LA LOCHE DESERVES BETTER: JUDGE

Young killer sentenced to life for murders

MEADOW LAKE, SASK. • A judge sent a young man to prison for life for killing four people in La Loche and rebuked politicians and social services for abandoning the northern Saskatchewan community.

Judge Janet McIvory said false promises and neglect have left the community in northern Saskatchewan unable to recover from the 2016 tragedy.

“It is a travesty,” said McIvory in Meadow Lake provincial court on Tuesday. “It is yet another victimization of all involved.”

She sentenced the 20-yearold man to life in prison with no chance of parole for 10 years for killing four and wounding seven others for the “coldly horrific” shootings on Jan. 22, 2016.

McIvor said the shooter began formulating a plan as early as September 2015, researching different kinds of guns and the damage they could do to people.

“His months of planning were over in a matter of minutes,” she said.

Brothers Dayne and Drayden Fontaine were killed in their home before the shooter, then a few weeks shy of his 18th birthday, went to the school and fatally shot teacher Adam Wood and teacher’s aide Marie Janvier. Seven others in the building were injured.

The shooter had previously pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder in the teachers’ deaths, two counts of second-degree murder in the brothers’ deaths and seven counts of attempted murder.

He was sentenced as an adult; the maximum youth sentence would have been six years in custody and four years under community supervision.

Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, a publication ban on his identity remains in place until after the 30day appeal period.

“Hopefully (the shooter), he will get the help he needs. But my last words go to the community,” she said. “More help is needed, counselling is needed. And it’s not right that that hasn’t been provided.”

Teachers once committed to working in the north have left. There’s been an increase in substance abuse, suicides and suicide attempts, the judge said.

Federal and provincial politicians travelled to La Loche, 600 kilometres north of Saskatoon, in the days and weeks after the shooting. Their promises of improved mental health care and support have yet to be fulfilled, McIvor said.

“I have read victim impact statements that disability isn’t covering physical therapy, disability isn’t covering the PTSD.”

Students in La Loche have been abandoned and let down, she said. They say counselling services aren’t available or that they can’t afford counselling.

“It’s not fair, it’s not right,” McIvor said, acknowledging “that this has been a long and stressful process, not only for (the shooter) and his family, but for all of you.”

The shooter briefly addressed the court on Tuesday, reading from a sheet of paper.

“I want to apologize to my family for what I did,” he said.

The shooter singled out the mother of Dayne and Drayden Fontaine.

“They were both doing good in school and wanted to do other things in life. Now they can’t because of the choices that I made. I’m sorry about,” the shooter said.

“I also want to apologize to each and every one of my victims and everyone else in La Loche who were affected by my actions that day. I can’t undo what I did, but I would if I could. I’m sorry.”

Defence lawyer Aaron Fox asked for his client to serve his sentence in a regional psychiatric centre.

“He needs help,” Fox said. Crown prosecutor Pouria Tabrizi-Reardigan said “there’s no dispute” the shooter has mental health challenges but said Corrections Canada should decide where he’ll serve his sentence.

McIvor said she would not interfere with Corrections Canada’s decision.

La Loche Mayor Robert St. Pierre, who was among the 50 community members who travelled to Meadow Lake for the sentencing hearing, said he hopes McIvor’s words result in action from the government.

“We’re in a community that needs a lot of help. We know that, we’ve identified that, we’ve stipulated that over and over, all the leaders and community members and we’re still there, unfortunately we’re still there. Two years later. We need the help,” he said outside court.