Kelowna mourns Tumbler Ridge at Sunday vigil

Vigil for Tumbler Ridge

Photo: Stephen Fuhr/Facebook

Kelowna had a vigil for Tumbler Ridge on Sunday.

Kelowna residents gathered Sunday to show solidarity with the community of Tumbler Ridge, B.C., now home to one of Canada’s worst mass shootings.

Among community members who attended a vigil in Stuart Park were local politicians and dignitaries, some of whom spoke about the tragedy that befell the small northern B.C. community.

“Tonight we gather in the shadow of a tragedy that has shaken our neighbours in Tumbler Ridge and touched people across this country. What happened there is almost impossible to comprehend. In a community known for its closeness, its decency, and its quiet strength, everything changed in a single terrible moment,” Kelowna MP Stephen Fuhr said. He later shared his remarks online.

“We stand with their families as they face a loss that no words can lessen. We think of the classmates, the teachers, the friends, and the neighbours now dealing with something no one should ever have to endure. Schools are meant to be places where young people feel safe, supported, and free to grow. When that safety is broken, the impact reaches far beyond a single building.”

Fuhr said that the even in the midst of the tragedy the community showed its strength.

‘We have seen first responders move toward danger without hesitation,” he said.

“We have seen neighbours show up for one another. We have seen people step forward quietly and steadily, not because anyone asked them to, but because that is who they are. Courage is not loud. Often, it’s simply standing together when everything tells you to fall apart.”

Fuhr said that this shocking event has shown that this country is not defined by geography or distance, it’s defined by how people respond in the face of tragedy and difficulty.

“There will be time for why,” Fuhr said. “Right now, this is about coming together and helping one another survive the moment.”

In Tumbler Ridge, RCMP said an investigation of the crime scene at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School where five students and an educator were killed last week has concluded.

Police say in a statement that the school has been turned back over to the local school district.

Mounties pulled down the yellow tape that had surrounded the school since Tuesday, when 18-year-old Jesse Van Rootselaar shot and killed five students and a teaching assistant. Van Rootselaar’s mother and half brother were also killed beforehand.

Van Rootselaar died by suicide at the school. Two others were airlifted to Vancouver in serious condition.

However, it's unclear when or if students will ever return to classes at the school after Premier David Eby said students would not be forced to return.

Eby's announcement came after Christy Fennell, the superintendent of the Peace River South school district, said in a letter to families on Friday that the expectation is that students will not be returning to the school.