Sask. sites named in honour of teacher, aide killed in La Loche shooting

Two sites in northern Saskatchewan have been named inhonour of a teacher and a teacher's aide who were fatally shot by ateenage gunman almost two years ago.

Teacher Adam Wood and tutor Marie Janvier were killed whiletrying to help students after the 17-year-old youth started shootingup 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 thevillage.

Naming aims to bring families comfort

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

A government release says Wood was an avid outdoorsman who was afrequent visitor to the wooded creek-side area that now bears hisname.

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

"Today marks a small gesture of our gratitude to Adam Wood andMarie Janvier, to show that we will be forever grateful for theircourage and service to the students of La Loche," EducationMinister Bronwyn Eyre said in the release Tuesday.

"It is our hope that everyone will know that Adam and Marie wereloved, and that they will never be forgotten."

Remembering two lives

Janvier, who was 21, was a graduate of the La Loche school, andhad recently been hired as a tutor. Her family said she lovedchildren and animals, and lived with and cared for her mother andgrandmother.

The young woman planned on going to university tobecome a teacher.

Wood, who was 35, had started his teaching career in La Loche theSeptember before the shooting. His family in Uxbridge, Ont., said hewas an adventurer, had a passion for life, and a knack for makingpeople laugh. He had worked with youth at an urban farm in ThunderBay, Ont.

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

The shooter, who was days away from his 18th birthday, pleadedguilty to first-degree murder, second-degree murder and attemptedmurder.

Naming part ofGeoMemorialprogram

Arguments were heard earlier this year as to whether heshould be sentenced as a youth or an adult. The judge's decision isexpected 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 fellowteachers, the Northern Lights School Division and the Northern AreaTeachers' Association.