WALKERTON — Grief rippled through a central Ontario community on Sunday as residents struggled to come to terms with the deaths of four students and a teacher killed in a crash, with hundreds of people paying tribute at an evening vigil outside the school the victims attended.
Jamie Walker, who came with her daughter and laid flowers by the memorial outside Walkerton District Community School, said both of her daughters played hockey with three of the students who died.
"We brought the flowers to represent that we are here looking out for the families, and we are all caring and loving and (are) there for the families," she said.
The Owen Sound NorthStars Junior B Lacrosse club, meanwhile, said they were "heartbroken and crushed" about the death of assistant coach Matt Eckert.
People in the community, located about 150 kilometres northwest of Toronto, also placed running shoes and candles on their porches in tribute to the crash victims.
Eckert and four teenage students from Walkerton District Community School died on Friday when their SUV collided with a transport truck and another SUV just outside London, Ont. The local school board said they were returning from a sporting event in the area.
Two of the girls were 16 and two were 17, Ontario Provincial Police said.
Police said the driver and passenger of the second SUV and the truck driver had minor injuries.
The school board and police have not released the names of the students killed in the crash.
In a social media tribute, the lacrosse club's general manager said Eckert, 33, had an indescribable connection with the players and was a best friend to other coaches.
"His infectious smile and caring heart are things that will never be forgotten. We love you so much Ecky," read the statement, attributed to club general manager Ethan Woods.
When reached by email, an executive for the lacrosse team said they were discussing the best way to honour Eckert that would also be respectful to his family and the other four families affected by the collision.
Naomi Bester, who attended Sunday evening's vigil, said she is a friend of the mother of one of the victims and that their children were also friends.
Weeping as attendees lit candles and the pile of flowers grew, Bester said her heart breaks for the grieving mom and everyone else in the community.
“We are just here because we are such a tight community that we all just need to be together and feel our sorrow,” Bester said.
The local mayor said Sunday the mood in Walkerton was "absolutely terrible" in the aftermath of the crash. The town was also grieving a worker who died Friday at a local manufacturing plant, he said.
"People are devastated. It's an incomprehensible tragedy," said Chris Peabody, the mayor of Brockton, the municipality encompassing Walkerton.
“It's a lot of tragedy for one town. Every organization, workplace, schools, families, all the connections those people had — everybody is going to be impacted in a very negative manner.”
Prime Minister Mark Carney shared his condolences on social media Sunday night, saying the five deaths are heartbreaking.
"This is an unimaginable loss — one that no family, no classmate, no school should ever have to endure. Canadians are holding the Walkerton community in our hearts." Carney wrote on X.
Eckert is listed in the school's staff directory as a teacher. He was also identified as a member of the teachers' union in a social media post by the Ontario Secondary School Teachers' Federation.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 25, 2025.
— With files from Jordan Omstead in Toronto.
Sharif Hassan, The Canadian Press
