Ryan Straschnitzki is coming to Lethbridge.
He is one of the survivors of the Humboldt Broncos bus crash. The April 2018 tragedy took the lives of 16 people, including Lethbridge’s Logan Boulet, and injured 13 others.
Straschnitzki was paralyzed from the chest down because of the incident. In the summer of 2025, he was able to walk along a 40-foot track in Calgary using a new exoskeleton.
He will share his story as part of Lethbridge Polytechnic’s 2026 Speaker Series.
The event is presented by Lethbridge’s Bruce McKillop along with Excite Lethbridge and is set for Wednesday, March 4 at the Lethbridge Trade and Convention Centre.
“Ryan’s story is one of resiliency and hope; sentiments I believe everyone should take into consideration in this day and age,” says McKillop, who has helped set up dozens of student awards and scholarships.
“I’m proud of what we’ve done with the speaker series, and I encourage students and the community to come hear Ryan’s message.”
STRAZ STRONG FOUNDATION
In addition to sharing his story in different communities, Straschnitzki is the founder of The Straz Strong Foundation, which helps those with disabilities improve their quality of life through adaptive sports, affordable rehabilitation and programs that increase the awareness of the challenges they face.
“Students and Lethbridge Polytechnic are an important part of the Lethbridge community, so we are excited to partner on an event that puts education first,” says Sydney Koppe, director of community engagement for Excite Lethbridge. “Our organization embraces this year’s theme of resiliency as we transitioned to a new entity this past year, and we are looking forward to being inspired and educated by Ryan’s message.”
Previous speakers at the event include Canadian musician, author and AI entrepreneur David Usher, and Canadian cave diver and underwater photographer Jill Heinerth.
Two sessions will be held on March 4, including an event for students at 2 p.m., and a main event at 6 p.m., which will be followed by a 7 p.m. networking session.
Tickets for the event at the Lethbridge Trade and Convention Centre are available on the Lethbridge Polytechnic website.
