Dr Jatinder Baidwan, chief coroner for the province of BC, has declared that the coroner’s service will be conducting an inquest into the February 10 shooting at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School.
“On the afternoon of February 10, 2026, an entire community was forever changed and multiple families who call Tumbler Ridge home received the catastrophic news that their loved ones had lost their lives,” says Baidwan. “The news that an individual had killed two adults and six children in a private residence and a local secondary school quickly spread across national and international media. With that, came passionate public discussions about mental health and possible gaps in support systems.”
And so he is directing a coroner’s inquest to publicly review the circumstances that led to what happened.
“An inquest will provide an independent and transparent forum to publicly examine the circumstances surrounding the deaths, assess systemic and procedural issues, and make evidence-based recommendations aimed at preventing similar incidents in the future,” says Baidwan. “Importantly, it will involve the participation of the people in BC through a jury of five to seven people.”
In BC, the Coroners Service is an independent service charged by law with investigating all sudden, unnatural, unexpected, unexplained or unwitnessed deaths in the province. “It functions independently of the police, health care authorities and other ministries of government.”
It has three primary functions. The first is to determine publicly the facts relating to a death, specifically the identity of the deceased and how, when, where and by what means the death happened.
For those of you familiar with the basic tenets of journalism, you will recognize that these are four of the five Ws and the H of a story. Notably missing, is “Why,” as that question is typically concerned with finding fault, and that is not the basis of a coroner’s inquest.
Secondly, the inquest can make recommendations about any matter arising out the inquest with the aim of preventing future loss of life in similar circumstances. Finally, the inquest should satisfy the community that the circumstances surrounding the death will not be overlooked, concealed or ignored.
A jury will be selected randomly. Their job is to hear evidence from witnesses under subpoena in order to determine the facts of the death. “By law, the jury is restricted to finding the facts of the case. It may not make any finding that implies legal responsibility. The presiding coroner is responsible for ensuring that the jury maintains the goal of fact-finding, not fault-finding.”
While the inquest is similar to a trial by jury, the strict rules of evidence for a civil or criminal trial do not apply at a coroner’s inquest, as no one is on trial. “The coroner, assisted by Inquest Counsel, is responsible for determining the evidence that is relevant and admissible for the purposes of the inquest.”
The jury may make recommendations to prevent a death from occurring under similar circumstances in the future. These are included in a public document, the Verdict at Coroner’s Inquest (Verdict). A copy of the Jury’s findings and any recommendations is publicly available upon completion of the inquest. An inquest does not have a set length and will vary in length depending upon the number of witnesses and the complexity of the issues to be explored. Most inquests last between three and ten days.
While an inquest has been declared, the details have yet to be announced. This includes where the inquest will be held. Part of that is simply due to the fact the RCMP investigation has yet to wrap up, meaning that much of the information that would be examined has yet to be released.
Baidwan says a key area of examination for the inquest will be how individuals in crisis are identified and supported, “including access to mental health supports and services in rural and remote and small communities across BC, such as crisis intervention and wraparound supports. This will include consideration of how mental health services and public safety systems work together to support people experiencing complex mental health crisis, including broader issues of community awareness, education, support and matters relating to gender diversity where relevant to the evidence. The inquest will also review emergency response and coordination, including law enforcement and medical response, communication with families and the school community, and opportunities to strengthen preparedness and response in rural settings.”
He says the inquest may also consider other “systemic factors” that may emerge, including how mental health and public safety systems intersect with firearms oversight, and how information is shared between online platforms and emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and law enforcement.
“As chief coroner, my mandate to promote public safety and the findings and recommendations from this inquest will inform practice and support safety and well-being in communities across BC and Canada.”
While a location for the inquest hasn’t been determined, he says he plans to hold it where it will do the most good. “I’m talking to various people including the premier’s office and the Mayor of Tumbler Ridge to work out exactly where it will be held.”
The inquest was announced before the RCMP has released details from its investigation—including questions about the provenance of the firearms used—but those details will be available at the inquest, which is one of the reasons it has taken the better part of a month to declare the inquest. “We always use the findings of a police investigation in our coroner’s inquest. We tend to initiate our investigation after a police investigation has concluded for that reason, and so we work hand in glove, extracting what we can from what they’ve gleaned.”
Will there be a public inquest? That’s not something the chief coroner can answer. He promises that their inquest will be very thorough. “The terms of reference are as wide as we want them to be,” he says. “If anything is pertinent to the circumstances of death it doesn’t matter what the temporal association was. It could be from years before. We can explore it and we will. So, I don’t think we will be missing anything that would need a public inquiry thereafter. But I’m not the person that decides on a public inquiry. That’s the premier’s office.
Once the RCMP investigation is finished, the coroner’s office will also spend time doing their own investigation, determining what information can and should be brought to the inquest. Baidwan says this investigation is ongoing. “It will take as long as it takes. What I can assure you though is, while there is a long list of inquests waiting to happen, this will not go into the backlog. We will hold this inquest as soon as all the information is available to hold an inquest. I promised that to the mayor of Tumbler Ridge when I spoke to him earlier this week.”
And, while a normal inquest usually wraps up in less than two weeks, he predicts this one will take longer.
“My sincere and heartfelt condolences go out to the families who have lost their loved ones. The grief they are experiencing at this time is unimaginable. The BC Coroners Service will continue to work with the families and the community of Tumbler Ridge to make sure their needs are met and their questions answered.
“An announcement with more details about the timing of the inquest will be provided once our investigative phase is concluded.”
Mayor Darryl Krakowka says that this is a crucial step toward understanding what happened on that day. “While nothing can undo the profound loss felt by the families and by our entire community, this process is essential to ensuring a thorough, independent, and transparent review. Our community continues to grieve. We recognize the importance of the findings and recommendations that will follow this inquest, and we are committed to carefully reviewing them, so this does not happen again. Our focus remains on supporting meaningful improvements for the community and on preventing future tragedies.” The District of Tumbler Ridge extends its deepest condolences to the families and loved ones affected. The impact of this tragedy has been felt deeply throughout the community, and the well-being of residents remains a priority. The District will cooperate fully with the BC Coroners Service throughout the inquest process and will review any recommendations that arise with care and responsibility.
Trent is the publisher of Tumbler RidgeLines.
