There was something about the way the premier of British Columbia, David Eby, struggled to his words in front of the cameras that said a lot about how Canadians view the school shooting in a small town called Tumbler Ridge.
“This is the kind of thing that feels like it happens in other places, and not close to home.”
He is right about that. People expect this sort of thing to take place south of the border, in the United States – but not in Canada – not in a place like Tumbler Ridge.
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The sorrow, the grief will be felt collectively, right across this mammoth country. A massacre in a high school is not a Canadian thing – and it is not a small-town Canada thing either.
The town is certainly isolated, with Vancouver some 1,000km to the southeast but in a way, its remote location should have worked to protect it.
The community had its own detachment of the RCMP – the Royal Canadian Mounted Police – and the officers there would have known everyone in town.
What’s more, places like Tumbler Ridge are basically self-policing. I grew up in small-town Canada, and I can tell you that a trip down ‘Main Street’ involves a chat, a wave and a friendly interaction with all.
Canada school shooting: What we know
In essence, your business is the community’s business, and that makes the sort of interventions that work to prevent such tragedies more likely.
The authorities say they have identified the shooter, who was described in a police alert as “a female wearing a dress with brown hair”.
The shooter’s body is one of eight that have been recovered from the corridors and classrooms of the Tumbler Ridge High School.
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The RCMP chief said he would not release any further details “for privacy reasons” – but the fact is, the residents of Tumbler Ridge will probably know who the shooter was.
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Their grief in the face of this catastrophic loss, will be accompanied by the desperate need for an explanation, an answer to the question why.
Many residents may feel a sense of responsibility.
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It is on these fundamental questions that the local RCMP chief produced a remarkably frank and honest assessment.
“I think we will struggle to determine the ‘why’,” said Superintendent Ken Floyd, “but we will try our best to determine what transpired.”
