Trudeau highlights safety measures since Humboldt crash

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is highlighting a series of safety measures that have emerged in the four years since a highway crash involving a truck and Humboldt Broncos team bus. Sixteen hockey players and staff lost their lives, and 13 were injured, in the April 2018 collision just north of Tisdale, Sask. "We cannot go back in time and change what happened that day, but we owe it to the victims, the survivors, and their families to try to prevent tragedy from striking again," Trudeau said in a prepared statement.

"Since the crash occurred, seatbelts are now required on all new motor coaches in Canada.

A national standard for entry-level training for truck drivers has been established, so that they have the skills they need to operate safely on our roads. We have also mandated electronic logging devices [ELDs] to help better track drivers' hours on the road in an effort to help reduce the risk of fatigue-related incidents," he said. The collision has served as a touchstone for provincial and federal politicians when unveiling several highway safety regulations.

But key announcements have faced struggles since being introduced. While federally regulated carriers have officially been required to use ELDs since June 2021, enforcement has been delayed until January 2023 because of a limited number of certified devices. Four provinces - British Columbia, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and Newfoundland - have yet to introduce the required legislation.

Mandatory entry-level training regimes, which were being developed prior to the crash, have also been criticized for uneven delivery. This December, Ontario's auditor general concluded that the Ministry of Colleges and Universities can't effectively confirm instructor qualifications at private career colleges that deliver the content. Calgary-based truck driver Jaskirat Singh Sidhu was sentenced to eight years in prison, pleading guilty to 29 counts of dangerous driving causing death or bodily injury.

He has also lost his first bid to remain in Canada rather than being deported to India after his sentence is served.

His employer Sukhmander Singh, owner of Adesh Deol Trucking, was fined £5,000 after pleading guilty to five charges involving federal and provincial safety regulations.

Citizens in Humboldt were encouraged to observe a moment of silence at 4:50 pm April 6, marking the approximate time the crash occurred.