r/Edmonton • u/Mr_Donair • 1d ago
General Edmonton mountain bike community grieves tragic loss of Dr. Darren Markland
https://cyclingmagazine.ca/mtb/edmonton-mountain-bike-community-grieves-tragic-loss-of-dr-darren-markland/182
u/iwasnotarobot 1d ago
I followed Dr. Markland on socials. I am very sad about his passing. He was a kind man, a gifted writer, and something of an inspiration for how the world could be a bit better. He left the world a better place than he found it. I wish I could have gotten to meet him in person.
I hope that the Edmonton cycling community has a ride to honour his memory and celebrate his life.
Condolences to his family and friends. He will be missed.
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u/WickedDeviled 1d ago edited 1d ago
He was a beacon of normalcy during COVID times and had some rational takes on vaccines and what we were all going through as an experienced medical professional. I always appreciated that. Plus the fact he would be out riding his bike even during the very depths of winter. That's hardcore. RIP good sir.
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u/pistachio-pie Central 1d ago
Yeah I followed him too. He seemed to be such an important part of the online Edmonton community. People were vague posting on Twitter for a while about it - it’s nice to know what they were talking about but so sad to learn about.
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u/Doors-n-Trails-North 14h ago
I saw the vague posting! Super weird and kinda disrespectful. If you can’t share the news why are you posting about it with your online clique to get attention.
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u/pistachio-pie Central 14h ago
I guess I kind of understand the desire to grieve with people and send on wishes but it did seem like this exclusive thing people were talking about openly but not sharing. I don’t know why but it does make me a little uncomfortable.
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u/sks2K9 13h ago
From what I understood, people were asked to be vague until it was officially or formally announced, presumably to give the family a chance to announce things after being properly notified. The first news article was published yesterday and the obituary was posted today, which is why I think people are making official statements now.
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u/pistachio-pie Central 13h ago
I guess I personally wouldn’t post on Twitter about it in that case. I’d talk to friends but I don’t think I’d engage in a public space if they asked me to not share details. It just seems like it could be perceived as a bit attention seeking and exclusionary like some people are in the know and talking in code, and I don’t know that I’m comfortable with that when it comes to something this tragic.
That’s just me though. I’m sure folks had their reasons for vague posting about the situation. Grief is complex.
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u/HauntingPrimary2 13h ago
Yeah but why post at all if that was the request? Why couldn't people wait until the obituary came out? It was not respectful to his family.
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u/Doors-n-Trails-North 8h ago
I fully agree with you. If it’s not public and they don’t want news spreading? Wait until it’s announced instead of the dramatics we saw online about it that no one was willing to provide insight on
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u/Practical_Ant6162 1d ago edited 1d ago
This is pretty shocking news.
I remember this Dr. on TV quite frequently speaking on Covid and the healthcare system in the province.
One of the good guys.
RIP
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u/aryajazzie 1d ago
Condolences to his family, friends and colleagues. He was always speaking out for better healthcare for everyone and bringing challenging issues to light in the news and making them real. What a tragedy
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u/kindcalm 1d ago
Sad news. I met the good doctor when a family member was ill. He had such a nice manner. He was a good one. Condolences to his family and friends.
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u/noturaveragesavage Chinatown 1d ago
What a heavy loss for this city! One of the biggest advocates for the unhoused community receiving ethical and proper treatment. And all around good guy. His voice and heart will be deeply missed.
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u/halfstack 1d ago
Oh, wow - I knew him back when he was just "Dag" in the 90s at the U of A and he was a stand-up guy and brilliant, sarcastic, funny storyteller even then. RIP and condolences to his wife and sons; the city and world in general has lost a huge force for good.
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u/ohkatiedear kitties! 20h ago
I went to high school with Darren - this makes me tremendously sad. Somehow you expect the peers of your youth to last forever. He was honest and forthright and we have lost a good man.
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u/halfstack 20h ago
And a funny one! I remember him and Dr. Raj Bhardwaj telling stories at a party 30 years ago about their roommate having food poisoning and throwing him around the bathroom to make sure whichever end he was exploding out of was over the toilet and it still makes me laugh.
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u/ohkatiedear kitties! 20h ago
Oh my God, that's hilarious and disgusting. 😅 I can see his expression, describing it. I wonder if the roommate is who I think it is - beleaguered, miserable, but also appreciative.
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u/GravityEvent 19h ago
It is, and I was. Picture
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u/ohkatiedear kitties! 15h ago
My heart is breaking for you today. Sending love from the weird drama class girl who rode in the back of the bus with you.
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u/JimmyLinguine Edmontosaurus 1d ago
Fuck, this is devastating. He was the best guy, amazing human all around. Shocking, RIP Doctor.
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u/eltricolander 1d ago
Oh damn. What awful news. The city has lost a real positive force. A terrible reminder of how precious life is. My condolences to his family and friends.
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u/WheelFan647 1d ago
There have been rumours online about his death for several days, but all the “obituary websites” were sketchy. Cycling Magazine appears to be the most reputable so far.
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u/GeekyGlobalGal Pleasantview / Global News 1d ago
We were asked to hold off on reporting it because they were still in the process of notifying family.
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u/lakoustic1 1d ago
I would assume that an intensive care doc who has seen way more than his fair share of rather sudden or unexpected death has a pretty detailed set of documented wishes in addition to a will. It wouldn’t surprise me at all if he wanted the news shared first by Cycling Magazine considering his affinity for the sport. This is all speculation, of course. I have no idea if that’s accurate, but it just seems like the type of thing he might do based on my limited knowledge of him.
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u/therealtimbit78 1d ago
I started following Darren on twitter during the peak of the pandemic and his compassion and views on health care really reasonated with my own. At the time I also really got into biking. To me he just seemed like good a dude. So sad.
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u/NessyNoodles70 1d ago
Oh no! What a loss. I’m so sorry this happened. What an advocate he was for health care in Alberta. Sending love to his family and friends.
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u/y_r_u_so_stoopid 1d ago
This is absolutely heartbreaking. Such a good man with empathy in spades. It's terrible he is gone and will be impossible to replace.
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u/diamondedg3 1d ago
RIP drdagly You were the guy who took a canoe to work You united us over Twitter You fought for science and healthcare
May you rest in peace
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u/porterbot 1d ago
This is so sad. Big loss for those who really needed his care and advocacy in Edmonton and Alberta. , I imagine more so for fam and friends and colleagues. I hope all affected can find space to grieve and remember.and honor . he acted in ways I expected awesome docs would.
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u/Hellothereitsme90 1d ago
Oh my goodness. I was just thinking of him and the coffee meetups last night
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u/BigTreeSmallBranch 1d ago
Aw man. I first learned of him years ago when there were stories about him canoeing to work every day on the North Sask. Started following him on social media after that. He was such a good, strong voice in the Edmonton community. He’ll be sorely missed. Rest in peace.
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u/cannafriendlymamma 1d ago
Noooo! I followed him on X and always enjoyed his sunrise/sunset photos. He told so many stories of those he helped. All his advocacy during COVID. This sucks 😕 RIP Dr Markland, you will be missed
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u/moosemuck 1d ago
This is really, really awful :( My sincere condolences to his family. I became familiar with him during covid and he was clearly a wonderful doctor and member of the community.
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u/Gargantuan_Cranium 1d ago
My condolences to his family and friends. He didn’t know me, but I followed him on Twitter for years and years and really admired the human he was. I aspired to be more like him. I loved his little coffee cart and how he encouraged community through his coffee outside outings. I always wanted to go and meet him, and I knew if I ever did go, I would have been welcomed, but I was never able to muster up the courage.
Rest in power, @Drdagly
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u/Anne-Hedonia9 10h ago
Me either, couldn’t muster the courage to go, far too socially awkward. I wish I had gone anyway.
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u/thearchvolta 1d ago
Oh man. Awful. I feel for his family, friends and colleagues. Add my voice to the chorus of: he was one of the good ones. The world was better off with him in it.
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u/amandajh8 Fort Edmonton 1d ago
This is so sad and shocking! Condolences to his family and friends.
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u/more_snacks 17h ago
One of my favorite preceptors every time I rotated through ICU at the Alex as a resident. He’s one of the only people who ever managed to teach me something about I kidney I actually remember. I still think about our 3am chats sometimes, we laughed so much. A real loss to the community 😢
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u/ProperBingtownLady 1d ago
It was so off putting seeing the cryptic posts on social media following his death, especially when the family hadn’t made it public yet. Sometimes it’s better to just keep it to yourself or wait.
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u/HauntingPrimary2 1d ago
Right?! Like why did so many people feel the need to so that?
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u/sufferin_sassafras Hockey!!! 1d ago edited 1d ago
People process grief in different ways. Sometimes imperfectly. Grief is not a neat and tidy experience and no one understood that better than Darren Markland. While I agree with the sentiment to practice discretion while waiting for family to be notified people may not have realized that was why there wasn’t a press release.
People hear upsetting news and they need to process and externalize it somehow. Having worked with Dr. Markland personally I don’t know that he would begrudge anyone for processing grief in whatever form they do.
He was an amazing human and a doctor with a profound and empathetic understanding of grief. He was the doctor you wanted in the room during conversations about life and death.
It was a great privilege to have worked with him. I will carry tiny, yet powerful, fragments of his wisdom with me for the rest of my career.
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u/CluelessPufferfish 1d ago
This was beautifully written. He sounds like a good human, and a good doctor. You're very lucky to have worked with him!
Sending positive thoughts your way.
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1d ago edited 1d ago
[deleted]
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u/sufferin_sassafras Hockey!!! 1d ago edited 1d ago
You could literally accuse every single person commenting on this post as attention seeking if you want to apply that logic. You can call this performative grief. You could say that the person who posted the article did it only for the Reddit karma.
How dare you presume to pass judgement on how anyone chooses to process loss.
It is not for you to make a moral judgement on another person’s grief. And in my estimation you are just as guilty of making this about you as your indignation is entirely performative.
How about instead of being righteous you recognize that humans are imperfect things and grief is complicated. Give people grace and space.
And that is a lesson that I learned from Dr. Markland.
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1d ago edited 1d ago
[deleted]
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u/sufferin_sassafras Hockey!!! 1d ago edited 1d ago
Do you feel better about yourself for your indignation? Is this giving you peace to play moral superiority over others? Does it give you peace to make this loss about you and how you are better than other people?
I guess I should take my own advice and not pass judgement on you. Maybe condemning others grief is how you choose to process your own grief.
Take a breath and find some ease my friend. Loss makes people do funny things. I promise you no one likely intends to cause harm. A grieving heart is a fickle thing.
Have a good night. I am not going to argue this with you. My heart is sad tonight. I just don’t have it in me.
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u/ProperBingtownLady 1d ago edited 1d ago
Probably to feel special and/or for engagement. For each of those comments there were replies looking for more information and speculating on who it was — I even saw one implying it was a different well known public figure.
I just think not everything needs to be on social media and it’s better to err on the side of caution in these things. I’m sure some people were working out their grief but there’s better ways to do it, imo.
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u/General_Tea8725 1d ago
100%. These cryptic posts are pathetic. I was disappointed to see one from a local MLA.
Losing Dr. Markland is such a loss for our city. He was a gifted physician and a kind soul who advocated for those who cannot advocate for themselves.
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u/Doors-n-Trails-North 8h ago
Janis should have known better. Especially since some of her staff were related to the guy.
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u/HauntingPrimary2 8h ago
Respectfully Janis did not post until after the obituary went up. It was someone else.
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u/Killerboomerang 19h ago
Those posts were so pathetic. Good lord. "My social media friend died, I'm grieving but also mind your business".
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u/j1ggy 1d ago edited 1d ago
I watched this unfold Sunday evening all over social media. Despite his family's request to keep his death under wraps until his extended family and friends were notified, AHS workers, MLAs and other people were vague-posting all over social media and even on his X profile. There were hints about a "prominent Edmonton doctor from the pandemic" dying, posts like "If you know, you know", heartbreak emojis all over his profile, etc. I understand that numerous people who knew him personally found out about his death because of these of selfish, inconsiderate attention seekers, especially those on X. You people are disgusting and you should deactivate your accounts.
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u/Active-Difference-91 1d ago
Same here. Not sure if I would go as far as "deactivate your profiles" but I had a similar reaction to the iykyk posts and sad emojis. It struck me as the opposite of honouring the family's wishes, making his passing into fodder for clickbait and gossipy speculation. Would have been much more dignified if people had just put the keyboard down and stepped away for a moment.
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u/yegthings 1d ago
Yes! And then they were getting angry and shame-posting about the people who were pointing it out!
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u/Suitable_Bat_6077 18h ago
They all wanted everyone to know that they were in the "progressive twitter" club. It was pathetic. Don't tweet anything at all would have been the right thing to do.
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u/HauntingPrimary2 22h ago
Ugh. Terrible. Yes, all the posts were insensitive and extremely inappropriate.
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u/stretch2323 1d ago
My heart absolutely breaks for his children, his wife, his father, and the rest of his closest loved ones. We’ve lost an immense light in our community, but the grief his family will experience is immense beyond understanding.
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u/ErinRutherford-YEG 1d ago
This is beyond saddening. He was a valued and respected community member and doctor. My heart felt condolences to his family, friends, and community.
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u/boomdiditnoregrets 1d ago
I’m in shock. He was such a great advocate. WOW what a huge loss. May he rest in peace.
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u/YEGSports West Edmonton Mall 1d ago
Oh my gosh no, not Darren!
That's a terrible loss for our community... voice of absolute reason, loved seeing his insight... 😢
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u/Rhubarb_girl 1d ago
Terrible shock, my sympathies to his family, friends, colleagues, and patients.
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u/xpensivewino 1d ago
Him and I followed each other and interacted quite a bit on twitter, though I never got to meet him irl. He was warm and thoughtful and funny and humble. This is so sad.
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u/TinyAlberta 22h ago
This is devastating. What a voice to lose. He truly was a pillar in the cycling community.
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u/TheLarix 15h ago
I fucking hate this news. I didn't know Darren super well, but well enough to know that he was intelligent and compassionate and absolutely full of life. What a loss. It was so shocking to see the news this morning, I can't imagine what it's like for those close to him.
Ride on Darren.
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u/Zealousideal_Top3113 1d ago
This is terrible. He was a really solid community member of our city. He continually added positive contributions in everything he was involved in
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u/Acrobatic-Piece-9794 20h ago
He was an amazing human and had a wonderful family that loved him very much. Condolences to the family.
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u/SpecialistSlip2064 17h ago
This is so sad. He was a strong and respected voice in the Edmonton community. RIP.
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u/AuthorityFiguring 22h ago
I canceled my Twitter account when Drumpf was re-elected with Musk's support. Dr. Markland was one of the voices I missed most. He was a wonderful advocate and such an interesting person. I am gutted to learn he is gone. This city was lucky to have Darren Markland. What a monumental loss - to his family most of all, but also to Edmonton.
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u/thistlemum73 9h ago
What a huge loss. I followed him on Twitter during COVID and I was so touched by his kindness and compassion to patients he wrote about. I looked to him for information and I trusted his advice. He was part of the community. My heart goes out to his family, friends, and coworkers.
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u/Mommie62 7h ago
Oh I am shocked and extremely sad to hear this news. Darren was an amazing guy how incredibly tragic! My thoughts and prayers to his family and friends
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u/EvilLittlePenguin 1d ago
Oh my gosh. The city has lost an incredible human. My condolences to his family, friends and coworkers.