Tumbler Ridge ‘in our hearts’, says Town CAO 

Maple Creek News

The Tumbler Ridge shooting tragedy has affected Barry Elliott in a deeply personal way.

For about four years, Elliott, the Town of Maple Creek’s chief administrative officer,  and his wife lived in Tumbler Ridge, which lies in the foothills of the Rockies in northeastern British Columbia and has a population of about 2,400.

“So, we know so many of the folks there so very, very well and we can only imagine the suffering and heartbreak that people are going through and we want to extend our sincerest wishes to the families first of all, our heartfelt sympathies and all our prayers to those residents and the community of Tumbler Ridge who I know is a very, very strong community and will come together and support the families and the classmates and all of those folks affected,” said Elliott at the February 11 Maple Creek Town Council meeting.

He spoke one day after an 18-year-old shooter opened fire in the mining town, killing six children aged 11 to 13 and two adults, in one of Canada’s worst acts of mass violence. The shooter also died.

Elliott and his wife lived in Tumbler Ridge from 2011 to 2015.

“So, I just want to comment that Tumbler Ridge is certainly in our hearts