We are pausing our regular Deputy Minister’s Bulletin this week toacknowledge the tragic loss of life that occurred in the Tumbler Ridge community on February 10. The impact of this profoundly heartbreaking loss has been felt across the province and the world.
Yesterday was proclaimed a Day of Mourning and in lieu of the traditional pre-budget Throne Speech, Lieutenant Governor Wendy Cocchia provided a tribute to the people of Tumbler Ridge. In addition, pursuant to Section 12(a) of the British Columbia policy on half-masting, flags will be flown at half-mast from now until further notice.
We are taking an all-of-government approach to the response, including providing all updates and resources on a newly launched web page, Supporting people through the Tumbler Ridge tragedy. We are also coordinating with the Federal government, which is actively supporting families and the community. School districts and other partners in the Northern region, including Integrated Child and Youth teams, Northern Health teams, and Child and Youth Mental Health teams from the Ministry of Children and Family Development, have been mobilized to be on-site in Tumbler Ridge. They have worked tirelessly and demonstrated incredible resilience in coming together to provide wrap-around supports to students, staff, and families in the aftermath of this tragedy.
Associate Deputy Minister Jennifer McCrea and colleagues from Safer Schools Together, our safety expert, are on-site in Tumbler Ridge to provide direct support to district leadership and to provide real-time information back to government on ongoing needs. We will continue to take a cross-provincial approach to sharing information for ongoing and longer-term supports for our students, educators, school staff, counsellors and families.
We are extremely grateful for you and your teams. We know that you will continue to prioritize the mental health and well-being of your school communities and support healing. We also appreciate your leadership and welcome ongoing dialogue with you on any needs or concerns that may arise and how we can help address them together.
Please know that our thoughts are with the families and loved ones of those who lost their lives, those who were injured, and those who witnessed this tragedy.
Continue to reach out with any resources you may need.
Kaye Krishna
Deputy Minister
Ministry of Education and Child Care
Resources
- Canadian Mental Health Association
- ERASE
- Healthlinkbc: Helping Children with Grief
- Kelty Mental Health
- Learning through Loss
- Foundry Virtual BC – Foundry BC App
We have shared comprehensive resources to your safe school coordinators including Tips for Teachers when Discussing Traumatic World Events for:
- Primary Grades (PDF)
- Intermediate Grades (PDF)
- Secondary Grades (PDF)