Earl Burns was a Canadian Army veteran who tried until his last breath to protect his family and the community of the James Smith Cree Nation in Saskatchewan.

A nonprofit app in the works was named in his honor. Burns Way’s chat app would allow veterans to instantly connect with trained military counterparts while bridging service gaps for those living in rural areas or isolated.

“Burns Way is all about the idea of ​​people supporting other people and fostering that idea of ​​connection,” said John MacBeth, founder and CEO of developer TryCycle Data Systems.

When he and his team learned that Mr. Burns was a veteran, they realized that Mr. Burns embodied the “bravery, courage and sense of duty” for which the app should be named.

Mr Burns was one of 11 people killed in September 2022 when his former son-in-law went from house to house stabbing members of the James Smith Cree Nation and the neighboring village of Weldon. Seventeen other people were injured.

Mr Burns, then 66, was stabbed to death along with his wife in their home. As the attacker fled, Mr. Burns pursued him on a school bus, but he died on the side of the road.

Mr MacBeth added that there were also children in the house at the time and Mr Burns rescued them.

“Earl Burns stood at his own door and literally risked his life to defend the children he protected.”

Mr. Burns served in the Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry. After leaving the army, he became a father and grandfather. He competed in rodeos. He also purchased his own school bus and drove students to school on the reservation every day.

Mr Macbeth said Mr Burns’ family – particularly his wife Joyce Burns, who survived the attack – agreed to his name being used in the application.

The family will also have “a seat at the table,” he said.

TryCycle has been trying to improve health care for Indigenous people for 15 years, MacBeth said. The company has already launched a similar app called Talking Stick, which offers anonymous peer support to Indigenous Canadians.

“The Burns Way is really a reimagining of what we do,” MacBeth said.

The Burns Way aims to provide an “anonymous, judgment-free space” where messages are automatically deleted at the end of the discussion. A user requiring immediate professional assistance is instructed to contact a support representative via another platform.

According to Mr. MacBeth, cell phones are now ubiquitous.

Three weeks ago the company presented itself at a Legion in Ottawa. “There were a lot of older veterans. All veterans present had a smartphone.”

For those who do not have a cell phone, a computer can also connect to the service.

The app, scheduled for release in 2024, will be available in English, French, Spanish and 10 indigenous languages, MacBeth added.

He said the company is currently seeking federal funding for the app. Seven or eight veterans organizations have already signed up, with more pending.

A spokesperson for the Royal Canadian Legion said it is happy to support the project and is advocating for government funding to support operations.

“We believe that if (the app) works as intended, it will be very helpful to veterans because it will allow them to benefit from the anonymous support of someone with the same cultural and spiritual background and experiences as them,” said Nujma Bond in an email.

Chuck Isaacs, a retired Métis sergeant and president of the Alberta Native Veterans Association, concluded that “enabling Indigenous peoples to contribute to the healing of all soldiers is a step forward.”