A B.C. MLA has introduced a bill to make school lockdowns easier in the wake of the Tumbler Ridge mass shooting that left nine people dead.
Independent MLA Jordan Kealy introduced the bill Thursday (March 5) saying that, after the tragedy in Tumbler Ridge, “it reminded us that the safety of our schools cannot be taken for granted.”
“No parent should worry that someone could simply walk into their child’s school without oversight while students are in classrooms trying to simply learn,” Kealy said when introducing the bill.
He said the legislation would establish controlled entry points, ensuring that access to students and staff is properly monitored. He added that some schools in B.C. already operate this way.
Kealy later told media that the bill isn’t trying to turn the school system into “prisons.”
The Peace River North MLA claimed there were no security measures to stop the shooter from entering Tumbler Ridge Secondary School “and that’s exactly what the shooter did.”
Jesse Van Rootselaar, 18, is the suspect in the Feb. 10 mass shooting. She is accused of killing her mom and 11-year-old sibling at her home before going to the school and killing five students and an educator. Twenty-seven others were injured, with two transported to hospital with serious or life-threatening injuries.
“Having that door locked while the school is in session and just simply having an intercom or buzzer to control who comes in if they’re not welcome. You can easily see it on a camera if a person’s got guns on them. Don’t let them in,” he said.
Kealy added it gives school staff “critical time” to call 911 and put the school on lockdown.
Asked if the province should wait for the recently announced coroner’s inquest to be completed before possible changes to schools, Kealy noted the inquest “could be two years down the road for those fixes to go in place.”
On Tuesday, B.C.’s chief coroner, Dr. Jatinder Baidwan announced the intention for a coroner’s inquest but couldn’t give a timeline on when it would begin.
“What I can assure you, though, is there is a long list of inquests waiting to happen – we’ve got a backlog – but this will not go into the backlog,” Baidwan said.
Kealy’s bill passed first reading Thursday.