Premier David Eby arrived in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., where nine people died in a mass shooting Tuesday.
Flanked by community members, first responders and fellow politicians outside Tumbler Ridge town hall, Eby said he had only seen a “thousandth” of what the community is dealing with and called it an incredibly strong community.
“Everybody’s worried about someone else,” he said.
“Every single person has said “just make sure you’re looking after this group of people”, everybody is reaching out to support someone else in this community right now.”
Eby said it’s also a community in shock, and that the full extent of what has happened hasn’t sunk in.
“We we’re down the street at a vigil, put together by some community members, just people who wanted to have a chance to come together, as one of the speakers said, to have a physical representation of how the community is pulling together to support these parents, these families, who’ve lost loved ones,” he said.
Eby said one speaker spoke about Maya, one of the victims who is currently fighting for her life in hospital.
“We were asked as a group to take a moment of silence, to pray, however people pray, or reflect, to send strength to that family right now,” Eby said.
“That moment for me is representative of the profound tragedy, a beautiful child who went to school, who was full of joy and love. She’s clinging to life in a hospital right now.”
Eby said they will make sure all the supports are available, “knowing that they will never be adequate” for what the families are going through.
Eby was joined by federal Minister of Public Safety Gary Anandasangaree, who said he is heartbroken.
“The depth of this despair, we see acts of heroism,” Anandasangaree said.
“As we mourn the death, senseless death, of so many young people, what we can do here as a federal government is to support the local community, to support the Mayor, to support the families, to support the first responders, to support the teachers, and to ensure that we’re with them every step of the way.”
Anandasangaree said he has been to many vigils in his life, but he’s never seen this many children attend one.
“That’s tragic. Everyone of those children there today are going to carry the scars of yesterday,” he said.
“As they grow, we will need to continue to support them, and their parents, and their community.”
His provincial counterpart, B.C. Minister of Public Safety Nina Krieger said the loss the community has suffered is immeasurable.
“Among the losses was an educator, doing one of the most important jobs in our society,” she said.
“Young students who had their entire lives ahead of them, and members of a family who should have been safe in their homes. To the families who are grieving, to the students who witnessed what no child should ever see, to the teachers and school staff who acted with courage to protect those in their care, and to the first responders, who move towards danger without hesitation, we stand with you, and we thank you.”
The final speaker was Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka, who expressed gratitude to the provincial and federal governments and other agencies for quickly getting counsellors and other supports into the community.
“It is so important when we see a tragedy like this, with young lives lost, families don’t have their children coming home last night,” he said, visibly and audibly upset.
“I think it was really important to see that, and I thank the government, they came right to bat, and I can’t thank them enough for that.”
He asked people to be there for each other, and encouraged people to talk to each other.
“Everyone’s going to be grieving in Tumbler Ridge, and we’re one big family, and I can’t say that enough,” he said.
“Lend your ear when somebody needs your ear, lend your shoulder when somebody needs your shoulder, give somebody a hug.”
He also asked media in attendance to give the families space to grieve.
