Psychiatrist calls for long-term mental health support in Tumbler Ridge

Advocates warn against linking mental illness to violence, but agree stronger supports are needed. Adrian Ghobrial examines gaps and possible reforms.

A psychiatry professor is calling for sustained, in-person mental health supports in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., saying the small northeastern community will face long-term impacts following the recent tragedy.

“While there’s the initial event, the mental health and wellbeing impact will continue well into the long-term,” said McMaster University psychiatry professor Margaret McKinnon. She adds that “we want to make sure that all the support we offer is long-term and sustained. We don’t simply want mental health providers coming into the community and then leaving because that can also lead to a sense of abandonment for those who’ve been relying upon the care.”

Located in northeastern, British Columbia, the community of roughly 2,400 people has been left shaken, as some begin questioning whether this senseless tragedy could have been prevented.

The RCMP has revealed it had previously apprehended the shooter, Jesse Van Rootselaar, under the Mental Health Act.

Speaking to the media roughly 24-hours after the tragic scene unfolded, B.C. RCMP commanding officer Dwayne McDonald shared that “police had attended (Van Rootselaar’s) residence on multiple occasions over the past several years, dealing with concerns of mental health with respect to our suspect,” adding that “on different occasions,the suspect was apprehended for assessment and follow up.”

Police responding to mental health calls is a long-standing issue, according to McKinnon, noting that in her view, “it’s certainly not ideal for police to be providing mental health support and mental health care, and really, that responsibility isn’t fair to police officers either. What we need is adequate mental health and wellbeing support withing communities.”

Tumbler Ridge has a medical centre, but in-person mental health support in the community is limited.

In January, the province announced it was expanding Foundry Centres to more remote communities to support youth between the ages of 12 and 24. The closest Foundry Centre to Tumbler Ridge is in Prince George, B.C. roughly a four-hour drive away.

“We know that virtual supports can be provided but they’re not adequate. We really need mental health supports to be situated in communities where they’re needed most,” McKinnon adds.

Police say its unclear if she was currently undergoing any psychiatric therapy.

A 2015 court ruling denied Van Rootselaar’s mother’s request to move her children to the East Coast. A section of the judge’s ruling states that “these children have led an almost nomadic life, from what I’ve been told, with multiple moves over the last five years between Newfoundland, Grand Cache and Powell River, British Columbia.”

As Tumbler Ridge searches for the answers, B.C. Premier David Eby has vowed to do whatever is necessary to prevent a similar tragedy from happening again.

A long-term commitment to the community is a good place to start, McKinnon says.

She is “calling on the provincial and federal governments to provide long-term supports to everyone impacted, the survivors, their family friends and peers, the first responders who attended the call and also the wider community who’re also facing fear as a result of this event.”