TUMBLER RIDGE — The yellow tape that surrounded Tumbler Ridge Secondary School where five students and an educator were killed last week has come down as police said they’ve completed the examination of the scene.
RCMP said in a statement that the Grade 7 to 12 school where the tragedy took place on Tuesday has been turned back over to the local school district.
In a letter to parents on Friday, Peace River South school district superintendent Christy Fennell said officials will “share plans over the next week that prioritizes emotional and physical safety through a trauma informed lens.”
“As we create our plans, the expectation is that we will not be returning to the current high school site,” Fennell wrote.
Premier David Eby told mourners at a vigil last week that students would not have to go back to the school.
“I am sure you are anxious about having to go back to that school, and I will promise you that not one of you will ever be forced to go back to that school. We will provide a safe place for you to go to school,” he said.
Finance Minister Brenda Bailey told reporters on Sunday in advance of releasing the provincial budget on Tuesday that the government will either use contingencies or make adjustments in the education budget to follow through on the commitments made to Tumbler Ridge.
She said the premier and multiple ministers have been in the community meeting with people.
“We will be there to address the needs for that community. We have made those commitments and you’ll see us moving forward with them. Whether or not it’s in the budget, we do have contingencies,” she said.
Police were seen on Saturday taking down crime scene tape at the Tumbler Ridge home that shooter Jesse Van Rootselaar shared with her siblings and mother, Jennifer Jacobs.
Police say Van Rootselaar shot and killed Jacobs and 11-year-old Emmett Jacobs in the home before going to the school.
In a statement acknowledging Family Day in British Columbia on Monday, Eby said the province is marking the holiday with heavy hearts.
“We ache for the families of Tumbler Ridge. We hold them in our prayers and stand with them in their pain and grief,” he said.
“On Family Day, we spend time with the people we love and who are important to us. This day offers us a chance to reflect on the importance of family, both the ones into which we are born and those we build. Family provides an anchor in uncertain times. May we all find comfort and support from our families.”
The family of 12-year-old Maya Gebala, who is in hospital with significant damage to the left side of her brain after being shot, said in an update posted online that she is moving more on her left side.
“Because of the damage and swelling surrounding it, it is hard to say how much response and deliberate function she will be able to regain, however, we are hopeful,” the update says.
“There are a lot of positives, of course, but this recovery won’t be linear. I still sing to her. Talk to her, tell her how proud we are and that the entire world is cheering her on.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 16, 2026.
The Canadian Press
