Members of Calgary's Alpha House, a centre devoted to helping the city's homeless, are remembering a young woman who was killed in a terror attack on London Bridge on the weekend.
Christine Archibald, originally from Castlegar, B.C., worked in the facility after she graduated from studying social work at Mount Royal University.
Staff at the centre say she made a big impact during her time there and they held 'Chrissy' in the highest regard.
Kathy Christiansen, the executive director the Alpha House, said the family first reached out to them to tell them the terrible news late on Saturday.
"It's not the kind of news that you expect so we're in shock and are grieving at Alpha House around Chrissy's loss."
She said Archibald started as a practicum student and worked at the facility for two years.
"She came to us as a social work student and then became a social worker. But I think one of the things we can say about Chrissy is that she had a natural talent and she was loved by clients and staff alike."
She said Chrissy caught on very quickly in how to respond and understood how important relationships were.
"She was a gift to them and a gift to us."
In the meantime, family members have wrote about their grief on Facebook, saying they plan to establish a charity foundation in her name.
"My baby brother lost the love of his life on the London Bridge,' said Mark Ferguson, the brother of Archibald's fiance. "In a split second, his entire life was ripped away from him."
He said that Archibald was one of the people hit by the vehicle on the bridge.
“They tried everything but weren't able to save her. His life, and all those close to her have been changed forever,” he wrote.
The young woman had moved to Europe earlier this year to be with her fiancé Tyler Ferguson, who was working overseas.
British police are continuing to investigate the incident and have released the identities of two suspects.
In total, seven people were killed and dozens were injured in the vehicle crash and subsequent stabbing spree.
(With files from CTVNews.ca)
