Highway-safety upgrades in progress after tragic Interlake crash

Provincial workers have started to update or install safety measures at a rural Interlake intersection where four teenage friends died in a crash on Labour Day weekend.

Pavement markings were repainted at Highway 8 and Provincial Road 229, just west of Winnipeg Beach, ahead of work to refresh worn-down rumble strips, starting Monday, and install flashing lights atop two stop signs, following an assessment earlier this week.

“They will also need to incorporate any information from the RCMP report that might be helpful if we were to consider any additional safety measures at this intersection,” Transportation and Infrastructure Minister Lisa Naylor said of department staff.

“The most important thing is safety, and any kinds of changes we make at any intersection actually have to make it safer.”

Staff is assessing whether additional overhead lighting is needed, she said.

Two fatal crashes happened at the intersection this summer. The province began a review of the junction after an 86-year-old Teulon man died in a two-vehicle crash July 2.

The review was ongoing when Sunday night’s crash killed 18-year-olds Maya Borsa of the Sandy Hook area, Braiden Davis of Gimli and Chloe Vermette of Winnipeg, and 17-year-old Landyn Kay-Cameron, who lived in Ear Falls, Ont., and was raised in Manitoba.

Kay-Cameron’s family marked what would have been his 18th birthday Friday. Raised by grandparents in Stony Mountain and Teulon, he is survived by his mother, two older brothers and an unborn child, his aunt, Crystal Cameron, wrote in a letter to Naylor demanding additional safety measures.

The teens were in a westbound car on PR 229 when it was struck by a southbound van on Highway 8. The intersection, about 60 kilometres north of Winnipeg, has stop signs for traffic on PR 229.

Naylor said the flashing lights that will go atop the stop signs have been ordered. She expects them to be installed in the next week or two. Existing signs on PR 229 alert drivers that stop signs are ahead.

The van was occupied by a man, woman and two children from Winnipeg who suffered minor injuries, RCMP said. The cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Some of the teenagers’ families publicly called on the NDP government to make changes that they hope will prevent collisions. They noted the highway has become busier over the years, especially on Fridays and weekends when Manitobans head to and from beaches and cottages.

“Our family is shattered. Along with three other families. Our communities are shocked, outraged and in mourning for their losses,” Cameron wrote in a statement to the Free Press.

“I am not angry or blaming anyone. I am resolute. We dishonour all those who have perished there and everyone else who must traverse that roadway by simply continuing to do nothing about it.”

Her letter to Naylor, dated Thursday, asked the government to renew existing rumble strips on PR 229 to help warn drivers as they approach Highway 8.

Cameron, from Stonewall, also requested flashing lights in all directions to make drivers aware that an intersection is ahead. She wants the province to install permanent traffic signals.

“If the losses of Chloe, Landyn, Maya and Braiden aren’t enough of a catalyst for change, then I dread to wonder what it might take and how many lives of Manitobans it could take, for the provincial government to finally take action,” the letter said.

Naylor said she is open to meeting with the families.

Premier Wab Kinew said Wednesday he committed to pursuing some safety measures during conversations with the parents of some of the four teenagers. Borsa’s father, Tom, and Vermette’s mother, Veronique, told the Free Press they appreciated the phone call and the government’s initial steps.

Cameron told Naylor she will hold peaceful protests at the intersection every long weekend until the province commits to making the changes she asked for.

“These demands are not just to satisfy some bereaved people. It is to try to prevent this from ever happening again,” Cameron wrote.

She set up an online petition to support her call for changes to Highway 8 and PR 229. The petition had more than 1,625 signatures as of Friday afternoon.

Located just west of Winnipeg Beach, the intersection is on the boundary of the rural municipalities of Gimli and St. Andrews.

Winnipeg Beach Mayor Terry Calof spoke to Naylor earlier this week about potential changes to reduce the likelihood of a collision. His proposals included refreshed rumble strips and flashing red lights on the stop signs.

“If that’s going to happen, that’s wonderful,” he said Friday.

The province is installing 16 km of passing lanes on Highway 8 between Highway 67 and Gimli.

“That will make a really big difference for people travelling north or south on Highway 8,” Naylor said.

chris.kitching@freepress.mb.ca