3 months after deadly shootings, grief and trauma linger in Faro, Yukon

Jack Bowers can't help but be reminded often of that day, exactly three months ago, when his longtime friend Pat McCracken was shot dead at home in Faro, Yukon.

"Every time I drive by Pat's home ... I'm reminded of Pat and all the good that he did in the community," said Bowers, the town's mayor, whose house is across the street from McCracken's.

McCracken, 73, was killed on Oct. 26 by a gunman on a shooting rampage in the small, remote town about 350 kilometres northeast of Whitehorse. Over the course of an hour, the killer visited several places in Faro, leaving McCracken and another person, Saengduean Honchaiyaphum, 42, dead and a third person critically injured. 

Honchaiyaphum's estranged husband, Ralph Shaw, was taken into custody that day in Faro and now faces charges of first-degree murder, attempted murder and two counts of aggravated assault. Shaw was expected to appear in court in Whitehorse again on Wednesday.

Speaking to CBC this week, Bowers was keen to talk about town council business. It's on his mind as he prepares for some strategic planning meetings this week. It's a healthy approach to dealing with grief, he says, and the work is important for helping his community move on.

A lot of the regular council business took a back seat in the weeks after the shootings, and Bowers says it's time to get back to it.

"Each day it is a little easier. We're moving forward," he said. 

"We're focused on our work. I think it's good to be keeping our mind occupied on other things."

Reluctant to talk about it

Still, the grief and trauma linger for many people in town. Faro, population 470, is a tight-knit community, Bowers says.

McCracken was well-known around town. He had lived there for more than 40 years and had been a town councillor and also the town foreman for many years. His relationship to his accused killer is not clear. 

Honchaiyaphum moved to Faro about 15 years ago from her native Thailand. People in the community remember her as a devoted mother, often seen out with her two young daughters. The two girls attend Faro's small school. 

Some residents are still reluctant to talk publicly about what happened in October. One town official declined an interview because they had witnessed some of the events that day and feelings were still raw. Another local resident, a friend of Honchaiyaphum, was similarly reluctant to speak on record. Those people, along with the mayor, suggested speaking to Kara Went.

Went has lived in Faro for 14 years, and was a friend of Honchaiyaphum's. After the shootings, she set up a fundraising campaign for Honchaiyaphum's daughters. She also began to publicly advocate for more mental health support in Faro, and she's still at it.

"We had an entire school's worth of children impacted by the events this fall," Went said this week. 

"One mental health worker coming from [another] community every few weeks isn't even going to touch the surface of that.

She said residents are just starting to come to terms with some of their grief but need support.

"If we don't have a proper way to deal with it, or someone to walk us through the steps of it, I just know many people are just going to completely ignore it," she said. "And we know that grief can come back, in a lot of other emotions."

Long distances to deliver services

After the shootings, Yukon Premier Sandy Silver promised counselling and other immediate support to help people in Faro. Went says there were "fantastic" mental health workers on hand initially, but not beyond the first few weeks.

Typically, Faro is served by mental health professionals based in Carmacks. Under the territory's community-hub model, the Carmacks office also serves the communities of Pelly and Ross River. Went says that's just not adequate.

"Counsellors spend more time traveling on the road than they ever do seeing people," Went said.

"The hub system might have looked great on paper, but it doesn't play out properly in the communities whatsoever. And anyone in a community can tell you that it doesn't work."

CBC requested an interview with Yukon's department of Health and Social Services on Tuesday, but nobody was immediately available.

'I'm not even anywhere close to dealing with my grief'

Went feels relatively lucky, because she can access some mental health support through her partner's work. That allows her to connect via Zoom with a counsellor based in Whitehorse. Not everybody has that kind of access to support services, she says. Many people in Faro can only rely on the Carmacks mental health hub.  

And even with the support, it's still hard for Went. The pain hasn't yet gone away.

"Oh, hell no. I'm not even anywhere close to dealing with my grief because I'm helping my entire family walk through their own grief as well," she said.

"I'm getting professional support, and the support that I'm getting is fantastic, but it's still like, one meeting once every three weeks or so, if I'm lucky."

She also knows that Yukon is dealing with an opioid crisis that's put extra strain on the system. Eight Yukoners have died from illicit drug overdoses so far this year, and last week, the Yukon government declared a substance-use health emergency.

"It's sad, but I know there's a lot going on in the territory," Went said. "We're losing people to drug deaths, and people are sick, and this is just one more thing on top of it."

Pandemic and winter weather don't help

The pandemic has also made things worse in Faro, Went says. The Omicron wave prompted renewed public health restrictions in recent weeks, meaning people haven't been able to gather like they might want or need to.  

"It doesn't help that it's the dark, cold winter months," Went said.  

"We're very lucky that we have a phenomenal rec centre; we have an arena. And it's sad to see them being completely, almost completely, unused at this time, especially a time when our mental health is at such an extreme low," Went said.

The mayor agrees that the pandemic has added "a whole new level of problems."

Bowers said his community really came together in the wake of the shootings last fall, but now, he worries that that sense of togetherness may be threatened by divisions over the pandemic. He's seeing some of that in Faro, though he also says that everybody is doing their part to keep everyone safe. 

"Sometimes, that's begrudgingly," he said.

Still, he believes that Faro will ultimately weather the storm and maintain its reputation as a friendly, welcoming community. 

And Bowers himself is still grieving. He knew McCracken for about 30 years, and he still thinks about him a lot.

"You don't just simply forget someone that's been part of your life for a period of time," Bowers said.

"But I also have faith in a creator that tells me this is not the end game, that there's something beyond this. And I think that helps me to get through this."