'It's a loss for everybody': Hundreds gather in Nackawic to mourn N.B. Power lineman
CBC
Hundreds of people showed up for the funeral of Colin Hume in Nackawic, N.B., on Sunday, delaying the service by over two hours as guests waited to pay their respects to the family.
Outside the funeral home, people waited patiently to make their way in. Parked cars and N.B. Power trucks stretched for around a kilometre.
Hume, a 47-year-old N.B. Power lineman, died after falling from a pole Tuesday night while trying to restore power near Hopewell Rocks.
The funeral home on Sunday was flooded with orange jackets and reflective gear as other linemen, who refer to themselves as brothers, filled the rows to show their support along with family and friends.
An additional 1,300 people joined in on a livestream from the local newspaper, the River Valley Sun, adding condolences and messages of support in the live chat.
Around 75 bucket trucks from across the Maritimes formed a procession from the funeral home to the burial site.
Janice McNeil, N.B. Power's executive director of corporate affairs, told CBC News there haven't been that many bucket trucks in one place since a hurricane.
She said the last time N.B. Power lost a worker in an accident like this one was 30 years ago.
"It hit all the crews very hard and not just the crews but everyone who works at N.B. Power," she said.
Jeff DeMerchant, who used to work with Hume, said Hume was never in a bad mood and was always great to work with.
"I heard about this the other day — I couldn't believe it," he said.
"It's a loss for everybody.… It's not right."