It’s been a month since the small Manitoba city of Dauphin received the devastating news: a minibus full of seniors from the community collided with a semi-trailer on the Trans-Canada Highway.
Reminders of the fatal crash, which ultimately claimed the lives of 16 Dauphin residents, abound in the community, including the flags at the community’s city hall, which remain at half-mast.
While the survivors, their families, friends and neighbours will never forget the tragedy, Dauphin mayor David Bosiak said the city is doing what it can to push forward.
“Tomorrow is the last funeral that we’re aware of and I think that’s going to be another turning point for us,” Bosiak told 680 CJOB’s The Start on Friday.
“The flags at city hall have been at half-mast since the accident and tomorrow after the funeral, they’re going back up.
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“I think the community has come together really well. We’re doing all right. It’s been hard, it’s going to be different for us forever now, but we’re doing OK.”
Seven people remain in hospital with injuries sustained in the crash, including one in critical condition, which means the impact of the tragedy remains top-of-mind for many, but summer activities of a more positive kind have certainly given Dauphin residents something else to focus on, if even for a short time.
“I think an event like Countryfest helped. So did the Dauphin fair, which was the same weekend. … And just this past week, Dauphin also celebrated its 125th birthday, so we had a couple of celebrations, one at our historic CN station and the other at the Fort Dauphin Museum,” Bosiak said.
“All of those kinds of events have helped, as does the word that’s leaking out as people get released from the hospital.
“Those are all positive signs and I think the community is starting to move past this thing — they’ll never forget it, but they’re certainly getting into what I’d call regular summer activities now that a month has gone by.”
Bosiak said many residents appear to be dealing with their grief in small groups, rather than large-scale community gatherings — something he expects to remain the norm after the final funeral.
“When we opened our community centre, we didn’t get the kind of attention there we thought we might, and we found that people were getting the supports on their own and that continues.”