Shootings in Tumbler Ridge have La Loche, Sask. survivors 'reliving' their own tragedy
CBC
For those who lived through the 2016 school shootings in La Loche, Sask., the news from B.C. this week is a reminder of the trauma that never truly left.
The violence in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., occurred at both a high school and a private home, making it one of the deadliest mass shootings in Canadian history. As of Wednesday, nine people were dead and more than 25 people were in hospital.
"The community is going to have a tough time moving forward," said Buckley Belanger, who was the MLA for the region during the La Loche tragedy and is now a Member of Parliament.
"Powerful emotions that they're going through right now and things like this, you know, it re-triggers folks like myself. It’s a tough round. Very, very tough,” Belanger said.
Robert St. Pierre, who was the mayor of La Loche during the 2016 shooting, said hearing the news from B.C. immediately took him back to that time and brought overwhelming emotions.
"When you're watching the news and you're hearing about it, it brings back memories of what we went through at that time. So there is triggers for sure," St. Pierre said.
He noted that while time passes, the memories of such an event are never truly forgotten.
"It’s a matter of how healthy you are and what kind of lifestyle you have, and what kind of supports you have," he said. "Without those relationships, it’s really challenging."
Jason Young, the director of education for the Northern Lights School Division, said flags at the division office and across schools in La Loche have been lowered to half-mast in solidarity with the B.C. community.
"We’re reliving what happened to us 10 years ago," Young said. Several staff members reached out reporting high levels of anxiety, he said.
In the years after the La Loche shootings, people in the community had to learn how to be more open about mental health; now, they’re using it to help others, Young said.
The school division has already reached out to the B.C. school district to offer practical support. Administrators from the elementary and high schools in La Loche have made themselves available to mentor their counterparts in Tumbler Ridge.
"One of the ways we can [address our own traumas] is to help others," Young said. "We know exactly what’s happening there today and the challenges with the aftermath of it all."
Young said while there will eventually be a time for ‘next steps,’ that comes later.
WARNING: This story discusses child sexual abuse material and contains graphic details of alleged sexual assault
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