CTV News Edmonton has reported:

Worn brakes and repair concerns that were not addressed contributed to the fatal rollover of an Ice Explorer tour bus at the Columbia Icefields, a fatality inquiry found. The bus, carrying 24 people, rolled 50 metres down a steep hill toward the Athabasca Glacier on July 18, 2020. Three people were thrown from the vehicle and killed, while 14 others were injured.

The inquiry found that the 1999 Foremost Terra Bus had worn components in its braking system. A driver who used the bus five days before the crash had asked for a braking problem to be checked, but the report said there was no “credible” evidence that the brakes were inspected or repaired.

“In short, the brakes suffered a catastrophic failure because they were worn, improperly inspected and concerns with respect to the brakes functioning were not attended to,” the judge said. The judge identified the failing braking system as one of the main factors in the crash.

Standard operating procedures had masked braking problems on earlier trips, the report said. Drivers were to put the Ice Explorer in six-wheel drive and engage the transmission lock-up before descending, allowing the vehicle to use engine power to limit its speed on a hill.

The bus was in neutral when it started down the steep slope, according to the report. It was estimated to have reached between 41 and 49 kilometres per hour before the driver lost control, well above an Ice Explorer’s top powered speed of 14 kilometres per hour. The report said it was unclear whether the driver had failed to put the bus in gear or whether it had come out of gear another way.

The driver tried to use the emergency brakes, but investigators found no evidence of effective braking at the scene. The inquiry also listed other contributing factors in the deaths, though the source text does not specify what they were.

Ice Explorers are specialized vehicles used at the Icefields since the 1980s. There are only 24, with 22 owned and operated by tour bus company Brewster Inc.

In 2025, Brewsters Inc. pleaded guilty to two charges under Alberta’s Occupational Health and Safety Act and was fined $475,000. The charges concerned failing to mandate seatbelts and failing to control hazards. The inquiry also issued recommendations to the company and Alberta’s ministers of transportation and jobs. The full report is available here.