The former President and CEO of Loewen is being remembered as an incredible person.
Al Babiuk died in a two-vehicle collision on Saturday which occurred just east of Ninette on Highway 23.
Jon Sawatzky, Director of Product and Marketing, says Babiuk made a huge impact in the business.
“With the economic crash that happened in 2008/09, and his tenure as leading the company out of that and into the prosperous times that we’re seeing today, he was pretty instrumental. From a business perspective, what he was able to do and the team he was able to build was pretty incredible. So, he really means a lot to the business.”
Sawatzky says Babiuk really cared about people and that was evident in how he treated everyone around him.
“Individually as a person, he really cared. He did things that normal CEOs wouldn't have done so he kind of set a pretty high standard. It was all about personal relationships, getting to know you and your family and (he was) just a wonderful person.”
In a press release, Clyde Loewen expressed the following sentiments, "Aside from being a strong business leader through some tough times, Al was a trusted business partner, community supporter and genuinely good person of highest integrity. For many of us, he was also a friend. It's difficult to overstate Al's contribution to this company and the people in it."
Killarney RCMP, along with a forensic collision reconstructionist, continue to investigate the collision that occurred on Saturday, September 7th.
At approximately 10:05pm, RCMP received a report of an erratic driver, involving a grey-coloured pickup truck, on Highway 23 in the Belmont area in southwestern Manitoba.
RCMP report, “While officers were en route to the area, they came across a two-vehicle collision on Highway 23, located just east of Ninette at the bridge. One of the vehicles involved was a grey-coloured pickup truck.”
The investigation determined that a westbound pickup truck, being driven by a 59-year-old male from Killarney, lost control of his vehicle and struck the concrete portion of the bridge railing causing his vehicle to roll.
Police report the pickup truck then collided with an eastbound SUV containing three occupants.
“The 59-year-old was pronounced deceased on scene. The three occupants of the SUV were not physically injured,” state RCMP.
-With files from Kenton Dyck