Mounties in Surrey are planning a public first responders motorcade Thursday for those killed last week in the Nova Scotia mass shooting.
Canada’s worst mass shooting event in history took the life of 23 people, including RCMP Constable Heidi Stevenson.
The April 19 massacre shook the country and it is evident people want to mourn the victims.
However, the shootings occurred amid the COVID-19 pandemic, which has resulted in limits on how Canadians may mourn. Families across Canada are unable to attend their own family members’ memorials, for instance.
First responder motorcades typically draw large gatherings along sidewalks, which raises questions on how this one may occur safely.
However a BCRCMP news release Wednesday made no mention of discouraging crowds from forming and, if they do, there were no directives on pandemic-related physical distancing measures for the public or on how crowd control could be handled if gatherings occurred.
Staff Sergeant Janelle Shoihet said first responders participating in the memorial are taking their own “internal” physical distancing precautions. The news release sent to media was intended to address road closures, she said, when asked if the motorcade could attract crowds and what the plans are if people do show up.
Shoihet said she expects people to follow public health orders but cannot tell people to stay home.
The motorcade will start at Guildford Town Centre parking lot and zig-zag through several large city blocks to BCRCMP headquarters on Green Timbers Way. The motorcade will take 15 minutes.
Surrey RCMP previously held a moment of silence at their detachment for the victims on April 24.
