VICTORIA, B.C.: Claire Rattée, MLA for Skeena and Critic for Mental Health, Addictions & Housing Supports, and Larry Neufeld MLA for Peace River issued the following statements today following Premier Eby’s announcement that Tumbler Ridge Secondary School will be demolished and rebuilt on a new site.
Claire Rattee, MLA for Skeena:
“The decision to demolish and rebuild Tumbler Ridge Secondary School is about more than a building. For a community that has experienced profound trauma, removing that physical space is part of how people find a way to move forward, and that process deserves every support we can give.
“But we cannot stop there. We must also rebuild our commitment to mental health supports across this province, especially in rural communities like Tumbler Ridge, where those supports are too often out of reach.
“We need to ask the difficult questions: what gaps in our mental health system allowed this tragedy to occur, and what must change so it never happens again? That is why a full public inquiry remains essential.
“Tumbler Ridge deserves more than a new building. It deserves a government that takes mental health seriously, not just in moments of crisis, but every single day.”
Larry Neufeld, MLA for Peace River South:
“The community of Tumbler Ridge has been through something no words can adequately describe. The weight of what they have carried is something I will never forget, and I am deeply honoured to serve them.
“I support the decision to demolish and rebuild Tumbler Ridge Secondary School. Premier Eby’s announcement reflects what the community has been asking for. It is the community that should determine what is best for them, and their voices were central to this outcome.
“Tumbler Ridge has been through something no community should ever have to endure. My commitment to them does not end with this announcement. I will be there, for whatever comes next and for as long as it takes.”
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Media Contact:
Francesca Guetchev, Press Secretary
Francesca.Guetchev@leg.bc.ca
+1 (672) 922-0948
