Shooting. School shooting. Words that we hear much too often as the endless battle and debates over gun laws ensue. This time however, it hits much closer to home for Canadians. Usually, we’d be looking at our neighbour to the south, but on Friday, January 22, our gaze turned to a small town in northern Saskatchewan.
One resident’s sentiment perfectly captured the reactions of many Canadians: “You only see this stuff happening out there — you don’t think of it happening in a small town (The Star).”
Four lives were lost and seven were critically injured in La Loche, Saskatchewan on Friday when a 17-year old opened fire at a home in La Loche before attacking the La Loche Community School (pictured above). The identity of the suspect will be withheld from the public as specified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act; however, the suspect, who will appear in court on Monday, January 25, was charged with four counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder.
The victims who so tragically lost their lives include two brothers, Dayne and Drayden Fontaine, aged 17 and 13 respectively, Adam Wood, a teacher, and Marie Janvier, a teaching assistant.
The small town of less than 3,000 residents is sticking together during this difficult time and their leaders have chosen to take positive actions. Brad Wall, the Premier of Saskatchewan, has pledged to provide those in need with support in terms of visiting their loved ones in hospitals in the capital Saskatoon and counselling. Town councillors, the acting mayor and the Premier of Saskatechwan are also looking at resolving social and economic issues that may have played a role in this tragic crime.
Looking forward, Kevin Janvier, the acting mayor of La Loche announced on Sunday, “I want that school to be rebuilt. Torn down, rebuilt … because of the trauma (CBC News).”
As the town of La Loche comes together to heal from this nightmare, I hope that leaders, like those in La Loche, can come together and be proactive, so that shooting and school shooting will no longer be words that we hear much too often.
Information is as of Sunday, January 24, 2016.
Sources obtained from:
http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/saskatchewan/weather-temporarily-delays-br…
http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2016/01/23/uxbridge-man-victim-of-sas…
Image Sources obtained from:
http://www.thestar.com/content/dam/thestar/news/canada/2016/01/23/uxbrid…
https://news-images.vice.com/images/articles/meta/2016/01/22/school-shoo…
http://i.cbc.ca/1.3416991.1453563619!/cpImage/httpImage/image.jpg_gen/de…