Safety protocols in Alberta schools will soon be under review after a fatal mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., where nine people died and dozens were injured.

Education Minister Demetrios Nicolaides announced Thursday that he will direct school boards to audit their security measures after Alberta RCMP responded to firearm-related calls at three different schools since Tuesday’s shooting in B.C.

He also said he will conduct a provincial review of safety guidelines to ensure Alberta schools have “adequate minimum standards.”

“Our schools are safe, … hundreds of thousands of kids go to school every day in incredibly safe environments,” said Nicolaides. “Of course, what we’ve seen warrants us to undertake a review.”

The review, said Nicolaides, will identify and propose solutions to address safety concerns in schools, such as faulty intercoms, out-of-date safety equipment and doors that are unable to lock.

Representatives from both Edmonton’s public and Catholic school boards told CBC News the groups have not yet received additional details from the province about the safety review beyond what Nicolaides shared at an unrelated news conference on Thursday.

Nicolaides, in a statement, said the ministry is still finalizing details about the provincial and school board security audits, and will soon have more information. 

The Edmonton and Calgary Catholic school divisions and the Calgary public school board told CBC News their schools regularly conduct safety assessments like lockdown and fire drills. Edmonton and Calgary’s public and Catholic school districts each have emergency response plans in place.

Safety solutions

Community members, including students and parents, must be involved in the review process, said Omar Yaqub, the executive director of Edmonton social services organization IslamicFamily. 

“It’d be really interesting to engage students as part of the solution-making,” Yaqub said. “How do we find ways to ensure that they’re helping us identify and build solutions?”

School resource officers may be factored by the province and school boards in regards to the upcoming safety audits, Premier Danielle Smith said on Thursday. 

Edmonton high school student Ari Cardinal said though he doesn’t typically notice the work of his resource officer, he believes schools should have them, especially after the Tumbler Ridge shooting.

“It definitely gives me a little comfort knowing there’s a police officer in the building,” he said.

WATCH | A look at school safety audits in Alberta:

Alberta launches school safety audits following B.C. shooting

With the recent events in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., the Alberta government wants to reassure people that public schools in the province are safe place for students. But as CBC’s Nicole Healey explains, the minister of education still feels a review of safety measures is warranted.

Safety, however, can take on different forms for different people, and school resource officers may not be the answer, said Yaqub.

“We have to be ensuring that we’re investing adequately in community-based preventative solutions,” he said.

“We’re not trying to create a pipeline to the justice system. We’re trying to create graduates and citizens and people [who] are invested in Canada, … and it’s important that we use the appropriate tools to do that.”