The mayors and council from Armstrong and Spallumcheen have sent out a letter to its residents in the wake of the ongoing investigation into the murder of 18-year-old Taylor Van Diest:
Nov. 10, 2011
A Message to our Residents from the City of Armstrong and the Township of Spallumcheen.
The tragic death of Taylor Van Diest and the recent developments have had an effect on our community in many ways. The City of Armstrong and Township of Spallumcheen and our neighbouring communities have all felt these effects.
While the RCMP conduct their investigation into this crime, as your elected officials and community leaders our top priority at this time is community wellness. In the coming days we would like to talk about ways that we can move forward while ensuring the well being of our residents.
Neighbours looking out for one another is a good place to start. As stated by the RCMP we need to repeat and convey the message of the need for community vigilance and urge you to add personal safety precautions to your day to day plans. Travel in a group; ask parents or friends for a ride. Travel areas of the community that have good visibility. Let family or friends know where you are going and when you expect to arrive. Once you have arrived call some one to let them know. If you have a cell phone carry it.
While you are out and about who knows better as to what is normal or is out of place in the community. If anything seems suspicious, report it. Don’t discount something yourself– allow the police to determine its relevance to the investigation. Anyone with any information is encouraged to contact the RCMP’s recently activated tip line at
1-888-688-4264.
Another part of wellness is participating in community events that we see as an integral part of our community. Starting with Remembrance Day we hope our community will come out and show gratitude to those who fought for the freedoms we enjoy. We will continue to celebrate our Community at Downtown Light Up on Nov. 24 and encourage everyone to participate.
Having said that, we must remember personal safety is something we may not be as familiar with in a small community. Keeping personal safety foremost in our minds is possible to do and still maintain your lifestyle. We encourage everyone to continue with plans but ensure you have also included personal safety pre-cautions in those plans as mentioned earlier by the RCMP.
We will be examining our community resources that are available and provide information to the community for those individuals that may need additional support. A community resource that is currently involved is RCMP Victim Assistance available via Armstrong RCMP Detachment 250-546-3028.
City of Armstrong (Mayor Chris Pieper) Township of Spallumcheen (Mayor Will Hansma)
