International students wary of potential hit to community’s reputation following killings in Barrhaven

“We already feel some Canadians don’t like interacting with international students. It’s an additional stress for us.”

Published Mar 14, 2024 • Last updated 9 hours ago • 2 minute read

Algonquin College international students Shaira Cambri (left) and Christine Samus (right) say they’re worried the March 6 homicides of six people in Barrhaven will cast a negative light on international students living in Canada. Megann Wall photo Photo by Megann Wall

Variations of “shock” come often as Algonquin College students try to describe their reactions to Ottawa’s deadliest mass killing, leading to the arrest and charges against a former Algonquin student.

“I was just really shocked when I saw the news,” nursing student Samantha Alcius said. “It was very, very sad.”

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Alcius said the March 6 attack that resulted in the deaths of two adults and four children was not something she would have expected in Ottawa. “Toronto, maybe, but not here, especially Barrhaven.”

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Febrio De-Zoysa, a 19-year-old from Sri Lanka, is charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder in the deaths of Darshani Dilanthika Ekanayake and her four children, as well as Gamini Amarakoon, a family friend who had been living in the home.

Ekanayake’s husband, Dhanushka Wickramasinghe, was the only survivor.

De-Zoysa had a short court appearance by video link on Thursday and his case was adjourned until March 28.

Christine Samus, a student in Algonquin’s early childhood education program, said she and her friends had been speaking about how terrible it had been, especially with four small children involved.

“As a fellow student, we know that there’s a lot of stresses and pressures going on, but it’s still completely shocking,” Samus said.

As an international student herself, Samus said she felt there was a pre-existing uneasiness associated with being in Canada.

“We already feel some Canadians don’t like interacting with international students,” Samus said. “It’s an additional stress for us.”

Shaira Cambri, also an international student from the Philippines, but who now lives in Barrhaven, said cases like this made her more vigilant.

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“You can’t really know what’s happening inside the mind of anyone, even if you know them,” Cambri said. “We can’t really understand.”

Algonquin civil engineering technology professor Federico Fernández said it had been upsetting to hear that the person charged with the killings had once been a student at the campus.

“It’s very unfortunate that (we) live in a city that is so great, and this happens,” Fernández said.

A GoFundMe fundraiser in support of the victims’ families remained ongoing Thursday. As of early evening, it had amassed more than $191,000 of its $200,000 goal.

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