BRANDON — A monument will be unveiled in Dauphin June 15 to mark the one-year anniversary of the tragic highway collision that killed 17 people and injured eight others from the region as they were being driven to a casino south of Carberry on a seniors day trip.
A monument or plaque honouring the victims will also be placed in Carberry, near the junction of the Trans-Canada Highway and Highway 5, where the collision took place.
Repromap, a Dauphin graphic design and mapping company, worked collaboratively with the victims’ family members to create a design for the monument.
Project lead Wayne Himpe said it’s an important project for the business
“We know a huge majority of the people who actually (died) in this… It’s something we’re going to be really proud of.”
The City of Dauphin allowed family members of the victims to choose the location of the memorial: CN Park.
The city will be responsible for maintenance and repairs, said economic development manager Martijn van Luijn, who is the city’s liaison with the families.
“We will maintain it, but we also will help them with installation, with the conduit for the electrical, all that kind of stuff, so that they don’t have to think about it and worry about it,” said van Luijn.
The Manitoba government has earmarked $20,000 toward construction. The Dauphin and District Community Foundation has pledged $5,000.
Dauphin Mayor David Bosiak said the funding provided by the province and the foundation takes pressure off the victims’ families.
“They can focus on the monument and not having to try and gather the cash or figure out how to pay for it,” Bosiak said.
The unveiling ceremony in CN Park is scheduled for 2 p.m. and will be open to the public, with special invitations sent out to the first responders who raced to save lives.
— Brandon Sun