A group of people from Saskatchewan from the automotive, sports and entertainment industries contributed money, memorabilia and time for an initiative to support the company involved in the emergency rescue of victims of the Humboldt Broncos tragedy.
Vaughn Wyant, owner of the Wyant Group which collectively has 19 dealerships in Saskatchewan, Alberta and B.C., and acclaimed home builder/hot rod builder Wayne Halabura are co-chairs of the Pegasus Project.
It was started to capitalize the upgrading of new helicopters for STARS Air Ambulance. STARS helicopters were used in the rescue operation of the Broncos’ accident on April 6, 2018 in Armley, Saskatchewan.
The Broncos are a team in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League and the accident happened when the driver of a semi-trailer ran through a flashing stop sign and collided with the bus carrying the team. A total of 16 people died in the accident and 13 injured. Stephen Wack, whose father, Alan, is a Dodge Dealer in St. Albert, Alberta, was a defenceman with the team and did not survive the crash. He was 21.
Pegasus refers to the constellation in the northern sky named after the mythical flying horse in Greek mythology. The flying horse is a mustang, which connects to a restored modern replica of a 1968 Ford Mustang Coupe that was for sale in the Barrett-Jackson Auction in Scottsdale, Arizona on January 28.
The car was built by Byron Thiessen, a Saskatchewan-based expert in creative concepts and restorations. The car is coloured charcoal grey with deep red accents, similar to the helicopters.
“Pegasus was chosen because of the three facets that align themselves perfectly with our program—it’s about wings, stars and the mustang,” Wyant said.
An initial $50,000 in seed money came from the Ford Dealers Advertising Association of Saskatchewan. The car was featured in a touring road show of Ford dealerships in Saskatchewan, beginning with Discovery Ford in Humboldt, and helped raise almost $250,000. It was also displayed last November at the International Specialty Equipment Market Association Show (SEMA) in Las Vegas.
“I think it’s so important when you see these red helicopters fly. They are going to help someone that is in real trouble. It could be in a farmer’s field in Saskatchewan, on a reservation up north in the province or some small town in Saskatchewan.”
— Vaughn Wyant, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Wyant Group
“I’m unabashedly asking everybody I know to give me money for the project,” said Wyant, who was recently appointed as a member of the Order of Canada for his contributions as a business leader in the automotive industry in western Canada and community philanthropy. “I think it’s so important when you see these red helicopters fly. They are going to help someone that is in real trouble. It could be in a farmer’s field in Saskatchewan, on a reservation up north in the province or some small town in Saskatchewan.”
The unveiling included Saskatoon-born film actor Kim Coates, who has appeared in films such as Black Hawk Down and Pearl Harbor and the TV series Sons of Anarchy. He volunteered as an ambassador for the project, along with several National Hockey League players from Saskatchewan, including Luke and Brayden Schenn, Tyler Bozak and Jaden Schwartz. Kaleb Dahlgren, who is one of the players who survived the crash, was scheduled to be at the auction.
“The project has really caught the imagination of a lot of people,” Wyant said. “There’s a lot of cool things we’re doing on this to really make a splash. Most people in the Prairies, maybe in Canada, have put their kids on buses like that for hockey tournaments or been on them themselves. It was just a brutal moment,” he said.
Wyant gave the keynote speech at the Western Canadian Dealer Summit in Banff about a month ago. A video for the project was shown, along with an appearance by Ryan Straschnitzki, who was one of players injured in the accident and is paralyzed from the waist down. He is now playing competitive sledge hockey and hopes to become a member of Canada’s national team. The people attending the summit were all moved to tears about the Humboldt story and made a significant financial contribution to the project.
“Every Canadian automobile dealer, regardless of the brand they represent, has a connection to hockey,” Wyant said. “It doesn’t take much when you start talking about hockey in Canada. When you start talking about that Humboldt bus crash it takes no effort to get somebody to write a cheque. They just all get it.”
