Months after the tragic Humboldt Broncos bus crash incident, new information has come to light suggesting that Transport Canada knew for years the safety risks involved with coach buses – such as the one involved in the accident.

In a 61-page internal document, Transport Canada outlined the aftermath of a coach bus rollover in Sussex, New Brunswick in 2001; the accident killed four children. According to the report, had the children been wearing seatbelts, “they would not have been ejected” from the vehicle.

The document, which was never publicly released, was obtained by CBC News under the Access to Information Act, as part of a five-month investigation into school bus and coach bus safety in Canada.

On April 6, 2018, a coach bus headed for Nipawin, Saskatchewan collided with a semi-truck near Armley, Saskatchewan; the bus was carrying members of the Humboldt Broncos junior hockey team. The accident resulted in 16 deaths and 13 injuries. Notably, everyone in the bus was ejected from the vehicle when the collision occurred.

Just last month, CBC News also obtained a similar internal document from 2010 that was not publicly released. The earlier report concluded that school buses “failed” safety tests and did not do enough to prevent “serious injuries.”

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