La Loche needs more help coping after shooting: MP
LA LOCHE The member of Parliament for a northern Saskatchewan community where four people were killed in a shooting last winter says virtually no additional resources have been brought in to help people cope.
In January, two brothers were killed in a home before a teacher and a teacher’s aide were fatally shot at the high school in La Loche. Seven others at the school were wounded.
The teen accused of murder and attempted murder in connection with the shootings is due back in court in July. The 17-year-old appeared via video link in Meadow Lake provincial court on Monday, when his lawyer, Aaron Fox, requested an adjournment to July 18 so he can continue preparing to enter a plea.
The teen, whose identity is subject to a publication ban under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, is charged with four counts of firstdegree murder and seven counts of attempted murder in relation to the shooting on Jan. 22 in the northern Saskatchewan village.
Teacher assistant Marie Janvier and teacher Adam Wood were killed at the La Loche high school, while brothers Dayne and Drayden Fontaine were found dead in a nearby home.
Seven other people were wounded at the high school.
The Crown has served notice that it wants the accused teen sentenced as an adult if he’s convicted.
There’s a First Nation near La Loche and the community has a large aboriginal presence, but it is not on a reserve, so Health Canada says the province is responsible for providing mental health support.
New Democrat MP Georgina Jolibois said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau raised expectations when he visited the area; she suggested help shouldn’t be hindered by jurisdictional boundaries.
Jolibois said people in La Loche are showing signs of post-traumatic stress disorder. They’re frustrated with having to repeat their stories to mental health workers who visit and residents would like permanent, consistent support instead, she said.
“Even at the high school, the people coming in are not the same people who are coming in (every time), and so the youth or the staff or others may not necessarily feel confident now that they’ll get the assistance,” Jolibois said.
“Sharing their stories over and over again doesn’t mean anything. They need assistance, the right, appropriate skills-based assistance, to help them move beyond (and) continue on with their daily activities and function with their daily lives.”
Jolibois said young people and families seem to be struggling the most.
Health Canada said in an email to The Canadian Press that it continues to provide mental health supports through the Meadow Lake Tribal Council to the nearby Clearwater River Dene Nation and is working with it to develop a long-term response and recovery plan following the shooting.
The Northern Lights School Division has six counsellors until the end of the term and promises one will be available through the La Loche Friendship Centre over the summer.
The Saskatchewan Ministry of Health says two mental health counsellors and two addictions workers reside in and provide counselling services to La Loche, and three regional trauma counsellors also provide assistance and support when needed.
The ministry says an additional community mental health nurse is to start providing counselling services this month through the friendship centre.
The health region also wants to hire a suicide prevention and community wellness worker to be based out of the centre.
Jolibois said she doesn’t question the number of positions, but suggests they’re not all staffed, so service is piecemeal.
“The health region has had a struggle in filling the positions for the required numbers,” she said.
“There’s been virtually no movement in those areas. Residents require assistance and virtually there is very little to none available.
“The families are really struggling in the community.”