VANCOUVER – Seven months after the mass shooting that devastated a small northeastern B.C. community, residents say they there is still a sense of shock, and as if no time has passed at all. “As soon as you leave town, you get it,” said Lydia Mannion, a mother of two. “You really realize that other people’s lives have continued and things have (stood) still in Tumbler. We’re still in this.” For some directly impacted by the shooting, Mannion said, moving on with life in the months since has been like going through the motions. “I’ve had a couple friends who said that they’re going to their counselling, they’re going to their activities, whatever it is, but they just feel it’s still kind of numb,” she said. For Mannion, one of the clearest signs of the passage of time since the Feb. 20 shooting that left nine dead, and what has changed in a physical sense, is the deconstruction of the high school where much of the massacre took place. “It really changes the sightline of downtown, because you could see the entrance to the college and the school from basically anywhere. If you’re at the grocery store, at some of the restaurants, the library,” she said. Mannion said she doesn’t expect the community will ever completely move on from the shooting. In the short term, she said, the process is being complicated by the return to school, as feelings of excitement are followed by fear. “It’s just really realizing, like, ‘oh, school’s starting!’ And then, ‘oh, is it safe?’ It’s just sort of in the back (of your mind).” Some students will also not be returning to the classroom, with some transitioning to home learning or other arrangements, Mannion said. B.C. Premier David Eby announced in May that a replacement school would be built in the community “as quickly as possible.” The federal and provincial governments have together pledged $200 million toward construction of the new school and upgrades to the community’s health centre. The community is also continuing to rally around and do what they can to provide long-term support to victims, their families and others affected by the shooting. A fundraiser and benefit concert planned for Saturday is part of that effort. Also top of mind are the dozens of lawsuits being filed in California against OpenAI, the company behind ChatGPT, by teachers and students who survived the shooting and families of victims. The lawsuits allege OpenAI was negligent in failing to report concerns about the shooter’s ChatGPT activity to police. OpenAI has acknowledged the account was flagged before the shooting, but said its leadership did not forward the concerns to authorities. OpenAI has disputed allegations the decision was made with its image, not safety, in mind. “It’s completely untrue to say that the people at the centre of these challenging decisions do not prioritize safety, or that there are ‘political’ or ‘public relations’ factors at play,” the company said in a statement. The legal action is unfolding thousands of kilometres from Tumbler Ridge, but Mannion said she backs the victims and their families “100 per cent.” “They’re going to need support for their whole lives with this,” she said. “Those companies need to be held accountable.”
