Erickson rallies around attack survivor

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This article was published 26/06/2023 (846 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

ERICKSON — Less than three weeks after a violent home invasion shocked Erickson, members of the small town and surrounding communities showed their support Sunday for the survivor of the brutal attack.

At least 300 people poured through the doors of the Erickson Recreation Centre for a pancake breakfast fundraiser for Candace Richardson, who was attacked with a knife while sleeping in the basement of her home on June 6.

Back home after a stay in Winnipeg hospital, she and her fiancé, Scott McMunn, were overwhelmed by the community support.

“It really shows how close a community like Erickson is, when something goes wrong or something like this happens,” he said. “It’s a little overwhelming, but it’s amazing.”

More than $9,000 was raised for the couple through ticket sales and raffle draws. The food was cooked in the rec centre kitchen, which is also the kitchen used by McMunny’s, the restaurant Richardson and McMunn own. The eatery has been closed since the attack.

Though Richardson did not want to comment, McMunn told the Sun she is doing well, though he expects her physical and mental recovery will take a lot of time.

Richardson still doesn’t have use of her hands because of severe wounds and will likely need surgery soon, McMunn said.

“We were a little surprised that she wanted to come back home so soon,” he said. “But that’s something that she didn’t want (her attacker) to take away from her, which just shows how strong of a person she is.”

McMunn said the fact Richardson attended the fundraiser is an indicator that she’s doing well.

“To see her smile right now is so special,” he said. “It’s gonna be a long road, but we’re on the right track.”

Carter Prince, 18, is charged with attempted murder in connection with the attack. He hasn’t applied for bail and remains in custody.

The fundraiser was spearheaded by Spring Gregorash, Brendan Snyder and Gillian Robertson. Gregorash and Snyder are from Erickson but now live in Brandon. Gregorash said the fundraiser was organized in a short period of time.

“Literally in 24 hours, we’re like, ‘Let’s do this,’” Gregorash said, adding she knows a lot of people and reached out to them. “They just all came together.”

Snyder said people pulling together to make the fundraiser happen shows the power of a small town.

“(Erickson) is such a small community,” he said. “Everyone just wants to help.”

Mildred Zwarich, who lives near Richardson and McMunn, has known McMunn since he was a kid. She said the amount of people that showed up for the fundraiser is an indicator of how supportive the community is.

“When tragedy strikes in the town, as you can see, we pulled together,” she said. “You cannot ask for a better community.”

Zwarich won a blanket as a prize in a raffle draw. Richardson is pregnant. After receiving the blanket, Zwarich hugged McMunn and handed the blanket to him, telling him it was for the couple’s baby.

Brandon resident James Montgomery volunteered to help at the fundraiser. He said it was heartbreaking to hear about the attack.

“The people here are fantastic. They’re loving people,” he said. “It’ll be a challenge for Candace to come back from this, but I know the community will continue to pull together to show the family support.”

David Manuliak and his wife, Marnie, travelled to Erickson from Lake Audy. They said they wanted to support the couple whose restaurant they frequent.

“They’re very good people, and we felt like we should support them,” Marnie said.

— Brandon Sun