Reconciliation Day crash killed two Tsawwassen First Nation elders

Two hand-carved Indigenous house posts stood under bright blue tarpaulins Thursday outside the Tsawwassen Mills No. 3 entrance in South Delta, waiting for an unveiling that never came.

Just steps away, more than a dozen colourful bouquets lined the walkway near where a black pickup truck plowed into four pedestrians in the mall parking lot shortly after 10:25 a.m. Wednesday, killing two Tsawwassen First Nation elders.

The elders, identified Thursday as Virginia Splockton and Barb Joe, are remembered by their families as cultural pillars whose contributions to the community spanned generations.

Splockton’s family described her as a great-grandmother and respected elder who loved crafting, drumming and singing. She was a familiar face at Tsawwassen First Nation gatherings, often providing songs and words at community and government events.

Mayumi Izumi told Postmedia News she once complimented the bannock Splockton had made for a 2013 competition at the Museum and Archives in North Vancouver. When Splockton heard how much Izumi had enjoyed it, she gave her the entire dish of leftover bannock, along with the jar of jam she had used to top it.

“She was so kind,” Izumi said.

Joe, also named Wilapiya, is remembered as a knowledge keeper, matriarch and cultural pillar who spent years passing on Tsawwassen First Nation language and traditions. As a language and cultural coordinator for the Nation, she helped document and teach hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓, the Coast Salish language spoken by the Tsawwassen people.

By Thursday morning, much of the crash scene had been cleared, but the aftermath was still visible. Yellow caution tape, shattered glass, beams and remnants of the Boston Pizza patio awning remained scattered nearby, while the hand-carved house posts stood covered at the entrance.

At the time of the crash, members of the Tsawwassen First Nation were preparing for a National Day for Truth and Reconciliation ceremony that included the unveiling of the house posts, while a community walk involving dozens of people, many in orange shirts, was happening elsewhere on the mall property.

“The area where the collision occurred was scheduled to host a house post unveiling following the conclusion of the walk,” Delta Police said Thursday.

Patsy Thompson, a musician scheduled to play at the Truth and Reconciliation event, arrived to the sight of the pickup truck rammed into a brick wall of the mall with people on the ground receiving emergency medical treatment.

“When I first pulled up, I was in absolute shock,” she said in a video posted to social media Wednesday.

“There were people screaming, EMS trying to help people on the ground who looked very injured,” she said. “It was ambulance and ambulance and ambulance showing up.”