‘Profound tragedy’: Premier Smith joins Albertans mourning Tumbler Ridge victims

Albertans are paying respect to the people killed in a mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge. CTV News Edmonton's Miriam Valdes-Carletti reports.

Flags are flying at half-mast in Edmonton and Calgary as the province moved to stand in solidarity with victims of the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., on Tuesday.

Read more: Police had seized guns from shooter’s home before. Live Tumbler Ridge updates here.

Alberta Premier Danielle Smith has directed that flags at the Alberta Legislature Building in Edmonton and the McDougall Centre in Calgary fly low for seven days.

Scheduled news conferences and announcements on Wednesday were also cancelled “out of respect,” confirmed the premier’s press secretary.

“Alberta joins all Canadians in extending our heartfelt condolences to the victims, their families, and the entire Tumbler Ridge community,” Smith said in a public statement.

“In times of profound tragedy, Canadians come together, we support our neighbours, our communities, and do everything we can to help each other.”

Officials in Tumbler Ridge, a town which sits near the northeastern B.C.-Alberta border near Grande Prairie, Alta., are still investigating the details of a shooting at a local secondary school which left nine people, including the suspect, dead.

It has been called one of the deadliest school shootings in Canada’s history.

STARS, the Alberta-based air ambulance organization, confirmed that its Grande Prairie base was dispatched to the Tumbler Ridge area on Tuesday afternoon as part of a “multi-agency” response, but did not transport any patients and eventually returned back to base.

Alberta RCMP released a statement confirming they had deployed officers from the Emergency Response Team, Police Dog Services and Air Services to “assist in the interest of public safety.”

“The Alberta RCMP is committed to supporting our B.C. RCMP colleagues and the people of Tumbler Ridge in every way we can during this incredibly challenging time,” the statement read.

Half-mast flags in Edmonton, schools respond

The Alberta Teachers’ Association, which represents some 50,000 teachers across the province, said the union was “deeply heartbroken” by the news.

“As educators, our schools are not just buildings; they are the heart of our communities and are sacred spaces where children should always feel safe, nurtured and protected,” the group’s statement read.

“While we are separated by a provincial border, the bonds of the teaching profession know no boundaries.”

Edmonton’s public and Catholic school boards both confirmed they would be lowering flags at schools and division buildings.

Edmonton Catholic School Board offered a prayer for the victims as well as a list of support resources for families.

Ron Thompson, the Edmonton Public School Board superintendent, told families to reach out to their schools should children need extra support processing Tuesday’s events.

Edmonton City Hall and Epcor also have flags flying at half-mast.

Resources for parents, children

Sharon Ling with the CASA Centre, an Edmonton mental health clinic, said parents should be on the lookout for changes in behaviour among their children, especially in the next four to six weeks, as the shock of a school shooting settles across Canadian communities.

“They might appear more clingy, more irritable, more annoyed or even withdrawn,” she said on Wednesday. “The first thing for parents to know is that that is absolutely normal.”

Read more: How to talk with your children about Tumbler Ridge mass shooting: psychologist

She said anxiety or worries about safety may manifest in physical symptoms, like stomach aches.

She said to pay attention to what younger school-aged children might learn from their peers and pick age-appropriate ways to address what happened.

“For teenagers, you might sit them down and really just talk about the events, what they know has happened … make sure that they feel safe in their community and reassured.”

She suggested maintaining routines with young children to show them their caretakers still have control over day-to-day life.

“The most important thing is to show your child that you are there for them and that you are available to connect,” she added.

Here are some additional resources for Edmonton parents and children:

• Recovery Alberta
• Kickstand Connect and Kickstand Hub
• Alberta Health Services
• CASA Centre
• Kids Help Phone

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Miriam Valdes-Carletti and Brandon Lynch