Tumbler Ridge, a name and a town recently made infamous by a horrific tragedy will forever be etched in the annals of Canadian hearts and minds for generations to come, the second worst mass-shooting in Canada where nine people lost their lives on February 10th, 2026, and another twenty-seven remain physically injured with two still in critical condition, and no doubt who will be mentally affected in the days, weeks and years to come. Wherein all life is valuable, when the lives of children have been taken it seems to hit everyone a little harder, or perhaps I should say deeper. Thirty-six people were directly affected by this tragic incident, but as a result another twenty-seven hundred more people have also been drawn into the events of the day because of the tight-knit community they all belong to. Beyond this, the rest of Canada mourns with the people of Tumbler Ridge, and beyond that, the world mourns as well.
Many people are looking for answers to questions which may never be answered satisfactorily, or perhaps in a way which they will not accept. As it stands, the who, where, and when have already been answered. Left unanswered are the how, why, and several questions pointing to many what questions, such as what could have been done to prevent such a tragedy, what signs were there and so on.
Before any of those what questions can be answered however, the how and why must be addressed first.
There have been reports made about the assailant’s mental health issues, run-ins with the law and home-life situations as possible motivations or at least contributing factors leading up to the events of this day. In all reality what people are looking for is someone to blame, or if nothing else someone to point their finger at. Perhaps the education system or those in the Health Services industry, and maybe even the law and judicial systems will become the initial targets because they are the ones who are supposed to take care of the collective “us.”
What I am about to offer as another possibility of what happened in Tumbler Ridge and many other places in other schools in other cities in other provinces, and countries around the world will be met with hostility, but it is something I believe wholeheartedly. Society as a whole has lost its moral compass. I have a feeling that when you read the last sentence your first thought was, “Here it comes, another religious fanatic blaming the condition of the world because the Bible has been replaced by common sense” or something similar.
In a way, you would be correct, but I would not rest the blame on society today on the whole. What we see happening today is the culmination of the moral decay of society when it was determined that God was no longer needed or required to exist.
In a way you can say it started 4500 years ago at the tower of Babel, or even further back to before the flood when Adam willfully ate from the “forbidden tree” way back in the Garden of Eden. As true as this might be, there is a point in more recent history where the breakdown once again became prominent.
From as far back as recorded history up until today there has always been conflict between man and nature, between man and man, and of course between man and God. It doesn’t matter what timeline, what culture, these conflicts existed as much then as they do today. Whether you believe in God or not, it can’t be denied.
Since the beginning of the industrial revolution humanity has slowly been sliding into moral decay, the likes of which have not been experienced in thousands of years. Enter electricity and the next stage of the decay. Before you jump to conclusions and think I am trying to blame electricity for the current world state, let me stop you right there. I’m not. However, what I am trying to emphasize is how mankind became more self-reliant, more independent, and less in need of guidance from “outside sources,” such as God.
World War I, the war to end all wars, failed to live up to its billing and only succeeded in creating more ways to kill people and destroy creation. World War II did no better than its predecessor and with the use of newer technology killed more people and destroyed more of creation than before.
The 1950s seemed to be the last glimpse of any moral balance, perhaps out of fear of what mankind had “accomplished” said tongue in cheek.
It would appear as soon as the sixties came around that a lot of what was the norm of the fifties was cast aside and was determined too rigid and restrictive. People wanted and needed to come out from the values which at one time held society together.
It was called the awakening to self. Free thinking, free love, free morality were the only limits to living free.
Sexuality, drug use, and homosexuality were turned loose on society in an attempt to normalize the behaviour and over the decades since they have systematically and effectively done so.
Which brings me right back to Tumbler Ridge. Today’s acceptance of abhorrent ideologies and the push of mental health on a once vibrant youth have reduced them to a culture confused, entitled, and misdirected.
A twelve-year-old was permitted to begin the process of transitioning from a male to a girl with the apparent permission of their parent. Already present in this child’s life were mental health concerns and some criminal activity. Now don’t you go thinking I am homophobic or a religious nut: let me assure you I am neither. I may not agree with the choices or lifestyles of some people, but for me it still doesn’t negate the fact they too were created in the image of God and no matter what, God still loves them and therefore I also must love them as well. Their choice to rebel against God is between them and God and not for me to judge in any way.
Society today on whole has become an enabler for this kind of attitude and behaviour, and the longer we maintain this stand the faster society will crumble into an unimaginable creation of our own making with no way out, back, or even forward. May God help us all!
Randy Lacey, February 13, 2026
