Geographical memorials pay tribute to ‘selfless’ victims

SASKATOON Adam Wood and Marie Janvier, two of the four people killed in La Loche by a teen gunman in 2016, have been memorialized in the northern Saskatchewan community.

A pair of geographical features have been named in honour of Wood, a teacher, and Janvier, a teacher’s aide, both of whom died in the shootings at Dene High School on Jan. 22, 2016.

Janvier Point is located on Saleski Lake, north of La Loche, while Adam Wood Memorial Landing is along a creek east of the village.

Parks, Culture and Sport Minister Gene Makowsky said the GeoMemorial recognizes the “selfless acts of courage displayed by Marie and Adam.

“By honouring their memory in this way, we hope that it brings a small measure of comfort to the families, friends and communities affected by this tragedy.”

On Jan. 22, 2016, the shooter, who was just days away from his 18th birthday, killed brothers Dayne and Drayden Fontaine at a home in the community before going to school and killing Janvier and Wood and injuring seven others. He pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder.

Wood was as an avid outdoorsman and frequent visitor to what he and his friends called “The Landing,” described as a small wooded area beside the creek and a great place for a campfire. Janvier is remembered by those who knew her as a caring and compassionate person who was willing to help anyone in need.

Janvier, who was 21, was a graduate of the La Loche school, and had recently been hired as a tutor. Her family said she loved children and animals, and lived with and cared for her mother and grandmother. She planned to attend university to become a teacher.

Wood, who was 35, had started his teaching career in La Loche the September before the shooting. His family in Uxbridge, Ont., said he was an adventurer, had a passion for life, and a knack for making people laugh. He had previously worked with youth at an urban farm in Thunder Bay, Ont.

The shooter cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act — but that will change if he is sentenced as an adult. At the conclusion of closing arguments in Meadow Lake provincial court earlier this month, Judge Janet McIvor set her sentencing decision for Feb. 23, 2018, in La Loche. An adult sentence brings life imprisonment while a youth sentence carries a maximum term of six years in custody and four years of community supervision.