By Canadian Press

Saskatchewan sites named in honour of teacher, aide who died in school shooting

Nov 21, 2017 | 10:15 AM

REGINA — Two sites in northern Saskatchewan have been named in honour of a teacher and a teacher’s aide who were fatally shot by a teenage gunman almost two years ago.

Teacher Adam Wood and tutor Marie Janvier were killed while trying to help students after the 17-year-old youth started shooting up the La Loche high school in January 2016.

Janvier Point is located on Saleski Lake, just north of La Loche, and Adam Wood Memorial Landing is along a creek just east of the village.

The province says it hopes that honouring the memory of Wood and Janvier will bring some comfort to their families and friends.

A government release says Wood was an avid outdoorsman who was a frequent visitor to the wooded creek-side area that now bears his name. 

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It says Janvier, who was a longtime resident of the area, was a caring and compassionate person who helped anyone in need.

“Today marks a small gesture of our gratitude to Adam Wood and Marie Janvier, to show that we will be forever grateful for their courage and service to the students of La Loche,” Education Minister Bronwyn Eyre said in the release Tuesday.

“It is our hope that everyone will know that Adam and Marie were loved, and that they will never be forgotten.”

Janvier, who was 21, was a graduate of the La Loche school, and had recently been hired as a tutor. Her family said she loved children and animals, and lived with and cared for her mother and grandmother. The young woman planned on going to university to become a teacher.

Wood, who was 35, had started his teaching career in La Loche the September before the shooting. His family in Uxbridge, Ont., said he was an adventurer, had a passion for life, and a knack for making people laugh. He had worked with youth at an urban farm in Thunder Bay, Ont.

Brothers Dayne and Drayden Fontaine also died in the mass shooting on Jan. 22, 2016. They were killed in their home by the shooter before he went to the school where he killed Wood and Janvier and wounded seven people. 

The shooter, who was days away from his 18th birthday, pleaded guilty to first-degree murder, second-degree murder and attempted murder. Arguments were heard earlier this year as to whether he should be sentenced as a youth or an adult. The judge’s decision is expected in February.

Wood and Janvier were nominated posthumously for Saskatchewan’s GeoMemorial program by the Saskatchewan Teachers’ Federation and the Ministry of Education.

They received community support through letters from fellow teachers, the Northern Lights School Division and the Northern Area Teachers’ Association.

The Canadian Press