there would be violence. As we drove away, the window of our car exploded, covering us with shards of glass. I wrote in The Globe and Mail that day that someone had thrown a rock. My colleague still swears that our car was hit by a bullet. Certainly, many shots have been fired since, as Operation Iraqi Freedom was followed by long years of sectarian warfare – including the rise and destruction of the so-called Islamic State – that the country is only now starting to emerge from. – Mark MacKinnon
Morning Update is written by Arik Ligeti.
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Arik Ligeti