Inside the protocol designed to stop school shootings before they start

In wake of B.C. school shooting that killed six, Sudbury officials stress importance of the Violence Threat Risk Assessment protocol.

It’s been a week since tragedy struck Tumbler Ridge, B.C., where six lives were lost in a mass school shooting.

In Greater Sudbury, Ont., officials are highlighting the importance of a protocol that hopes to prevent the unthinkable from occurring.

In April 2025, Sudbury became one of the first regions in Ontario to sign the fifth edition of the Community Risk Assessment Protocol, a model that has existed for two decades.

At the core of the protocol is Violence Threat Risk Assessment (VTRA), which seeks to identify, assess and support a student before a crisis occurs.

The community coordinator for VTRA, Anna Barsanti, has been a part of the initiative since it was first implemented in Sudbury in 2011.

Barsanti said having a protocol like this is critical, particularly in the wake of the tragedy in B.C.

Putting puzzle pieces together

“It’s a process that breaks down silos. We literally work in collaboration. We share information with consent that allows the picture to not just be puzzle pieces, but actually, what does the puzzle look like?” said Barsanti.

“The more information that you get, the better off you are able to support someone.”

Thirty-five organizations have signed on across Sudbury, Manitoulin Island and Espanola, including police services, school boards and mental health agencies.

“It’s professionals working collaboratively with the individual concerned and their family and saying, ‘what do you need?’” Barsanti said.

“Then knowing what resources we have that we can support what they need.”

She told CTV News that in the past year, 120 individuals and their families have been supported by the program.

“The numbers haven’t changed. But what has changed is the complexity of the VTRAs,” said Barsanti.

“Now we’re looking at, I think, very complex cases and I think a lot of it has to do with the impact of what Covid, you know, that the isolation, because Covid didn’t just impact on children. It impacted all of us.”

Community buy-in makes a difference

Compass offers mental health services and support for children and youth in Sudbury and is a VTRA partner.

“There has been, a change in terms of, let’s say everyday routine since the pandemic and so we’ve seen these disruptions in routines kind of continue over the years,” said Natalie Johnston, Compass’ director of clinical services.

“There’s a reduced access to early supports, increased and digital exposure, as well as an increase in broader community and economic stress.”

Once a VTRA assessment identifies a student at risk, agencies will step in to provide wrap-around support.

“It actually brings all the partners together and is able to look at it through multiple lenses, through that multidisciplinary view about what that person or of concern is doing in multiple different areas in their schools, their community, their family,” said Sue Tasse, the manager of clinical services with the Canadian Mental Health Association – Sudbury/Manitoulin.

“It really is a holistic lens, approach to really assess what that risk could be.”

Watching for shifts in baseline

Barsanti emphasized that school safety isn’t just a policy – it’s a collective watch – telling CTV News that it is everyone’s responsibility to notice a ‘shift in baseline,’ arguing that identifying these small changes in a student’s normal behaviour is the first, most critical step in preventing future tragedies.

“Sometimes when people go to school, that’s their safe place, but maybe it’s a different story at home,” said Barsanti.

“If we pay attention to a shift in baseline, if we check in with people and say, how are you doing, we might get more information.”