Shooting survivor struggling
Woman says La Loche victims need more help from province
Charlene Klyne’s life changed forever on Jan. 22, the day a teenage boy stood outside her classroom’s doorway at a school in La Loche and opened fire.
Klyne was one of seven people injured in shootings that left four people dead and sent shock waves through Saskatchewan and across Canada.
Speaking Wednesday for the first time since the shooting at Dene High School in La Loche, the supply and probationary teacher said life has been a challenge.
Forced to move from the community she loves to Saskatoon to be close to medical care, Klyne has been living with shotgun pellets scattered throughout her body. She has lost her vision likely for the rest of her life.
She feels programs meant to help her and others affected by the shootings have failed.
“It’s just really tough. It’s not fair,” Klyne said during an emotional press conference in Saskatoon, where she urged the provincial government to provide more help for victims.
Provided $360 every two weeks through the Workers’ Compensation Board (WCB), she said she has no future earning capability and she’s been offered no supports to help her cover expenses associated with her move.
“We’ve had to pay for everything for being here,” she said. “Everything has come out of our pocket.”
Her compensation from the WCB is below the minimum wage of $428.80 per 40-hour work week.
Meanwhile, Klyne is undergoing extensive surgeries and physiotherapy. She said simple tasks like grocery shopping or picking out a birthday gift have become challenges. She wonders when her family — which includes her husband and two sons — will run out of savings and how they will survive.
Three other victims face similar hardships, she added.
“We were promised that we would be getting help, all of us. And so far, the little bit of help that we’ve been given, to me, is like being victimized every day over and over again.”
The 17-year-old alleged shooter — whose identity is subject to a publication ban under the Youth Criminal Justice Act — is charged with four counts of first-degree murder and seven counts of attempted murder.
Teacher assistant Marie Janvier, who was working with Klyne at the time, and teacher Adam Wood were killed at the high school. Brothers Dayne and Drayden Fontaine were found dead in a nearby home.
NDP Athabasca MLA Buckley Belanger, who Klyne contacted about her concerns, acknowledged nothing like the La Loche shooting had ever happened in Saskatchewan. But now, the government needs to act, he said.
“Now more than ever, we need to have empathy and we need to have the support mechanisms in place for (these victims)” he said.
Belanger and Klyne said the province needs to consult with victims to find out what their needs are, as they range widely from babysitting services to extended employment insurance for parents taking time off work to help their children recover.
“There were a lot of kind words said and promises made in the days following the tragedy but these victims need the Sask. Party to stand by those words and actually provide some help,” said Belanger.
In a news release Wednesday, the government outlined initiatives in La Loche to support the community, including offering a Dene Teacher Education Program, more affordable housing and additional supports in the form of a mental health nurse and a second full-time victims services co-ordinator.
Don Morgan, the minister responsible for Saskatchewan’s WCB, said the province would do everything in its power to ensure those affected receive support.
Learning of Klyne’s concerns for the first time Wednesday, Morgan said one of the first steps would be a meeting between Klyne and ministry officials.
“Obviously, we want to do everything we can to try and give her the supports that she needs,” he said, noting the fact Klyne now lives in Saskatoon may be a factor, as the province has been providing support in La Loche.
He added if there are people in the community who are struggling, they should come forward.
“What I would say to the people in La Loche is if you’re struggling, if you feel that you need help, supports, counselling, don’t be embarrassed. Don’t be shy.
“Go to the health centre, go to the school, talk to somebody so we can get the referrals so that something like this doesn’t happen again and that we’re able to provide the supports that are there.”