Close to their hearts: Park project to honour lives taken in Nova Scotia mass shooting
Two families linked by the Nova Scotia mass shooting are now coming together on a project designed to remember and honour their loved ones, transforming where they died into a place of peace for the families and the community.
Kristen Beaton, a VON health-care worker who was pregnant with her second child, and Heather O’Brien, who was a VON nurse, were both killed on the same road by the shooter on April 19, 2020.
Soon after their deaths, each family erected memorials on Plains Road near Debert, N.S.
The idea behind “Heart's Haven Memorial Park” is to connect the sites as a memorial tribute - a 16 acre park that would include walking trails, gardens, a playground, and a picnic area. The land would be owned by the Municipality of Colchester.
“I think it’s something everybody kind of wanted from the beginning,” says Darcy Dobson, daughter of Heather O’Brien.
“Anybody who’s been victimized by a violent crime, they really want their loved ones to be remembered for how they lived, not how they died,” she says. “The park will really encompass how both these women lived."
Dobson says creating a memorial area has also been a “passion project” for her father, who has spent countless hours clearing the wooded area and doing work refurbishing a gazebo at the site.
“We’ve had a lot of support from Marie Benoit,” says Nick Beaton, husband of Kristen Beaton. “She’s been a big help.”
Benoit is District 9 councillor for Colchester County.
When asked which feature of the proposed park is most meaningful to each of them, Dobson says the gardens and the gazebo stand out.
“My mother was a meticulous gardener, she loved her gardens. So for me, it’s definitely going to be that ability to walk the walking trails through the gardens,” says Dobson.
For Beaton, it’s the playground.
“The big thing for me and [my son] Dax, it will be the playground. When I tried to think of what Kristen would want to represent her, basically everything was about Dax to her, so we come up to have a playground for him and others in the community,” says Beaton.
“I think we’re going to call it Dax Man's Playground," adds Beaton, referring to his late wife’s term of affection for their son.
The estimated cost of the project is $250,000, which Beaton and Dobson are hoping to raise through donations.
“The outpouring of people that I know personally that have reached out, from monetary donations, to signs, to people saying, ‘I’m willing to put in the manpower,'” says Beaton. “We need any help we can get.”
“We definitely need some boots on the ground. We need as much help as we can get to get this off the ground and running for our community,” adds Dobson.
The hope is to have Heart’s Haven Memorial Park completed by August.
This April will mark two years since 22 people, and an unborn child, were killed in Canada’s worst mass murder.
Beaton says the park gives them a positive a goal.
“It’s to focus on some good out of such a horrible spot,” he says. “Kristen would smile pretty big at how much everyone is helping and how much is going into this park,” says Beaton. “For me, it’s part of the healing process for sure.”
Anyone who wants to donate or contribute to the creation and completion of Heart’s Haven Memorial Park is asked to email Colchester County District 9 Councillor Marie Irving-Benoit at mbenoit@colchester.ca .
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Widow looking for answers after Quebec man dies in Texas Ironman competition
The widow of a Quebec man who died competing in an Ironman competition is looking for answers.
Tom Mulcair: Park littered with trash after 'pilot project' is perfect symbol of Trudeau governance
Former NDP leader Tom Mulcair says that what's happening now in a trash-littered federal park in Quebec is a perfect metaphor for how the Trudeau government runs things.
World seeing near breakdown of international law amid wars in Gaza and Ukraine, Amnesty says
The world is seeing a near breakdown of international law amid flagrant rule-breaking in Gaza and Ukraine, multiplying armed conflicts, the rise of authoritarianism and huge rights violations in Sudan, Ethiopia and Myanmar, Amnesty International warned Wednesday as it published its annual report.
Photographer alleges he was forced to watch Megan Thee Stallion have sex and was unfairly fired
A photographer who worked for Megan Thee Stallion said in a lawsuit filed Tuesday that he was forced to watch her have sex, was unfairly fired soon after and was abused as her employee.
Amid concerns over 'collateral damage' Trudeau, Freeland defend capital gains tax change
Facing pushback from physicians and businesspeople over the coming increase to the capital gains inclusion rate, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and his deputy Chrystia Freeland are standing by their plan to target Canada's highest earners.
U.S. Senate passes bill forcing TikTok's parent company to sell or face ban, sends to Biden for signature
The Senate passed legislation Tuesday that would force TikTok's China-based parent company to sell the social media platform under the threat of a ban, a contentious move by U.S. lawmakers that's expected to face legal challenges.
Wildfire southwest of Peace River spurs evacuation order
People living near a wildfire burning about 15 kilometres southwest of Peace River are being told to evacuate their homes.
U.S. Senate overwhelmingly passes aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan with big bipartisan vote
The U.S. Senate has passed US$95 billion in war aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, sending the legislation to President Joe Biden after months of delays and contentious debate over how involved the United States should be in foreign wars.
'My stomach dropped': Winnipeg man speaks out after being criminally harassed following single online date
A Winnipeg man said a single date gone wrong led to years of criminal harassment, false arrests, stress and depression.