The town of Canora is struggling to come to grips with the recent suicides of two teenagers who may have been victims of bullying at school.

On Monday night, hundreds of people packed a school gymnasium in the town to talk about whether the way the youths were treated by their peers contributed to their deaths in December.

One of the teenagers, 16-year-old Travis Sleeva, was subjected to harassment over an extended period said his parents, Gary and Carol Sleeva.

Travis Sleeva in his yearbook photo.
Travis Sleeva in his yearbook photo.

The school failed to deal with it, said the couple, who were at the meeting.

A few weeks after Sleeva died, a female Grade 9 student also took her own life in the town about 200 km northeast of Regina.

Carol Sleeva
Carol Sleeva

Much of the meeting was taken up with a presentation by a crisis intervention worker about the stages of grief, leaving some in attendance disappointed that more time wasn't devoted to the bullying issue.

At one point, Gary Sleeva stood up and told the crowd that bullying must be stopped.

"I feel very strongly that we need to heal, but I also feel that we need accountability in this school and we need answers," he said.

The Sleevas want an independent inquiry into the harassment and bullying they say led to their son's death.

Some students walk out of meeting

The meeting upset many students, and a dozen walked out halfway through the event.

"I expected some of the problems to be confronted," said one student. "This was just covering it up."

Carol Sleeva said she understands the disappointment shown by some of her son's friends.

"They've been receiving grief counselling and what they were here for was help and to get their school back on track, so they don't have to be intimidated coming to school anymore," she said.

"They want all the bullying to stop. They want to be able to continue their education in a happy, safe environment."

The school division's director of education, Allan Sharp, admitted last week that there are problems with bullies at the school, but he said there was no indication that either student was considering suicide.

"If I could go back and change things I would, but I can't," Sharp said. "We have to move forward on this and we have to make sure that our students receive the best education they can in the best environment."

Nearly three years ago, a 16-year-old girl from British Columbia was found guilty of uttering threats and criminal harassment in a landmark case involving a schoolmate's suicide.

Evidence introduced in court showed the girl and two others bullied Dawn-Marie Wesley of Mission, B.C., until she hanged herself.

The 14-year-old left a note describing the intimidation and saying that she considered death to be her only means of escape.