Tumbler Ridge Secondary School demolition begins

Workers have begun dismantling Tumbler Ridge Secondary School months after the mass shooting that killed five young students and a teacher’s aide at the school.

The Peace River School District says the work will follow a trauma-informed approach intended to acknowledge the site’s significance and limit disruption to students, families and the wider community. Furniture and other movable items will be removed in covered trucks, while building materials will be sent to regional sites rather than the local landfill.

The district expects the removal to be complete this fall. It is also preparing a central complex to support the portable classrooms students have used since the February tragedy. The facility is to include washrooms, offices, staff workspaces, counselling rooms and a student gathering area, with completion planned for the start of the school year.

The provincial and federal governments have announced $200 million combined for a replacement school and modernization of the community health centre. Earlier this month, the province said it planned legal action against OpenAI seeking support for the community; OpenAI has said an account belonging to the shooter had been banned in 2025 and that it considered, but did not make, a police notification over concerning interactions.