Weldon, Sask., raising funds for playground to honour victim of 2022 mass stabbing

Residents of a village in Saskatchewan are raising funds to build a lasting tribute to one of their own who died in a mass stabbing attack.

A committee in Weldon, northeast of Saskatoon, seeks to raise $150,000 to build a playground to honour the memory of Wesley Petterson and the nearby James Smith Cree Nation is supporting the effort.

Petterson was one of 11 people killed in a stabbing rampage by Myles Sanderson in Weldon and on the James Smith Cree Nation in 2022.

Sanderson died in police custody a few days after the killings.

The fundraisers say the 78-year-old Petterson was loved by many and was often the first person up to make coffee for friends and neighbours as they gathered to visit at the local seniors centre.

WATCH |What we learned in the James Smith Cree Nation stabbing inquest:

What we learned in the James Smith Cree Nation stabbing inquest

8 months ago

Duration 3:40

After a nearly three-week long inquest into the stabbing massacre at James Smith Cree Nation, both the jury and coroner have shared recommendations to help prevent similar tragedies in the future. Here's a closer look at their findings.