Crash claims life of RM of Ste Anne councillor

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This article was published 12/01/2023 (846 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A weekend collision between a vehicle and a train in the RM of La Broquerie has taken the life of an RM of Ste Anne councillor, firefighter, and community builder who colleagues say routinely went above and beyond to serve his hometown of Richer.

Brent Wery, 42, died Sunday around 6 p.m. when his eastbound vehicle collided with a northbound train at a rural intersection located halfway between La Broquerie and Marchand.

Steinbach RCMP responded to the scene, located on Road 33N at Twin River Road, to find Wery had been thrown from his vehicle. He was pronounced dead on scene.

RCMP said they believe slippery road conditions were a factor in the crash. The investigation is ongoing, but a spokesperson said it didn’t appear Wery had been wearing a seatbelt.

La Broquerie Fire Chief Alain Nadeau said responding to a fatal collision involving a member of a neighbouring fire department “was pretty tragic and personal for us” and deferred further comment to the RCMP.

Wery joined the Richer Fire Department in 2004, rising to the rank of captain.

“We cannot even begin to explain how huge of a loss this is for our department, let alone our community,” the department wrote on its Facebook page.

“He was an amazing guy,” Richer Fire Chief Chris Wilkins said by phone. “If you ask him for help, he’d give you the shirt off his back.”

Wilkins said Wery was as passionate about the wider community as he was about firefighting.

“He was a big part of the community. I’ve known him for close to 10 years.”

In October, Wery was acclaimed to a second consecutive term on RM of Ste Anne council, representing Ward 3. His time on council followed two terms on the LUD of Richer committee.

The RM of Ste Anne municipal office closed its doors to the public on Monday to mark Wery’s loss.

“He was incredibly full of energy and passion,” said Ward 6 Coun. Randy Eros, who worked with Wery for more than a decade.

“You would think that he was too young a man to be a pillar in the community, but that’s how I find myself describing him.”

Eros praised Wery’s dedication to municipal politics on top of his day job as a charge radiology technologist at Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg. Eros said Wery would sometimes spend his lunch breaks at the hospital patching into council discussions by phone or video.

Reeve Richard Pelletier was Wery’s council colleague for just two months, but got to know Wery years earlier, during inter-municipal discussions with the neighbouring Town of Ste Anne, where Pelletier was mayor. Wery was also a customer at the small repair shop Pelletier runs.

“He was a young man that was so passionate for the RM, and the people around and helping people, and losing him is definitely a big loss,” Pelletier said by phone.

“He would walk so many miles to help anyone in the RM of Ste Anne. He would go the extra mile all the time. It’s a big loss.”

Pelletier and Eros said they last saw Wery on Dec. 14, at council’s final meeting of 2022.

Wery was also a past president of the Richer Community Club, where he served on the board for 14 years.

“He was all about community and neighbours, always willing to listen to and share ideas,” the Club wrote on Facebook.

Wery was also involved with Eastman Minor Hockey, serving as the vice-director for female participation and as a U11 convenor.

“We appreciate Brent’s passion for the female game and all of his work to support our league,” the Eastern Manitoba Female Hockey League wrote on Facebook.

“His passing will leave a void in his hometown of Richer, MB and surrounding communities. May he rest in peace.”

Hockey Manitoba offered condolences on Twitter, saying Wery “proudly represented the Eastman Region” on the organization’s Female Council.

Wery was born and raised in Richer, where he parented three children, including an infant.

RM of Ste Anne council was due to have its first regular meeting of 2023 at press time yesterday. Eros said Wery’s absence will be acutely felt.

“We will miss him incredibly. There better be a lot of Kleenex in the meeting room, quite frankly.”