Tumbler Ridge shooting recalls La Loche school tragedy

The Northern Lights School Division reached out to Tumbler Ridge after a recent shooting that left nine people dead, drawing on its experience following a 2016 La Loche shooting that killed four and injured seven.

A recent shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., that left nine people dead prompted contact from another northern school division with past experience of a school-targeted tragedy. The Northern Lights School Division (NLSD) in Saskatchewan offered support after its community marked the 10-year anniversary of a 2016 shooting in La Loche that killed four and injured seven. NLSD Director of Education Jason Young described a shared sense of heaviness and recalled the long process of recovery his division faced. La Loche's response after 2016 included counselling, guest teachers, added security and a phased return to school. Key points: - A shooting in Tumbler Ridge was reported to have left nine people dead, including the suspect. - In 2016 a shooter killed four people and injured seven in La Loche, Sask., affecting Dene High School and the wider community. - Northern Lights School Division reached out to the B.C. district and noted a shared heaviness in both communities, according to Director of Education Jason Young. - After the 2016 La Loche shooting, the division provided counselling and guest teachers and later reopened at students' request; the high school now plans a day of service on the anniversary. Summary: The outreach from NLSD reflects shared experience and the prolonged nature of community healing after school-targeted violence. Undetermined at this time. La Loche's earlier response included counselling and a phased return to school, and the high school will remain open on the anniversary for a day of service.