Mass shootings remain rare across Canada, but the devastating incident in Tumbler Ridge on Tuesday ranks among the nation’s deadliest. A gunman took eight lives, establishing it as the worst gun violence case ever recorded in British Columbia.
Shocking Rarity in Canadian Context
“This is not the kind of thing that happens up here,” stated Wade Deisman, criminologist at the University of the Fraser Valley. “So it takes us aback—it’s completely shocking and devastating when it does occur as it has now.”
Echoes of Historic Tragedies
The tragedy stirs memories of the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal, where a shooter killed 14 women. Public focus on the Tumbler Ridge gunman’s motive persists, yet experts warn that such insights provide little comfort.
“We search for answers in an environment where there will be no good answers,” said Garth Davies, criminologist at Simon Fraser University. “Even if we know exactly what the motive is—Marc Lépine in 1989 was very clear about targeting women in an anti-feminist attack—that doesn’t change the attack itself.”
Comparison to Recent Mass Killings
This event marks Canada’s deadliest mass shooting since the 2020 Nova Scotia rampage, in which a man driving a replica RCMP cruiser killed 22 people.
Unlike the frequent occurrences in the United States, Canadian mass shootings leave a lasting imprint on public consciousness. “It happens with regularity in the U.S., and the next day brings another event, so they seem almost inured to the violence,” Davies noted. “Here, such incidents remain extraordinarily rare.”
Tumbler Ridge residents and Canadians nationwide now unite in mourning the profound loss.
