Conservatives Call for Public Inquiry Into Tumbler Ridge Mass Shooting

The federal Conservatives are calling for an independent public inquiry into the mass shooting that claimed the lives of six children and two adults last month in the northeastern B.C. community of Tumbler Ridge.

Tory MP Bob Zimmer, whose riding covers Tumbler Ridge, said mourning families need answers about the shootings on Feb. 10 that also injured 27 others and left the 18-year-old shooter dead of an apparent suicide.

“We have a responsibility so that it never happens again, and I think that an inquiry will find those answers and then make recommendations,” Zimmer said in a joint March 1 press conference in Vancouver with Conservative caucus colleague Frank Caputo.

Jesse Van Rootselaar has been accused of the shooting death of his mother and 11-year-old half-brother at their home in the small town before going to the Tumbler Ridge Secondary and killing five Grade 7 students and a teacher’s aide. Police officers found Van Rootselaar dead with what they described as a self-inflicted gunshot wound.

Caputo, who is also his party’s shadow minister for public safety, said an independent public inquiry into the deadly incident should be held immediately.

“At the end of the day, we want to get to the bottom of what happened to provide answers, to provide healing and to provide prevention from this happening in the future,” Caputo said.

Zimmer and Caputo said in a statement posted to social media that an investigation should be conducted under the Inquiries Act by an independent commission. The commission would have the power to subpoena witnesses, take evidence under oath, request documents, and present findings and recommendations free of any interference, they said.

The commission’s goal would be to answer key questions, such as the shooter’s access to firearms and the previous interactions and relationship between the shooter and law enforcement, as well as social services.

The mental health of the shooter, including the role of treatments provided, as well as the measures implemented to inform and support those most affected, including inquiries into the threats directed at the families of victims, should also be examined, they said.

Other topics the Tories would like to see probed by the commission include the nature of the artificial intelligence (Al) used by the shooter and the relationship between ethical use of Al and individual privacy and the responses of police, including the RCMP, the Canadian Firearms Program, and the Alert Ready program.

Prime Minister Mark Carney told reporters last week the federal government will “fully explore” all possible measures to prevent future tragedies like the one that occurred in Tumbler Ridge.

The Tories’ request echoes an earlier appeal from B.C. Conservative Party MLA Larry Neufeld, who said the province should set up a public inquiry under provincial law.

Neufeld, the representative of Tumbler Ridge in the provincial legislature, said community members and bereaved families are repeatedly asking the same question: how and why did this incident occur?

“They deserve honest answers,” Neufeld said. “A public inquiry is how we get the full truth, with witnesses compelled, documents produced, and evidence tested in public.”

B.C. Premier David Eby has said in the legislature that his government will use “any tools available” to ensure all questions about the mass shooting are answered, whether through a coroner’s inquest or a public inquiry following the conclusion of the police investigation.

Neufeld urged Eby for a more specific timeline, but the premier said that a public inquiry could not begin until the police conclude their investigation. Eby said any public inquiry or inquest would take place afterward.

Caputo was asked by the media if he would change the focus of his proposed inquiry on the mental health of children and youth in Canada against the backdrop in light of a potential provincial inquiry. He responded that he was receptive to the idea.

“At the end of the day, we want to get to the bottom of what happened to provide answers, to provide healing, and to provide prevention for this happening in the future,” he said.

Students Returning to Class

Student routines in the small town are starting to return to normal some two weeks after the shooting.

A message to parents posted on the Peace River South school district website says all students enrolled at Tumbler Ridge Elementary will revert to their standard schedule beginning March 2, following a period of shortened days on Feb. 26 and 27.

The school board said students attending the secondary school will learn from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. starting March 2 under a “tentative plan” that “may change based on needs.”

Classes are now taking place in portables that the province provided in mid-February, and the district says on its website that counsellors will support staff and students in their transition to the new buildings.

Counsellors will continue to be available at the new school location, and counselling as well as trauma support services will also be provided at the Tumbler Ridge Community Centre, the website said.

The school has also hired a security service to patrol the perimeter of the campus, the board said, adding that the RCMP has performed a security assessment of the area and cameras will be used to provide additional on-site security.

The Canadian Press contributed to this report.