It’s been a year since 12-year-old Xavier Rasul-Jankovics was killed by a teenage driver while rollerblading near his home with his brother and father. On Tuesday night, a procession of first responders in emergency vehicles made its way along Hillbank Road, where the crash occurred. Many of the responders were there on the night Xavier died. “It’s OK to smile today. It’s OK to laugh today. It’s OK to cry today. It’s OK to be angry. It’s OK to not be OK,” said Cst. Kyle Hicks of the North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP during a speech. Hicks reached out to Xavier’s family to help organize the memorial, where hundreds of people gathered alongside first responders to pay their respects. “They experienced a lot of trauma that night too, and they’re with families on the worst nights of their lives, and they are incredible,” said Xavier’s mother, Zahra Rasul. To honour Xavier and show their gratitude for the work first responders do in the community, the family announced at the memorial the creation of two scholarships in his name. The first scholarship will support first responders who want to attend Simon Fraser University’s new medical school. “If they choose a change of career and they want to go to medical school, their experience, knowledge and sensitivity will make them even better doctors,” said Firoz Rasul, Xavier’s grandfather. The second scholarship will go to a Grade 8 student who wants to attend Shawnigan Lake School, the school Xavier would have attended. Ari Abel, the son of a retired RCMP officer, was the first recipient and will begin classes this fall. Xavier and Abel never knew each other. “Sounds like I would have been great friends with them,” said Abel. “I’ve heard that he was an amazing hockey player and that he really cared about other people and that he was a really kind human.” Dana Lajeunesse, MLA for Juan de Fuca-Malahat, was also at the memorial. He told the crowd his private member’s bill, known as Xavier’s Law, is expected to pass third reading during the fall legislative session. Xavier’s Law would amend the Motor Vehicle Act to give police more authority when dealing with reckless drivers. Under the proposed legislation, police would be able to immediately suspend a driver’s licence for 30 days. Lajeunesse also said the Ministry of Transportation and Infrastructure will soon install gates on the logging road to limit access to Hillbank Road. Community members say many of the drivers who speed along Hillbank Road come from that direction. The RCMP investigation into the crash is ongoing, and no charges have been laid.
