You’ve heard the story. A husband and wife – a dad and a mom – are dead. Two local boys have no parents. Just last week – was it only last week? – those young lads headed out the door to school in Stittsville. While a teacher was at the front of a class talking about number sense or poetry, local police were responding to a 911 call. When they got to the family home, Peter Lefebvre was gone. Theresa Lefebvre was critically injured. Hours later, he was found dead. She died of her injuries Wednesday, April 18.
None of us will ever know exactly what happened after a couple of kids – brothers – left for school one spring morning. None of us can ever know, for sure, what’s going on behind closed doors – those of our friends and neighbours, family members, colleagues and acquaintances.
But we need to talk about it. We need to talk about violence, about mental health issues, about bullying and the conflicts and hardships that impact our families and our community.
Not to point fingers, no. Rather to open those doors a crack and, hopefully, remove some of the barriers to support, care and public policy change that can make our families and our community healthier and safer. Silence, shame and social stigma are real obstacles to intervention.
The Lefebvres were just like us – a typical Ottawa family. That’s what’s so shocking and heart wrenching:
Just like us.
What do you think we can do, as a community, to bring about change?
Let’s talk.
Pam Dillon
Reach me at Pam@coylepublishing.com.
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