Expert on school shootings hosts workshop

Cameron said in Canada, there’s a natural draw for organizations to want to work together, which isn’t common in in the United States.

“In 2015, President Obama did — with tears streaming down his cheeks — acknowledge that in that year there were more mass shootings than there are calendar days of the year,” he said. “We don’t have anything like it on this side of the border and I do attribute that through our natural collaborative spirit as well.”

Cameron, who has a background in social work and therapy, was the lead for the crisis team that handled the 1999 school shooting in Taber, Alta. and later worked with the Alberta government to better understand traumatic aftermath. This eventually led to him developing violence and risk assessment protocols to prevent serious violence from happening.

He said one of two things can happen when a shooting occurs – people close off and want to forget it happens or they become more open to trying and solve the problem.

Instead of looking at it as a school shooting, he said the tragic incident should instead be looked at as a community shooting.

“Back in the day, especially if it was something school-related, the idea was that the principal and the counsellor in the school would figure out how to support their school,” he said. “Two, three people can’t manage 400 kids, their parents and others. We recognize we have to do it differently so a community response is a better way to do it.”

For the most part, Canada doesn’t have too many mass shootings, a fact Cameron said he’s proud of.

However, one tragedy that is far too common in Canada is suicide — especially among youth. In October alone, three girls committed suicide.

Cameron said when it comes to suicide, it’s important to look at the variables that brought people to that point.

He added there have been communities where youth have told him they are bored.

“Boredom is a risk enhancer including for drug and alcohol abuse,” he said. “We know as well that sometimes kids have tried to give cries for help as they struggle with depression and suicide. Suicide has gone up because the adults in some communities have been so immersed in their own problems and issues, they haven’t had ears to hear the cries for help from the kids.”

Ken Ladouceur, director of education with Northern Lights School Division, was one of the educators who attended the workshop on Friday. Although safety for students is always a priority, Ladouceur said the issue is at the forefront on everyone’s minds especially after the shooting in La Loche.

“There’s a maturing in Canadian schools,” he said. “We felt very comfortable in our schools, they were safe places and it is not like American schools where we have so much more concern for [mass shootings]. If we are going to keep [schools] as safe places, we have to take a very profound interest in exactly what we do and the protocols we follow.”

Ladouceur added while preventing tragedies like the shooting in La Loche is complex, strategies can be taught and evaluated. Ladouceur plans to follow Cameron’s advice on being open to dialogue.

Jeff.labine@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @labinereporter

by Jeff Labine

Expert on school shootings hosts workshop

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