3 months after deadly shootings, grief and trauma linger in Faro, Yukon

Jack Bowers can't help but be reminded often of that day, exactly three months ago, when his longtime friend Pat McCracken was shot dead at home in Faro, Yukon.

"Every time I drive by Pat's home, which as I mentioned is just across the street from ours ... I'm reminded of Pat and all the good that he did in the community," Bowers, the town's mayor, said.

McCracken, 73, was killed on Oct. 26 by a gunman on a shooting rampage in the small, remote town. Over the course of an hour, the killer visited several places in Faro, leaving McCracken and another person dead and a third person critically injured. 

Saengduean Honchaiyaphum, 42, was the other person killed. Her estranged husband, Ralph Shaw, was taken into custody that day in Faro and now faces charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder, and two counts of aggravated assault. Shaw was expected to appear in court in Whitehorse again on Wednesday.

Speaking to CBC this week, Bowers was keen to talk about town council business. It's on his mind as he prepares for some strategic planning meetings this week. It's a healthy approach to dealing with grief, he says, and the work is important for helping his community move on. A lot of the regular council business took a backseat in the weeks after the shootings, and Bowers feels it's time to get back to it.

"Each day it is a little easier. We're moving forward," he said. 

"We're focused on our work. I think it's good to be keeping our mind occupied on other things."

Still, the grief and trauma linger for many people in town. Faro, population 470, is a tight-knit community, Bowers says.

Some residents are still reluctant to talk publicly about what happened in October. One town official declined an interview because they had witnessed some of the events that day and feelings were still raw. Another local resident, a friend of Honchaiyaphum, was similarly reluctant to speak on record. Those people, along with the mayor, suggested speaking to Kara Went.

Went has lived in Faro for 14 years and after the shootings she began to publicly advocate for more mental health support in Faro. She's still at it.

"We had an entire school's worth of children impacted by the events this fall. One mental health worker coming from [another] community every few weeks isn't even going to touch the surface of that," Went said this week.

"I think people are maybe just starting to come to terms with a bit of their grief. But if we don't have a proper way to deal with it, or someone to walk us through the steps of it, I just know many people are just going to completely ignore it. And we know that grief can come back, in a lot of other emotions."

After the shootings, Yukon Premier Sandy Silver promised counselling and other immediate support to help people in Faro. Went says there were "fantastic" mental health workers on hand initially, but not beyond the first few weeks.

Typically, Faro is served by mental health professionals based in Carmacks. Under the territory's community-hub model, the Carmacks office also serves the communities of Pelly and Ross River. Went says that's just not adequate.