WARNING: The following story may contain graphic content and descriptions, which some readers may find disturbing. Discretion is advised.
Thursday marks an official Day of Mourning for British Columbians to honour the victims of Tuesday’s deadly attack in Tumbler Ridge.
The B.C. government announced the Day of Mourning Wednesday, adding that the Legislative assembly will stand for a moment of silence at noon PST and the planned Speech from the Throne would be postponed.
“The house will then adjourn. At 2 p.m., the lieutenant governor will deliver a speech in the house dedicated to the people of Tumbler Ridge, followed by brief legally required procedures,” a provincial statement explained.
The province, Canada, and the world are grieving after one of the worst mass shootings in the country’s history that claimed the lives of six children, two women, and the suspected shooter.
As many communities hold vigils and other memorials, UBC Sociology Professor Seth Abrutyn says mixed, strong emotions can be expected.
“There are people who are probably grieving intensely — especially people who knew the victims or who were in the room with the victims, or who are tangentially related,” said Abrutyn.
“There’s probably a lot of anxiety and fear about what this means and whether this is something that will happen again,” he continued, adding that some people likely feel a sense of impending trauma still coming.
“There’s probably anger as well… The very natural human thing to do is to want to know more about the shooter and to blame them and to find reasons to blame them.”
Abrutyn also added ‘confusion’ to the list of emotions.
“‘How could this happen? Why did this happen? Could this happen here?’”
As a town of roughly 2,400 people, Tumbler Ridge, he says, is so closely interconnected that there will be no avoiding the trauma. But Abrutyn says that closeness will also be to the town’s advantage.
“There’s a big opportunity here to leverage that relationality and to actually develop new mourning rituals that also then can maybe become positive collective rituals going forward.”
He says young people often struggle more because they have less experience at coping with traumatic incidents.
Students of Tumbler Ridge Secondary School, where much of the violence took place, he says, may feel unmoored from the sense of safety and comfort that school once provided.
When they eventually return to school, he said, “They’re going to see the classroom. They’re going to see the visual triggers.”
He says that could be frightening for children, noting the importance of counsellors to guide them through.
B.C. Premier David Eby and other local and federal leaders gathered in the town Wednesday night, vowing continued support to the residents and victims.
Eby confirmed that counsellors from the Northern Health Authority were dispatched Tuesday night.
He added that 13 clinical workers are in Tumbler Ridge as of Wednesday.
At home, Abrutyn advises letting children talk, vent, and especially cry about the incident.
“The research on these types of events suggests that kids are more susceptible to depression and anxiety,” said Abrutyn.
“They’re gonna also need help. They’re going to also need to be supported and support each other. And so long term, you see these communities — they do heal.”
Among the tragedies, Abrutyn says, is the fact that the public may never have answers to its questions about the day’s events.
“The only person that can really know that is the person who’s now deceased, that shot themselves… While [asking] is natural — and I understand why — it’s a distraction from the actual grieving process itself. I find that it prolongs the actual healing process,” he said.
“The best thing to do is to circle the wagons, and rally together, and start grieving together and putting pieces back together.”
Until then, communities including Victoria, Quesnel, Prince George, Bella Coola, and Tumbler Ridge itself have held candlelight vigils, and more memorials are planned.
—With files from Joe Sadowski and Dean Recksiedler
