Latest news with #OliviaMichalczuk
CTV News
11-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
Royal Canoe announces funeral plans after death of bandmate and his partner
Winnipeg band Royal Canoe has announced plans to honour the lives of a bandmate and his partner who died in a highway crash earlier this month. In a social media post, the band said a traditional Catholic funeral for Brendan Berg and Olivia Michalczuk will take place on July 14 at 10 a.m. at the Sts. Volodymyr and Olha Cathedral. Royal Canoe notes the cathedral has a capacity of 1,200, plus an overflow area. Attendees are invited to gather at The Forks following the funeral. Royal Canoe also announced that a celebration of life will be held at the Burton Cummings Theatre on July 15. Doors will open at 6:30 p.m., with the event starting at 7 p.m. Berg and Michalczuk died on July 1 in a collision in western Manitoba that killed three people.
CTV News
03-07-2025
- Entertainment
- CTV News
‘Inspiring force': Royal Canoe bassist remembered after crash in Manitoba kills 3
Musician Brendan Berg is shown in this undated photo. (Source: Royal Canoe / Facebook) WINNIPEG — Staples in Winnipeg's music scene and beyond offered condolences and tributes Thursday after learning the bassist in a beloved band died in a highway crash with two others. Indie pop band Royal Canoe, on social media, said Brendan Berg died in the crash Tuesday, a day before his 43rd birthday, along with his partner, Olivia Michalczuk. Berg's death has left an 'enormous and sudden hole in the lives of everyone who knew him,' the post said. 'Over the last 15 years of cross-country tours, late studio nights — through the high highs and low lows, Brendan's relentless positivity, big smile, and considerate nature were a stabilizing and inspiring force for us,' the band posted Wednesday. 'He was always the first to volunteer his time to pick up the trailer from the shop or load gear after tour. His generosity and selflessness were legendary.' Mounties responded to the crash north of Swan River in western Manitoba, where two vehicles were found in a ditch. RCMP said a vehicle crossed the centre line and hit a vehicle parked on the edge of the road. They said a 42-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman in the parked vehicle were taken to hospital, where they died. A 29-year-old man who was a passenger in the first vehicle later died of his injuries. The 36-year-old male driver was listed in stable condition. Royal Canoe has been a Winnipeg favourite for more than a decade and has played shows with the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra. In 2014, the group received a Juno Award nomination for alternative album of the year for 'Today We're Believers.' The same year, they won best independent album at the Western Canadian Music Awards. The band has toured with English rockers Alt-J and Bombay Bicycle Club and played major festivals, including Iceland Airwaves, Bonnaroo in Tennessee and Osheaga in Montreal. 'So sad and sorry to hear this news. Much love to you all,' the Sam Roberts Band said in a response the band's announcement. Songwriter Dan Mangan called the crash 'absolutely tragic and devastating.' 'It's all so fleeting. Love you, guys,' he posted. The Park Theatre said Berg was a fixture at the popular Winnipeg live music venue. 'Whether on stage or in the crowd, he was always present, always smiling and always showing love for the music and community around him,' it said on social media. Not-for-profit promoter Manitoba Music said the deaths of Berg and Michalczuk are a 'deep loss.' 'Both have left an immeasurable mark on the music community and have meant so much to so many for their creativity, kindness and generosity.' Michalczuk, also well-known in the local music scene, was a juror for the Polaris Music Prize, an annual music award that recognizes the best full-length Canadian album. '(Michalczuk) was a strong voice in the Polaris community, having served on the jury since 2019,' said the award group. Royal Canoe said her energy and enthusiasm brought out the best in Berg. 'Her passing is equally as devastating to try to understand.' RCMP spokeswoman Michelle Lissel said charges could be laid against the lone survivor. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 3, 2025. Brittany Hobson, The Canadian Press
CTV News
03-07-2025
- CTV News
Third person dies following Canada Day crash: RCMP
The RCMP logo is seen outside the force's 'E' division headquarters in Surrey, B.C., on March 16, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck Manitoba RCMP says a third person has died following a two-vehicle crash in western Manitoba on Canada Day. The crash occurred on Highway 10 at approximately 3:30 p.m., about three kilometres north of Bowsman. RCMP believe a vehicle being driven south on Highway 10 near Road 224 veered over the highway line and hit a stationary vehicle on the eastern edge of the highway, causing a rollover. RCMP reported Wednesday that a 42-year-old man and a 31-year-old woman died in hospital. They have been identified as Brendan Berg, the bassist for Winnipeg band Royal Canoe, along with his partner Olivia Michalczuk. A 36-year-old man from Winnipeg who was driving the southbound vehicle and a 29-year-old passenger from Swan River were both hospitalized with critical injuries. On Thursday, RCMP said the 29-year-old passenger died from his injuries. The driver has been upgraded to stable condition. RCMP continues to investigate. -With files from CTV's Milan Lukes and The Canadian Press
CBC
03-07-2025
- CBC
3rd person dies following head-on Manitoba crash that killed Royal Canoe bassist, partner on Canada Day
A third person has died following a fatal two-vehicle crash that claimed the lives of a bassist in a Winnipeg indie-pop band and his partner earlier this week, RCMP say. Brendan Berg and Olivia Michalczuk died Tuesday, band Royal Canoe said in a statement on Instagram. Berg would have turned 43 Wednesday, the band said. Michalczuk was 31. Mounties previously said investigators believe another vehicle was headed south on Highway 10 when it veered over the centre line and crashed into the vehicle Berg and Michalczuk were inside, which police suspect was parked. Berg and Michalczuk's vehicle rolled into the ditch. The driver of the other vehicle, a 36-year-old Winnipeg man, and a 29-year-old passenger from Swan River were both taken to hospital with critical injuries. In a news release on Thursday, RCMP said the passenger has since also died from his injuries. The driver of that vehicle is still in stable condition in hospital. Police said they responded to the head-on crash about three kilometres north of Bowsman, a community north of Duck Mountain Provincial Park, around 3:30 p.m. on Canada Day. The crash site is approximately 280 kilometres northwest of Brandon.
CTV News
03-07-2025
- CTV News
Manitoba musician, partner dead in highway crash
The RCMP logo is seen outside Royal Canadian Mounted Police "E" Division Headquarters, in Surrey, B.C., on Friday April 13, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck SWAN RIVER — The bassist for a Winnipeg band and his partner are dead after a Canada Day crash on a Manitoba highway. Indie pop band Royal Canoe says bass player Brendan Berg died in the crash a day before his 43rd birthday, along with Olivia Michalczuk. RCMP say they responded to a head-on crash on Tuesday afternoon north of Swan River, in western Manitoba. They say a southbound vehicle veered over the centre line and hit another vehicle that's believed to have been parked, causing it to roll over. Police say two men in the southbound vehicle suffered critical injuries, while a 42-year-old man and a 31-year-old female passenger in the other vehicle died in hospital. Royal Canoe said on social media that Berg's death has left an 'enormous and sudden hole in the lives of everyone who knew him.' 'Over the last 15 years of cross-country tours, late studio nights - through the high highs and low lows, Brendan's relentless positivity, big smile, and considerate nature were a stabilizing and inspiring force for us,' the band wrote. 'He was always the first to volunteer his time to pick up the trailer from the shop or load gear after tour. His generosity and selflessness were legendary.' The band offered condolences to the families of Berg and Michalczuk. 'Olivia's energy and enthusiasm brought out the best in Brendan, and her passing is equally as devastating to try to understand.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 2, 2025. The Canadian Press
