Editorial – Tumbler Ridge

The British Columbia community of Tumbler Ridge has roughly the same population as Morrisburg and Iroquois combined. Last week, one of the worst horrors that could happen in a community and to the families involved occurred. It was a school shooting that resulted in the death of six people and injured 27 others — two critically. Another shooting at the home of the person who committed this atrocity left two of her family members dead.

Kylie Smith, 12, Abel Mwansa, 12, Zoey Benoit, 12, Shannda Aviugana-Durand, 39, Ticaria Lampert, 12, Ezekiel Schofield, 12, Emmett Jacobs, 11, and Jennifer Jacobs, 39. These are the eight victims whose futures will never be realized.

While horrific crimes like this are a near-weekly, if not daily, occurrence in the United States, it is not so here in Canada. There has been an increase in violence in schools. There is no resident of Tumbler Ridge, a community of 3,000 people, who will not feel the weight and sorrow of this.

When tragedies like this occur, there is a wider reflection that takes place. Why did this happen? How could it have been prevented? How can we stop another like this from happening?

In the weeks to come, we will learn through media reports all the sordid details of the perpetrator’s life and her issues. A lot of holes in the story will be plugged with conjecture. We will never fully know why a troubled youth, who was related to two of the victims, turned to horrific violence and terror as the right course of action.

How could this have been prevented? Canada has very strict gun laws, yet firearms that were seized by the police were returned. All the firearms control laws in the country will not stop the illegal sale of guns. Mental health is often cited as an issue. There are never enough resources to address mental health for youth in a community. B.C. is among the top-spending provinces per capita on youth mental health in the country. But being the highest-spending province does not mean that the needs are being met — especially in rural and remote communities. The keys to prevention are indeed rooted in the latter two points.

Police need more resources to ensure compliance with current gun laws — that includes accountability for police who have seized weapons. There is a continuing need for more mental health resources for youth and adults in rural and remote communities.

Lastly, there is a need for more security — specifically in our secondary schools. After the 2016 La Loche, Saskatchewan, school shooting that killed five and wounded six more, provincial governments across Canada spent money improving school security. During school hours, nearly every elementary school in Ontario has the doors locked and a security buzzer entry system. While it is not perfect, it provides a delay, a chance to deter and prevent a tragedy — secondary schools do not have such a system. Most of these schools do not even have a centralized door locking system that enables a lockdown. Students are free to move in and out of the school as they wish, as are community members. It may be unpopular and expensive to put in place, but some form of controlled entry through a security buzzer system and a centralized locking system should be installed in secondary schools. The inconvenience of a security measure in relation to preventing tragedy is a small price to pay.

Tumbler Ridge Secondary School has a smaller student population than Seaway District High School in Iroquois. That population is smaller now after the events of last week. Many tragedies can be prevented if there is a willingness to plan for them. Let this be the final lesson we must learn.