Gov. Gen. Mary Simon says returning to Tumbler Ridge, B.C., months after the tragic mass shooting in the community, is an experience that will stay with her for a long time.
Simon said Wednesday that she wanted to come back to the northeastern B.C. community to meet families of victims and front-line workers whom she didn’t get to spend time with in February.
She came for a vigil shortly after the shooting with Prime Minister Mark Carney, all other federal party leaders and B.C. politicians.
“I’m from a culture that is a firm believer of connection with people, and I felt that I could perhaps bring a little comfort to them and be there. And if they wanted to talk to me about what they were experiencing, I did that,” she said in an interview with The Canadian Press after spending two days in the community.
“It was such a huge tragedy that just coming here for a very short period (in February) didn’t seem right. So, I felt that I wanted to be here to convey to the people here of Tumbler Ridge, that Canadians across the country haven’t forgotten.”
Simon met with some of the families of people who died and said the grief and healing look different for everyone, but added that there are supports in place to help those in need.
“Of course, they are still experiencing a tremendous amount of grief having lost their child. But they’re very resilient people, and they’re coming together as a community to get through this. And you can see the determination to get beyond this horrible event,” she said.
On Feb. 10, Jesse Van Rootselaar killed her mother and half-brother in their home, before going to the high school where she killed five students, a teaching assistant, then herself.
The tragedy placed the small community into the international spotlight and Simon said they are still receiving cards of support from around the world.
“I think that that is helping them to go through the journey of grieving and healing. And you know, I think these things matter. They’re little acts of kindness, and that is important,” she said.
Also Wednesday, an American-based legal firm announced that it will represent some of the victims and their family members in seven separate lawsuits against OpenAI and its founder Sam Altman.
The legal action alleges that the artificial intelligence company didn’t warn police when its staff noted the killer’s troubling behaviour with OpenAI’s chatbot, ChatGPT.
Altman said in a letter last week that he was “deeply sorry” that the company didn’t alert law enforcement.
A co-counsel for the families says they’ll be seeking more than US$1billion from the company in the wrongful death lawsuit.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 29, 2026.
Ashley Joannou, The Canadian Press
