A midwestern Ontario Member of Parliament (MP) has paid tribute to the Walkerton District Community School teacher and four students killed in a crash northeast of London last month.
Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound MP Alex Ruff rose in the House of Commons on Tuesday to formally offer his condolences to the families of Olivia Rourke, Rowan McLeod, Kaydance Ford, Danica Baker, and their teacher/coach Matt Eckert. The five were killed when the vehicle they were in collided with a transport truck as they were driving home from a softball tournament in Dorchester on May 23.
"Although Walkerton is in the riding of Huron-Bruce, two of the four teenage girls, Rowan McLeod and Kaydance Ford, were part of the Tara Twins minor softball team in my hometown, and all the victims had family in Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound," said Ruff. "On behalf of all the constituents of Bruce-Grey-Owen Sound and all Canadians, my deepest condolences to all the families, friends, and communities impacted by this terrible tragedy. May they rest in peace."
The deadly collision devastated the community and led to an outpouring of support from across the country. Hundreds of people attended a vigil outside of the school just two days after the crash, others placed running shoes and baseball bats on their front porches in tribute. Both Prime Minister Mark Carney and Premier Doug Ford took to social media in the wake of the crash to offer their condolences.
An online fundraising campaign set up on behalf of the victims' families help cover funeral costs and other expenses related to the tragedy raised over $213,000.