Spiritwood, Sask., shooting still painful for mother of Marc Bourdages 10 years later
10-year memorial planned for 2 RCMP officers killed
Ten years after the slaying in Spiritwood, Sask., of RCMP officer Marc Bourdages, his mother still feels the loss deeply.
"It is unreal to me," Yolande Bourdages said from her home in Quebec.
"It doesn't feel like it has been 10 years that I have survived my son and that 10 years is behind me. But the pain is still there. The intensity is the same."
It was July 7, 2006, when RCMP constables Robin Cameron, Marc Bourdages and Michelle Knopp attempted to question Curtis Dagenais about an alleged assault on his sister.
Instead, Dagenais led Cameron and Bourdages on a 30-kilometre pursuit through gravel roads before shooting and killing the two Mounties. The third constable, Knopp, was shot three times but survived.
- Reporter's Notebook: Spiritwood, Sask., shooting: murder, manhunt and killer speaks
Dagenais fled the scene and sparked an 11-day manhunt before turning himself over to police on July 18. He received three life sentences after being found guilty of two counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.
Bourdages's son, Luca, was nine months old at the time of the tragedy. He was dressed as a Mountie at the funeral services.
Sombre anniversary
This week the small Prairie town is marking the anniversary, but Yolande Bourdages will not be in attendance.
She said it's too painful to come back to the place her son was shot and killed. But she said she has no feelings about the man who killed him.
"He is nothing to me. He doesn't exist in my mind. I have no hatred. I have no forgiveness for him. He's nothing to me," Bourdages said of Dagenais.
Today, there is a pipe ceremony and a traditional feast to begin a memorial service where the two fallen RCMP members will be remembered and honoured.
Members of the RCMP's F Division are expected to attend, as well as dignitaries including Federation of Saskatchewan Indian Nations Chief Bobby Cameron and northern Saskatchewan MP Georgina Jolibois.
Although Bourdages will not attend the ceremony, she has a message for the people of Spiritwood.
"I thank them from the bottom of my heart for not forgetting Robin and Marc," she said.
"It greatly affects us and it touches us to see they did things like that for Robin and Marc. One day, who knows, when there is a monument perhaps we will have the courage to go see it. But not at the moment. Not yet."
Memorial park planned in Spiritwood
Money is being raised this week for a park to honour Cameron and Bourdages.
Justin Duret is one of the organizers raising funds and planning events.
He said even though he wasn't a part of the RCMP in Spiritwood when the shootings happened, it's important to remember what they meant to the community.
"We thought it was important to recognize what Marc and Robin accomplished here and in their lives what they did," said Duret. "
We think they should be recognized for what they've done."
Duret said it's hoped Tuesday's memorial run will become an annual event. Over the years, there have been small gatherings, but nothing of this magnitude.
Crystal Whitefish and her sister Veronica Morin took part in Tuesday's run to show their support for Bourdages and Cameron.
Whitefish said she remembers how terrifying it was during the days that followed the shooting.
"Everyone was in shock," said Whitefish "Especially when they had all the roadblocks. It was quite traumatic. You don't expect something like that to happen in this part of the province."
Morin said the tragedy hit close to home.
"Robin was a family friend and was kind of supportive through our family trauma back before," said Morin. I have an aunt who's an RCMP member. I like to support anything that has to do with service members, because my late husband was in the military and my stepdad is a former RCMP member as well."
Two statues of the fallen officers are also planned for the park.
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With files from CBC's Pascale Bouchard-Dube