Sask. community marks sod-turning for Humboldt Broncos memorial

(Noah Rishaug/CTV News)

It’s been over six years since the Humboldt Broncos bus crash. Families gathered at the crash site on Saturday to break ground on a permanent memorial.

A truck driver went through a stop sign and into the path of the junior hockey team's bus. Sixteen people on the bus were killed and 13 were injured.

"We were there for the sod turning event that my husband Kurt, and other community members have been involved with and I’m grateful to get to this point," Celeste Leicht, mother of Jacob Leicht, one of the victims said.

The memorial will soon begin construction, featuring a walkway marked by 16 angels, each representing one of the fallen. Kurt Leicht, Jacob’s father, has long advocated for this memorial, though the process has faced numerous delays due to regulatory issues.

 "It took until SaskPower finally moved the power lines and such, which was over a three or four-year process for them to decide, which was exceptionally slow," said Kurt.

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For the past six years, the site has been marked by crosses, maintained by the victims' families. They have pushed for it to become a recognized point of interest, maintained by regional authorities.

"The issues will still be the maintenance of the site and such. That’s been a problem in the past, and people haven’t been there to keep it clean. When you don’t have families there every day and such, it’s a big job to consider," said Kurt.

Despite the delays, the memorial marks an important milestone in the healing process for the Broncos families, who have expressed gratitude to the community for its continued support.

"We certainly appreciate how much support we’ve been given," said Celeste Leicht. "Also highlights the importance of being supportive of the people around us, because we don’t know what goes on in people's lives around us," said Celeste.

The healing journey is far from over, but families can now take solace in the fact that work on the memorial is finally set to begin.

-With files from The Canadian Press.