Jeremiah McKinney
Staff Reporter
Just the other day, between April 18th and 19th, tragedy struck Nova Scotia, a province in eastern Canada. A 51-year-old male gunman, who will not be named in this story, ended 22 innocent lives and set 16 fires in a thirteen-hour killing spree. On top of the current world situation, this has surely added an extra burden on many families.
Here are some of the victims (listed in more detail by Canadian network CBC News), all of whom deserve to have their names and lives remembered: Constable Heidi Stevenson had been with the Royal Canadian Mounted Police for 23 years, and was a mother of two kids in grades 6 and 8. Jolene Oliver, Aaron Tuck, and their teenage daughter Emily Tuck had moved to Nova Scotia two years ago to be closer to Aaron Tuck’s ailing mother. Gina Goulet worked for 27 years as a denturist and had beaten cancer twice. These people, and many more, had their lives prematurely and abruptly ended, but they will live on forever in the hearts of their families and kind souls worldwide.
In order to help those affected by this tragedy, Nova Scotia-based Youtuber Eckhart’s Ladder brought attention to the shootings in two short videos. In the second of these videos, he shared a GoFundMe page he created, titled “Supporting Grieving Nova Scotia Families” to help the families of the victims. In the description, he states that most importantly, the victims “were our friends and family; they were parents, grandparents, children, and spouses. To make matters worse, many families are dealing with not only the loss of (at least) a loved one, but also the destruction of property.” His fundraiser aims to preemptively raise money to help all those affected by the senseless rampage before they begin to financially struggle. The original goal for the fundraiser was $10,000, but it was later extended to $25,000 when the previous goal was surpassed. There have also been many more fundraisers created, and everyone is urged to donate if able.
Many ways to honor the victims have popped up. Across Canada, people have put flowers and candles on the roadside as memorials. For Constable Stevenson, law enforcement and other first responders have held small ceremonies, and people are wearing red in her honor. There was a motorcade of hundreds of cars formed in honor of Joey Webber, who was shot while running errands for his family. Niagara Falls was lit up in blue and white, the colors of Nova Scotia’s flag, as was CN Tower in Toronto, Ontario. The tower was also lit red, blue and gold for Constable Stevenson.
Nova Scotia, and Canada as a whole, is still reeling from the impact of this horrible event during already tough times. Any way you can help will be greatly appreciated, Eagles.
Image Credit: Youjeen Cho on Unsplash
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