What happens in one community in northeast B.C. is always felt by all, says Peace River Regional District chair Brad Sperling.

So when eight people were killed in a mass shooting last week in Tumbler Ridge, Sperling says the sense of devastation and grief extended far beyond the municipality of 2,400 people.

“This district has always stood together. And what happens in one place affects us all regardless of what it is,” he said. “We just seem to be one big family up in the northeast.”

There’s been an outpouring of support across the country, but Sperling says you can tell how close everyone is in the Peace by looking at what’s being said and done locally.

One big village

When Tumbler Ridge held a vigil last Friday, people from surrounding communities travelled there to pay their respects.

Reg Whiten, who came from Moberly Lake to attend, says he feels northeast B.C. embodies what Canada is: “Kanata,” the Huron-Iroquois word for village.

“That’s who we are as a people,” he said.

“The Peace has got this special quality that you can feel it. It’s hard to describe it, but it’s just something about the reverence for life and people and space and self-determination.”

Fort St. John RCMP held a barbeque fundraiser on Saturday, collecting more than $10,000 for those affected by the shooting.

Sgt. Ian Rissanen moved to the Peace nearly two decades ago, and will be filling in this week for Tumbler Ridge officers who are emotionally and mentally recovering.

He says the best part about living in northeast B.C. is how much people care for one another.

“When I came up here, it kind of blew me away how community-minded everyone is,” he said. “If you can weather the winter, then you’re probably in one of the best spots in B.C.”

A history of resilience

Tumbler Ridge was forged in the early 1980s as one of the last planned resource towns in British Columbia, based on a coal industry that soon after began to struggle.

It endured that slowing of industry, though. Dinosaur fossils were discovered in the area, it was recognized as a UNESCO Global Geopark in 2015, and people began to visit for its natural beauty.

Metallurgical coal mines returned in 2017 and the town remains a significant power producer, with numerous windmills in operation.

Sperling says he worked building homes in the early years of the town and is impressed by how it has always faced adversity.

“It just shows the strength and the resilience of that community,” he said. “They’ve always led by example over the decades. And we need to be there to support them at this time.”

He says he’s been in constant communication with Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka since the tragedy happened, and that they’ve always been close friends.

“Not as fellow politicians or local government. He knows he can call just if he needs to talk, and the same with his council,” Sperling said.

Flags remain at half-mast at the Peace River Regional District, and Sperling says they’re ready to help the community in whatever way it needs.

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