Manitoba eyes 3 options to improve intersection where crash killed 17

A scorched patch of ground where a bus carrying seniors ended up after colliding with a transport truck and is seen on the edge of the Trans-Canada Highway where it intersects with Hwy 5, near Carberry, Man., Friday, June 16, 2023. The crash killed 17 people. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

CARBERRY — The Manitoba government is moving closer to changing a highway intersection where a bus crash killed 17 people, but there is controversy over the plan.

The province is holding an open house tonight in Carberry, west of Winnipeg, not far from where a minibus carrying 24 seniors tried to cross the Trans-Canada Highway and was struck by a semi-trailer in 2023.

The province has discussed three options: widening the median, turning the intersection into a roundabout, or banning left turns onto the highway, which would force people to turn right before making a U-turn.

A meeting notice says the preferred option is to be presented at the meeting, and some area residents say the province has been pushing the third alternative, known as a R-cut.

Carberry Mayor Ray Muirhead says he still wants an overpass built — an option the government has said it’s not considering.

No charges were laid in the bus crash, as police said they could not prove the bus driver’s actions that day rose to the level of being criminal.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2025.