Ice sculptors look to help La Loche, Sask., heal after shootings

Two local artists have teamed up to pay tribute to La Loche, Sask., after a devastating school shooting in the community last month. Four people were killed and seven more were injured from gun fire.

Saskatoon's Doug Lingelbach and La Loche's Melvin Herman have created an ice sculpture as a dedication to the victims of the shootings. 

Four of those victims are represented in the carving that incorporates Dene culture. La Loche is a made up of primarily of Dene peoples. 

Lingelbach, who has been carving ice for 20 years, said the project is one of the most difficult he's ever worked on.

"It comes from the heart," he said. "It's healing for me and I hope it's [healing] for the people."

Two of the people killed on Jan. 22 worked at the La Loche Community School. Staff returned to the school Monday, the first time they've done so since shootings.

A 17-year-old boy from the town has been charged with four counts of first-degree murder related to the shootings. He made his second court appearance Monday in Meadow Lake provincial court.