134 first responders receive Order of the Buffalo Hunt for actions in response to Carberry bus crash

Oct. 30, 2024, Manitoba — Premier Wab Kinew of Manitoba has awarded 134 first responders with the Order of the Buffalo Hunt for their bravery and courage while responding to the Carberry bus crash.

The crash, which took place on June 15, 2023, was a collision between a paratransit bus and a semi-truck on the Trans-Canada Highway. It killed 17 people and injured eight others.

First responders who received the honour included firefighters from the Carberry North Cypress-Langford Fire Department, Brandon Fire and Emergency Services and Neepawa Volunteer Fire Department, along with representatives from ambulance services, the RCMP and provincial call takers and dispatchers.

“We want to honour those whose valour and heroism helped to embody the best of Manitobans,” said Kinew in a press release. “When we think of the first responders and how they stepped up and answered the call that day and in a moment of challenge or a moment of danger, they went towards the crisis instead of running away.”

The Order of the Buffalo Hunt is one of the highest honours in the province. Chief Yves Guillas from the Carberry North Cypress-Langford Fire and Rescue, Chie Terry Parlow of the Neepawa Volunteer Fire Department, Kevin Garrioch of Brandon Fire and Emergency Services and Ryan Schenk and Grant Winder from the Office of the Fire Commissioner were on hand to accept the certificate and statuette on behalf of all recipients.