HAY RIVER, N.W.T. - People in Hay River are to meet Monday night to honour slain RCMP Const. Christopher Worden and talk about drug and violence problems in the small northern community.
The plan is for residents to gather for two hours at the community hall to share their grief and concerns about the fatal Oct. 6 shooting near a suspected drug house.
Town officials say they will note all comments and pass them on to government agencies and officials, including the prime minister, said Hay River Mayor John D. Pollard.
"There are still people in the community who cannot believe that this happened. There is still a lot of sadness,'' Pollard said.
"There is a feeling out there that this is a tipping point. That we need to find out what happened and decide on a course of action. Perhaps this meeting will start that.''
Following the meeting each person will be handed a single red rose and a white candle and then walk 200 metres to the flag poles outside the Mountie detachment for a vigil, including the singing of O Canada and a minute of silence.
The death of Worden, 30, a married father of a young daughter, has sparked an outpouring of emotion across the country.
Hundreds of Mounties and other police paraded through Ottawa last week before Worden was laid to rest in Ottawa in a full regimental funeral.
People in Hay River marked the funeral by wearing home-made black and royal-blue lapel ribbons and by draping light poles and trees with banners.
The town, 400 km south of Yellowknife, is planning to hold a formal memorial for Worden on Oct. 27, which is to include his widow, Jodie.
Emrah Bulatci, 23, is charged with first-degree murder in Worden's death and is being held in custody in the Northwest Territories.
A second man, Jarred Dale Nagle, 21, has been charged with accessory to murder after the fact.
RCMP have declined to answer questions about Worden's death including queries about why it took police so long to find the officer after he was shot, what they know about the attack, the cause of death and type of firearm that was used.
There are also questions about how the suspect managed to elude police for a week before he was cornered in Edmonton, 1,100 km away from where Worden was gunned down.
The Mounties say there will be a number of reviews into the slaying and RCMP procedures.
Pollard said he is to meet with Prime Minister Stephen Harper in Ottawa next month to discuss the shooting.
"I get the feeling that he is keenly interested in what happened in this community and how we feel about it,'' he said.
