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Seven years after a junior hockey team’s bus was torn apart on a rural highway, the legal fight over accountability is far from over. Lawyers for families of victims in the 2018 Humboldt Broncos tragedy say they are preparing an appeal after a judge dismissed their lawsuit against the Saskatchewan government.

The case, which seeks to hold the province responsible for alleged failures to fix a dangerous intersection, will now head toward Saskatchewan’s Court of Appeal, attorneys said.

Court Ruling Closes Door — For Now

On Dec. 16, King’s Bench Justice Graeme Mitchell ruled that Saskatchewan’s no-fault insurance laws bar the type of tort claim brought by the families and that the legislation does not violate sections of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms cited by the plaintiffs.

Government lawyers argued the province’s insurance framework prevents lawsuits seeking damages for crashes, a position the court accepted in dismissing the claim.

Sharon Fox and Kevin Mellor, who represent five families who lost loved ones, said the ruling will be challenged. They confirmed plans to file a formal notice of appeal in the coming days.

A Question of Government Accountability

At the heart of the case, Fox said, is whether governments can be held legally responsible when they fail to correct hazards they knew existed. The fatal collision occurred April 6, 2018, at the intersection of Highways 335 and 35 near Tisdale.

“That intersection remained unsafe despite repeated warnings for over 20 years,” Fox said.

She pointed to a crash more than two decades earlier in which a British Columbia family of six was killed at the same crossing. An RCMP investigation at the time recommended changes to improve sight lines, recommendations Fox said were never implemented.

Only after the Broncos bus was struck did the province move to make the suggested improvements, a sequence Fox believes sets this case apart from others.

The Crash That Shook a Nation

The Broncos bus was en route to Nipawin for a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League game when it was hit by a semi-truck driven by Alberta resident Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, who ran a stop sign. Sixteen people were killed and 13 others injured.

Sidhu pleaded guilty in 2019 to 29 charges and was sentenced to eight years in prison.

Lawsuit’s Path and Purpose

When the lawsuit was first filed, it named Sidhu, his employer Adesh Deol Trucking Ltd., and the manufacturer of the team’s bus. Saskatchewan was added as a defendant in 2020.

Both Fox and Mellor said their clients are not only seeking damages but also acknowledgment of responsibility.

“Right now the government is saying we don’t have to be accountable for these deaths,” Mellor said.

As the families prepare their appeal, the case continues to raise a broader question — whether a legal system built to compensate without blame can also answer demands for accountability when tragedy strikes at a known danger point on the road.