TUMBLER RIDGE — Governor General Mary Simon is visiting Tumbler Ridge this week to support the community’s “ongoing healing journey” after a deadly mass shooting claimed eight lives.
The Office of the Secretary to the Governor General says in a statement that Simon will visit the community for three days starting Monday.
She is meeting with local officials including Mayor Darryl Krakowka, and firefighters, paramedics and members of the Tumbler Ridge and Chetwynd RCMP detachments who responded to the shooting.
Mayor Krakowka says he’s grateful that Mary Simon is returning to Tumbler Ridge to meet with local officials, students, school staff and first responders affected by February’s mass shooting that left eight people dead.
He says most of Simon’s time will be spent engaging in private meetings that are closed to the public and media, to maintain a respectful and supportive environment for participants.
The Governor General’s visit will include a meeting at Tumbler Ridge town hall this afternoon before visiting the shooting memorial site
The statement says Simon will visit the memorial site for a “moment to reflect,” and to place a “paper heart with a message written on it.”
Simon’s meetings with students, school staff and others impacted by the shooting will be closed to media.
The statement says mental health is a “central focus” of Simon’s mandate and she plans to spend time with mental health workers to find out about the services being made available in Tumbler Ridge after the tragedy.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 25, 2026