By The Canadian Press

OpenAI safety reps summoned to Ottawa after B.C. mass shooting, minister says

Feb 23, 2026 | 1:20 PM

OTTAWA — Artificial Intelligence Minister Evan Solomon has called representatives of OpenAI to Ottawa to discuss safety concerns after learning the killer in the mass shooting in Tumbler Ridge, B.C., was banned from using the company’s ChatGPT platform months before the murders

The company banned Jesse Van Rootselaar’s account in June but said the activities on the account didn’t meet the threshold for informing law enforcement at the time because it didn’t identify credible or imminent planning.

The Wall Street Journal reported Friday that Van Rootselaar’s account was banned after it was flagged for troubling posts, including some that included scenarios of gun violence.

OpenAI said it contacted the RCMP after the shooting on Feb. 10 when Van Rootselaar killed her mother and half-brother before going to the local secondary school to kill five students, an educational assistant and then herself.

Solomon told reporters Monday that he is deeply disturbed by the reports and he contacted the American company over the weekend to get more information and to arrange a meeting with its “senior safety team” on Tuesday.

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“We will have a sit down meeting to have an explanation of their safety protocols and their thresholds of escalation to police so we have a better understanding of what’s happening and what they do,” he said.

Solomon would not say whether the federal government intends to regulate AI chatbots like ChatGPT but added that all options are on the table.

Alan Mackworth, a professor emeritus with the University of British Columbia’s department of computer science who focuses on AI safety and ethics, said in a statement that many professionals, such as teachers and doctors, have a “duty to report” any suspected case of harm to or abuse of a minor.

“These obligations are enshrined in law and/or professional ethics. Similar obligations should be placed on social media and AI companies,” he said.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 23, 2026.

The Canadian Press