Focus on mental health, public safety at inquest into Tumbler Ridge, B.C., deaths

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 03/03/2026 (214 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

VICTORIA – An inquest into the deaths of nine people in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., will examine how the mental health and public safety systems intersect, the province’s chief coroner says. 

Dr. Jatinder Baidwan announced the inquest on Tuesday with a goal to prevent future deaths. 

While a date for the inquest hasn’t been set, Baidwan said it would also consider how guns were obtained by the killer. 

Jesse Van Rootselaar shot dead her mother and 11-year-old half-brother at their home before killing five students, a teacher’s aide and then herself at Tumbler Ridge Secondary School on Feb. 10.

Baidwan said the tragedy prompted widespread discussions about mental health and public safety, and a key part of the inquest will be looking at how people in crisis are identified and supported. 

“This will include consideration of how mental health services and public safety systems work together to support people experiencing complex mental health crises, including broader issues of community awareness, education and support, and matters related to gender diversity, where relevant to the evidence,” he said. 

Baidwan later declined to say how gender diversity might come up in the inquest. 

“So, we will employ all the skills that we have to investigate the circumstances of what happened, and if gender diversity was an issue and comes up as an issue in those circumstances, then it will be examined.” 

Van Rootselaar was transgender.

The inquest will consider any systemic factors, “including how mental health and public safety systems intersect with firearms oversight and how information is shared between online platforms, emerging technologies like artificial intelligence and law enforcement,” he said. 

OpenAI said after the shooting that Van Rootselaar had been flagged for her use of its artificial intelligence platform ChatGPT, and her account was shut down last June. However, the company said last week that she got around the ban by having a second account. 

Baidwan said he doesn’t have the power to compel OpenAI, an American firm, to participate in the inquest, but that most businesses will co-operate because it’s in their best interests. 

The inquest will also consider how northern and rural communities in B.C. access mental health supports. 

“As chief coroner, my mandate is to promote public safety and the findings and recommendations from this inquest will inform practice and support safety and well-being in communities across British Columbia and Canada,” he said during the news conference at the provincial legislature. 

The coroners service has a unique role in looking at the deaths openly and in a way that will maintain public confidence, Baidwan said.

“We are not a fault-finding process, which is a distinction from the justice system,” he said. “We are an inquest, where we sort of try to get to the truth about things, and try to see whether we can improve and change what happens, so it never happens again.” 

Tumbler Ridge Mayor Darryl Krakowka said in a statement Tuesday that the inquest will help the community understand what happened as it continues to grieve. 

“While nothing can undo the profound loss felt by the families and by our entire community, this process is essential to ensuring a thorough, independent and transparent review,” he said.

Krakowka said the municipality will fully co-operate with Baidwan’s office and promised to share additional details about the inquest as they become available. 

“Our focus remains on supporting meaningful improvements for the community and on preventing future tragedies,” he said.

B.C.’s Public Safety Minister Nina Krieger said the inquest is a “really crucial step” in getting answers. 

“We are very hopeful that the independent review will be quite comprehensive in scope,” she said.

She said there is also the possibility of government calling a public inquiry to examine any unanswered questions, but also urged caution.

“One consideration we always need to have in mind, is to ensure that the families who have just experienced unimaginable trauma are not re-traumatized by concurrent processes,” she said. 

B.C. Conservative MLA Claire Rattee, the critic for mental health, welcomed the inquest announcement. 

“But I think we have been pretty clear that we are still looking for a public inquiry,” she said.

Baidwan said there’s no standard on holding an inquest in a particular location. 

“But I think it behooves us to hold the inquest where it will do the most good. And I’m talking to various people, including the premier’s office and the mayor of Tumbler Ridge, to work out exactly where it will be held.”

The statement from Tumbler Ridge does not indicate any preference for a location.

The timing of the inquest will depends on the conclusion of the police investigation, and the coroners’ own investigation, Baidwan said. 

He also acknowledged “somewhat of a backlog” from other inquests. 

“But this will not go into the backlog,” he said. “This will be as soon as all the information is available to hold an inquest.”

Baidwan said his office traditionally waits to hold an inquest until it has received as much information as possible from any “ancillary investigations,” especially the police. 

“In this instance, it may not be that important to wait for that, but it depends,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 3, 2026.