Supports for La Loche in aftermath of mass shooting inadequate, community says

When a 17-year-old boy killed four people and injured seven others during a mass shooting in La Loche, Sask., pledges were made to provide further mental health supports, funding for housing, and a fly-in psychiatrist to regularly make the trip north.

More than two years later, the survivors of the incident and the rest of the community still say there hasn't been enough done.

"The stuff that they said we would be taken care of, that hasn't happened," said Charlene Klyne, the former teacher who lost most of her vision in the shootings.

Klyne said those affected have fallen through the cracks, a sentiment that was echoed in court Tuesday by the judge, the shooter's lawyer and the mayor of the village.

The shooter was handed a life sentence with no parole eligibility for 10 years.

The shooter, now 20, fatally shot brothers Dayne and Drayden Fontaine, teacher Adam Wood, and teaching assistant Marie Janvier on January 22, 2016.

He pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree murder, two counts of second-degree murder, and seven counts of attempted murder in October 2016. ​He still cannot be named until an appeal period lapses.

The shooter apologized during his sentencing but acknowledged what is done cannot be undone.

"The community is still grieving and still waiting for the support we were promised years ago," said Mayor Robert St. Pierre, outside of a Meadow Lake court after the sentence was handed down.

In the aftermath of the shooting, former premier Brad Wall, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, and other federal and provincial politicians travelled to La Loche.

"None of us victims who were lying in the hospital ever saw them. Nobody ever contacted us," Klyne said of the politicians' appearances.

"We never got even a phone call or a letter saying 'Sorry about what happened.' Nothing."

"For the last 27 months, I've fought with the government, saying that I was at work doing a job. I should be entitled to some compensation for being hurt at work," Klyne said.

Klyne, who now lives in Saskatoon, received $50,000 as an insurance payout, which she said has been helpful, but it won't last forever.

"I was getting just over $300 every two weeks [from the Workers' Compensation Board] and I was supposed to live off of that," she added.

When Klyne turns 65 years old, her WCB payments will cease, but her injuries and the care needed will remain.

Her family never expected there to be a scenario where there would be no compensation, Klyne said, so no fundraising drive such as a GoFundMe was set up.

Her husband who took sick leave to care for Klyne, and to deal with his own post-traumatic stress syndrome, lost 30 per cent of his wages due to the ordeal, she said. 

It wasn't just the 11 people who were shot that day who became victims of the shooter; it was the entire community that was victimized, said Judge Janet McIvor as she handed the shooter a federal penitentiary sentence.

Fifty-two victim impact statements were submitted during legal proceedings overall. McIvor noted that La Loche was told they would be taken care of.

"That has not happened. It's a travesty, another victimization of all involved," she said.

"It's not fair. It's not right."

The shooter's lawyer, Aaron Fox, called the lack of services available to his client and the victims in the province "astounding," as he unsuccessfully advocated for his client to be placed in a psychiatric centre. 

Saskatchewan Premier Scott Moe told The Canadian Press he hadn't seen the details of the judge's comments.

"When we are faced with any type of tragic occurrence here in the province of Saskatchewan, we need to work hard to do better in areas such as La Loche," he said.

Moe said the government has put in place a Dene teacher education program, which is training people to become educators in the community, and has invested in a trades program at the high school.

"But there is more work to do, and it's not just in northern Saskatchewan," he said.