Saskatchewan town demanding changes to rail crossing with history of fatalities

Residents in Churchbridge are calling for safety improvements after a recent fatal accident at a local rail crossing. Fruzsina De Cloedt reports.

Following the tragic death of Alyssa Thompson, residents of Churchbridge, Sask. are pushing for an improved rail crossing to prevent future fatalities.

“I even still to this day will not cross that crossing,” Kathleen Jenson told CTV News. Jenson’s ex-husband, David Holstein, was killed in a crash at the crossing years ago.

Holstein, their son Damion and his girlfriend were on their way to a hockey game in January 2023.

“It was 6:30 at night, it was a nasty and icy day,” she said.

That day, a train crashed into her ex-husband’s car, killing David and seriously injuring their son.

“David works or did work for CN, and all his crew members said that it was drilled into them that you’re cautious at railway crossings – and so that was something he too was very cautious about," Jenson added.

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After Holstein’s death, the town came together to demand for safety upgrades at Churchbridge’s Lovel Street crossing.

“I went and I talked to [MLA] Warren Keading. I went and I talked to [MP] Cathay Wagantall. I approached CP and I even got a consult with Transportation Canada. I had so many people rallying behind me, it was phenomenal,” resident Elyce Wilson told CTV News.

It was Wilson’s husband, a first responder, who arrived at the scene of the accident. They were friends.

“Then time happened, and everything just kind of started to subside,” Wilson recalled.

It wasn’t until recently that the demand for change was reignited.

On Dec. 29, 2025, Alyssa Thompson was killed at the same crossing. Her widow, Matthew Thompson, is now pushing for the same changes Wilson wanted to see, starting with a petition.

In just seven days, his call collected nearly 2,500 signatures.

“We’re definitely looking at doing something. Something has to be done. This is a problem that’s not going away,” Churchbridge Mayor Jared Melnyk told CTV News, in regards to Thompson’s petition. “We’re going to have to somehow work with all three levels of government as well as CP to find a solution.”

Melnyk said he’d been part of the Churchbridge administration for the last two accidents, as a member of council and as the town’s mayor. He said the issue at the Lovel Street crossing is a mystery to no one.

“Everybody who lives in and around the [Churchbridge] community knows about the intersection,” he said. “It’s not overly safe, but I mean, if you do stop and look, you will see a train coming. But, you know, we’re all human.”

The crossing is located at the end of Churchbridge’s Lovel Street and leads directly onto Highway 16.

In a statement to CTV News, Canada Pacific Kansas City (CPKC) said the crossing follows the regulations set forth by Transport Canada.

Residents CTV News spoke to said it’s dangerous without lights, especially at night because a residential house and a tree line are obstructing the view.

“We’re seeing more train traffic on that CP line, we’re seeing bigger, longer trains and an increasing number of trains that are going over there,” said Melville-Saltcoats MLA Warren Kaeding, who calls Churchbridge his hometown.

According to Statistics Canada, the population of Churchbridge was just shy of 900 in 2021.

“When I looked at the transport safety data, I believe … approximately 650 vehicles crossed that in a 24-hour window," MLA Kaeding emphasized.

In a series of documents obtained by CTV News, the town was quoted $390,680 to $444,162 to upgrade the crossing, depending on type.

“We’ve had meetings with CP and the dollar figure for putting in lights is just out of reach for the town,” Melnyk said, in response to the costs.

Kaeding told CTV News he’s looking to help the community.

“It’s very hard to put it into a value when you’ve lost human lives there. But it’s something that an elected council has to certainly add into their budget,” the MLA told CTV News. “So, if there’s other means that we can [do] to help support them in funding this change, that’s definitely something I’ve made as a priority.”

Wilson is optimistic, hoping that change will happen. At the same time, she thinks that her small community shouldn’t bear the cost alone.

“I find that it’s absolutely baffling that a for-profit company like CP Rail thinks that they should be able to offset the hundreds of thousands of dollars of these lights to keep patrons safe on a small tax base of 800 people,” she said.

CTV News reached out to Teamsters Canada Rail Conference, the union representing CPKC workers. In their response, Don Ashley, the union’s national legislative director, expressed his deepest condolences to the victims’ families and said he agrees that Transport Canada must review their regulations.

“Such accidents create victims far beyond the immediate loss of life, as train crews are forced, powerless, to witness a fatality. Many go on to struggle with PTSD or other serious mental-health consequences as a result,” he said.

Ashley added that; “the federal government must work to reduce these accidents to as close to zero as possible.”

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