Messages to the people of Tumbler Ridge from the Friday, Feb 13 vigil

Mayor Darryl Krakowka

Tonight, we gather as a community in grief.

We gather to honor the lives that were taken, to stand with the families who are carrying unimaginable pain, and to remind one another that none of us walks through this alone. Tonight, on Treaty 8 territory, we acknowledge the indigenous people who have cared for this land since time in memorial. We thank them for their stewardship and for standing with us in the moment of heartbreak.

This evening is about remembrance. It’s about reflection. It’s about love. We offer our prayers for those who are recovering, for those who are injured, and for those who continue to carry physical and emotional wounds from this tragedy. I ask that we all approach this vigil with the respect and dignity this moment deserves. To our media friends who are here, thank you for helping share our story. We ask that you please be mindful and respectful of the families and those that are grieving.

In the days since this tragedy, we have seen heartbreak, but we have also seen extraordinary compassion and courage. Neighbours checking in on neighbours, strangers offering help. leaders from across our province and country standing with us. That is what tonight is about.

We are a small community, but we are a strong community. We are a family and in moments like this, families come together.

Before we continue, I would like to acknowledge two young members of our community and the people that helped them. Geoff and Andrew Slovick, the brothers who organized the first vigil. In the immediate aftermath of this tragedy, your leadership, your compassion, an initiative helped bring people together when we needed it most. Thank you.

This evening, we’ll begin with a prayer from Elder from West Moberly, Elder George Desjarlais, from West Moberly First Nations and Salute Leadership, Chief Wilson and Chief Paquette, grounding us in reflection and respect. We are honoured by the presence of the governor general, the prime minister, the lieutenant governor, the premier, and the federal party leaders who have traveled here tonight to stand in solidarity with Tumbler Ridge. We thank them for being with us.

We also thank our local members of parliament and members of the legislative assembly for being here with us and for their support during this difficult time. We also we are also joined by leaders from across our region, province and country and we thank them along with our first responders and frontline workers for standing with us tonight as we honour the victims and hold close their families and loved ones.

There will also be words of faith and reflection and we will close this vigil together in unity. Let us hold space for one another tonight. Let us remember, let us support one another. And let us show through our compassion and our presence what this community truly stands for.

Again, thank you for being here. Tumbler Ridge Strong.

Chief Roland Wilson, West Moberley First Nations

Words are…words seem to not be enough. When I heard the news, I couldn’t fathom what had happened. And our nations have come: Chief Paquette from Saulteau, Chief Sherry [Dominic] from Blueberry and Chief Valerie Askoty from Prophet River are here. The other chiefs were not able to attend but their hearts are with us.

To the families that have suffered this devastating tragedy, know that we stand with you and that our love wraps around you. We hope that you can heal. We share our sympathies, our empathy, our compassion and our love with you and wish that this had never happened. We pray that you can heal and someday, in your own way, be able to forgive what has happened. Thank you for allowing us to be here. and sharing this with you.

Chief Paquette, Saulteau First Nations

I’d like to thank Elder George for the prayer.

I didn’t want to write a speech. I wanted to bring it from my heart.

The travesty that happened here is something that’s going to go on and live with this town for a long time. I know the feeling. I’ve been through it. I lost my daughter 13 years ago. And to lose a child is like getting your heart ripped out. But Chief Wilson is right. If we all get together and support one another and work together, we can get through this, because we are family. Like the mayor says, we’re neighbours. We’re Treaty 8. We can all get through this.

To this day, every minute that goes by, every day that goes by, I remember my daughter. Family is the biggest part of life. They’re the ones that will comfort you when you’re down. They will help you. And as parents, we need to talk to our children at least once a week and ask them how are they doing. Do they have any challenges?

I’m not perfect in any way. And I don’t

think any of us are. But we need to speak to our children more so we can understand the pains they’re going through. I’m so honored I got to speak here today, but I didn’t want to come and speak for something like this. It really pains me and I thank you.

Governor General of Canada Mary Simon

I am deeply moved to be here with you to offer my condolences on behalf of all Canadians.

This nation and many of the world’s leaders, including their majesties, the King and Queen, stand behind you.

I cannot fathom the depth of your sorrow or the shock, the fear and horror you have endured. As parents, we watch our children grow, learning and experiencing the world through their eyes.

We find hope in their innocence and imagine a future where they will thrive and make their mark in the world. We are drawn to the irresistible brightness of their spirit.

We cannot imagine life without that brilliant spark in it.

So when the unthinkable becomes real, we are plunged into shadow. We still seek that light with all their brilliance. Your children made a lasting mark on this community and on the lives they touched. Your memories of them will continue to shine brightly through this dark time.

I wish to thank the school personnel, the first responders, the RCMP, medical personnel, and mental health professionals who have been supporting Tumbler Ridge throughout this tragedy. They are our heroes. And to the wider community, know this. There is no right or wrong or wrong way to grieve.

But I continue. I encourage you to lean on each other, to listen to one another, so that the grief may be easier to bear. Be there for the families. Let them know they are not alone on this difficult journey. Give yourselves the space and time to grieve in the days, weeks, and months ahead.

You are not alone. Canada? Canada is with you.

Prime Minister Mark Carney

Thank you all for letting me be here with you this evening. I know that nothing I can say will bring your children home. I know that no words from me or anyone can fill the silence in your homes tonight. And I won’t pretend otherwise.

But I, the leader of the opposition, the leader of all the federal parties, wanted you to hear, not from Ottawa, not through a screen, but standing here together in your home. We wanted you to hear that Canadians are with you and we will always be with you.

We wanted you to hear that whatever portion of your sadness that Canadians can bear to help to ease your heavy load, we will gladly do so.

I’ve spent the last few hours in Tumbler Ridge with my colleagues. I’ve sat with families, first responders, friends, neighbours who’ve had to live through something that no one should ever have to endure.

And we’ve listened and we felt what’s always defined this community: people caring for each other. That is who you are. In tough economic times, you didn’t leave. You stayed. You helped your neighbours find work. You kept the lights on at the rink and the doors open at the school. When the wildfires threatened, you checked in on the seniors down the block. You loaded trucks. You made sure that no one was left behind.

And when the unimaginable happened on Tuesday, you were there again. First responders at this school in less than two minutes. Teachers shielding their children. You held each other as you’re holding each other right now.

This is grace. It’s what we do for each other. It’s what we receive from each other. Open hearts when the world falls apart.

Tumbler Ridge is full of grace this evening.

I want to speak for a moment about those we lost.

Abel Mwansa, a bright, shining, smiling, ambitious young man who loved school so much that he teared up when his father suggested homeschooling.

Zoey Benoit, a resilient, vibrant, caring, strong 12-year-old who loved art, singing and playing with her siblings.

Tiki Lampert. Tiki Torch. A young woman powered by love and happiness who loved her siblings, painting, cooking, crafts and K-pop, demon hunters.

Ezekiel Schofield, a hockey player who always had a smile on his face.

Kylie Smith. Beautiful, kind, innocent soul, an artist who dreamed of studying in Toronto one day.

Shannda Aviugana-Durand, who on Tuesday went to Tumbler Ridge Secondary School so that students could learn, who stayed to protect. There’s no greater act of love.

Tonight, Maya and Paige are in BC Children’s Hospital in Vancouver, and we’re praying for them and the others who are wounded. Just as we pray for Jennifer and Emmett who were taken from their home, for they too deserve to be mourned.

I’d like to share one other thing with you this evening. In 1989, a young woman was sitting in a classroom in Montreal when a gunman opened fire. She was shot four times.

She survived. 14 others of her friends and classmates did not. And in the weeks that followed, still recovering from her wounds, she made a decision to go back and finish her degree.

It wasn’t easy. It took years. The pain didn’t disappear.

It never fully has. But she built a life. She became an engineer. She raised four children. And now she serves with my colleagues in the House of Commons. And this week she spoke through tears about your children. I share her story not because healing is simple. It’s not. Not because there’s a timeline for grief. There isn’t. No one can tell you how to share your burden. But that woman, Nathalie Provost, is proof—living, breathing proof—that it’s possible to endure the unendurable.

That the horror of what happened doesn’t have to be the end of what to come. And that’s true because we don’t just give grace, we receive grace. Grace from Kylie, Ezekiel, Zoey, Tiki, Abel, Shannda. Grace that fills this community, this extended family, gathering in the cold and holding candles for all of your children. And the grace from across Canada.

And when we leave here tonight and some of you go back to quiet houses, some of you go back to empty rooms, please know that you’re not alone.

When you wake up tomorrow and the world feels impossible, know that millions of Canadians are with you. When the cameras leave and the quiet sets in, know that we still will be here. And know that we shall need you, too. Because Canada is a community that relies on each other’s grace. And may that grace bless us all.

Conservative Party Leader Pierre Poilievre

We are a nation with a broken heart, but we are also a nation with open arms. And those arms wrap all of the people of Tumbler Ridge in love.

We are all today Tumbler Ridge strong. The prime minister spoke of grace and indeed, he has shown tremendous grace in bringing together the leaders of all political parties and flying us here together as one.

We all lead political parties but today there are no Conservatives. There are no Liberals, New Democrats, Greens or Bloc Quebecois.

We are all, as we were in that plane together, mothers and fathers. We all watched our kids go to school, expecting them to come back safely. We’ve all had that experience when the child leaves your sight for even an instant. That terror that gives us a tiny, minuscule glimpse at the absolute heartache that the parents who have lost so much are suffering today. There are, as the prime minister said, no words that will ever fill the infinite gap that is now in your life.

Some of you have told me that even this morning you keep waiting for your little one to come running into your bedroom.

But all there is is silence.

To the students at school, the teachers and administrators, you have witnessed an incredible horror that will be indelibly marked on your memories. Out of that, you have shown incredible, relentless courage. Teachers who barricaded kids and protected them from the shooter. Students who protected each other and showed incredible bravery.

To the first responders, the police, paramedics, firefighters, and others who came to the rescue. We thank you and we will forever be grateful.

To the people of this incredible town, you are the backbone of our nation. As the prime minister said, you’ve survived great hardship, wildfires, closing and reopening of coal mines. The people here are known for the relentless hard work, their hardy nature. You fight your own battles, but you’re never far away from helping a neighbour in need.

Some might call these ordinary people, but there is nothing ordinary about the people in this town. You are extraordinary.

And to all those who have lost, we remember your loved ones. I met with the parents of Abel Abel Wanza, a popular, charming young man who was loved in school and loved to be there. Kylie Smith’s family told me of her dreams of being an artist. Zoey, described by her family in one word: strong. Ezekiel, loved by classmates and by friends. Tikaria Lampert, a light in this community. And Shannda Aviugana-Durand. Her husband told me she loved nothing more than her students. He said that even though gum and candy were against the rules in the classroom, she would sneak them in past the administrators, and every child was made to feel special on their birthday. Jennifer and Emmett and those who are surviving and fighting for their lives in the hospital today.

These are not just names. Each one of them had a story. Each one of them was special. Each one of them had dreams. So what do we do at their loss? How can we assure that they live on in this world even after they’ve passed into the next through our memories of their incredible lives and by holding our own children a little extra tight, remembering that we have nothing but the present.

And so I conclude with a short poem.

If tomorrow starts without me, and I’m not there to see,

If the sun should rise and find your eyes all filled with tears for me;

I wish so much you wouldn’t cry the way you did today,

while thinking of the many things we didn’t get to say.

I know how much you care for me, and how much I care for you,

and each time that you think of me I know you’ll miss me too;

But when tomorrow starts without me, please try to understand,

that an angel came and called my name and took me by the hand,

and said my place was ready in heaven far above,

and that I’d have to leave behind all those I dearly love.

But as I turned to walk away, a tear fell from my eye,

for all life, I’d always thought I didn’t want to die.

I had so much to live for and so much yet to do.

it seemed almost impossible that I was leaving you.

I thought of all the love we shared and all the fun we had.

If I could relive yesterday, I thought, just for a while,

I’d say goodbye and hug you and maybe see you smile.

But then I fully realized that this could never be,

for emptiness and memories would take the place of me.

And when I thought of worldly things that I’d miss come tomorrow.

I thought of you, and when I did, my heart was filled with sorrow.

But when I walked through Heaven’s gates, I felt so much at home.

When God looked down and smiled at me, from His great golden throne

Wendy Cocchia, Lieutenant Governor of British Columbia

I am here representing the people of British Columbia and we join you as neighbours and as friends and as your community.

Through my husband, I have known what it’s like to be from a beautiful small town where people are truly a part of just being a great family. Where we look out for each other, where we know every face and every name, and where we are all part of that great village of what it takes to raise a child. And it’s these familiar faces where we see them at the soccer field and in the grocery store and at the ice hockey rink.

And there will be some beautiful faces missing and indeed they will be sorely missed. Remember please that you do not grieve alone.

Grief is not something that passes quickly. It’s painful and it’s a slow process. It moves at its own pace. But please, when you feel it, do not retreat. Do not withdraw. Stay engaged and please stay connected with one another.

Tonight, I want everyone in Tumbler Ridge to know the sincere compassion of an entire province and a country that mourns alongside you.

As a mother, I’m here tonight as well as representing the people of British Columbia and it’s absolutely impossible to imagine the pain and sorrow and grief that you are experiencing. I can’t imagine sending our children off for the day or our loved ones and that they don’t return.

My heart aches for you. My thoughts and prayers are sincerely with you. And I want you to know that we are here not only for you tonight, but I promise you and I give you my word that we are here for you as long as it takes and it will take a long time. Thank you.

Premier David Eby (who was joined by the Minister of Education, the Minister of Health, the leader of the official opposition conservatives, Trevor Halford, and Jeremy Valeriote, House leader of the Green Party)

We are here to underline the message that you’ve heard tonight about the unity of our response as a provincial government across partisan lines.

I had the opportunity today to meet Mr Deeley. He was with his son Finn and with Maddie and Paige from his science class.

They asked me to share some pieces of their day because they believe that in the darkness and the horror of that day are also, in the response of the students in that class, the seeds of what will ensure Tumbler Ridge’s ultimate recovery from this horrific moment that we’re in.

Mr Deeley heard shots and he recognized them right away and he called his wife who was the principal and he said, “There’s a shooter in the school.”

Mrs Deeley called the police. The police were there in two minutes. We know that heroic story.

Now, Mr Deeley knew what to do because he and the teachers and the principal and the students had practiced for this, never imagining they would need those skills.

He had prepared a chair all ready to block the door.

But there was a problem.

Mr Deeley’s son Finn had left to go to the washroom just before he heard the shots. And in that moment, he had to make a decision. And he made the decision to lock and block the door with his son outside the classroom to keep the children safe in his science class.

The children that he had promised parents he would do everything to protect. That’s the kind of guy Mr Deeley is and that’s the kind of decisions that were made on that day.

Finn was in the washroom and he has his own horrible story to tell.

While the students were waiting in the classroom with Mr Deeley, there were two smaller kids who had been pulled into the big kids classroom and the big kids worked with those children to keep things light. This is terrifying for the little kids. It’s terrifying for me. For the young adults who were in that classroom, they spent their time making sure that those small children felt safe, offered snacks, made jokes, kept it light. They put aside their own fear to ensure those kids were looked after.

Finn and his dad made the unimaginable decision of leaving where they were to see if they could provide assistance. Finn, to get out of the washroom to get back to the classroom. Mr Deeley, seeing a student in distress in the hallway and critically injured, brought that child into the classroom.

Mr Deeley and two students administered first aid to that child, provided that child with comfort and support. All the while the bigger kids in the classroom supporting the smaller kids. You know, I hope that I’m never called on to do what those students who stepped up that day did. I hope I’m never called on to do what they had to do.

But having spent a couple days here now in Tumbler Ridge, I can tell you that what they did is emblematic of this town. The teachers in that school, every student in that school who followed the directions of the teachers who did what they were told to do, what they trained and practiced to do, saved lives.

And in those actions, in those heroic actions are the seeds of the recovery of this community. Because the future of Tumbler Ridge is in that school. We know that.

And I want to promise something to the high school students who are here. I am sure you are anxious about having to go back to that school. And I will promise you that not one of you will ever be forced to go back to that school. We will provide a safe place for you to go to school. And Mr Deeley asked me wherever that is, we will work with the school board and we’ll make sure that happens to make sure that his lizard and his fish go to this new place, because he says it’s got to be different, but it also needs to be familiar.

Things are going to be different, but there are going to be things that are familiar. And one of those things is the courage and the bravery and the amazing kids, the students, the young adults, the people of Tumbler Ridge.

Pray for Maya in the hospital and her family.

Pray for the families of the children who didn’t come home.

We pray for Tumbler Ridge. And we know that better days will come, but for tonight, we remember.

As we are preparing to close the evening, I want to thank each of you for being here tonight. We have stood together in reflection. We have listened. We have prayed. We have remembered. And in doing so, we have shown what this community is made of.

The pain we carry is real. The loss is profound.

And the days ahead will not be easy.

Grief does not end when this vigil ends. It takes time. It takes patience and it takes care and it takes care for one another. But if tonight has shown us anything, it is that we are not alone. We are neighbours. We are friends. We are classmates. And we are colleagues.

We are family.

Mark Deeley (who posted this to social media after Premier Eby’s speech)

It is important that you know…

With the attention received last night from our Premier it is important that you know:

I was not alone during the event. I never felt alone.

I knew from the moment it started that the other teachers and staff were going to do their best to protect our kids.

I cannot mention names and specifics but it is important that you know the adults you trusted your kids to tried very hard to shelter and protect our kids.

Barricading doors, keeping kids calm, distracting them and making them feel loved. These are the actions that my colleague took and the actions I knew that they were taking as soon as it started.

Our staff took a stand because they not only love their jobs but they sincerely love our kids. Education is not always rainbows and sunshine on the best of days my colleagues show up every single day ready to put the students needs ahead of their own, and that was shown in the ultimate way the other day.

I am telling you that I knew my colleagues would do all this the instant this all started because I know these people. I am at times grumpy towards adults I work with because I relate best to kids rather than adults. But my grumpiness never clouds my appreciation for the team members I share my life with. I know their hearts. I know their willingness to sacrifice and I know the pain they are feeling at this moment and since this all began. I know because I feel the same pain standing alongside them and in their hugs.

It is important that you know.