'It just feels like more of the same': Families affected by N.S. mass shooting frustrated by inquiry so far

TRURO, N.S. -

Nick Beaton is having sleepless nights again, much like he did when he and other families affected by Nova Scotia’s mass shooting were pushing for a public inquiry into the tragedy back in July 2020.

“It was sleepless nights, weeks,” he says. “And I’m right back there again. I have the same feeling.”

That’s because he and others affected by the horrific events of April 2020 say they feel abandoned by a process they feel hasn’t provided them with the answers they need.

Details of the public inquiry were announced in October that year, with public proceedings scheduled to begin in a week, after several delays.

To this point, much of the Mass Casualty Commission’s work has taken place behind the scenes.

That doesn’t sit well with Beaton, whose pregnant wife, Kristen, was among the 22 people killed in the shootings.

He says what he does know so far about the commission’s work has him worried.

“There's different interviews ... that they're just accepting RCMP documents and notes from,” he says. “They're not doing their own investigation; they're supposed to be investigating the RCMP as well.”

“Key star witnesses aren't being interviewed, right from the RCMP to citizens that were there the day before, the day after, and during,” he adds.

Earlier this month, the family of Heather O'Brien expressed its own misgivings in an open letter to the commission.

"To say that we are dissatisfied with the process ... would be an understatement," the letter reads in part.

"This situation has been nothing but more heartache for our entire family.”

The law firm representing the O’Briens, Beaton, and others still dealing with the effects of the tragedy also released a statement this week outlining their clients’ frustration.

Patterson Law had previously expressed concerns about delays in the commission’s public proceedings.

“We're seven days away from the opening of probably one of the largest public inquiries in Canadian history, and we don't have a witness list,” says attorney Robert Pineo.

Pineo says there has been a lack of details about the public hearings and how his clients will be participating.

He also says the hearing process means he won't be able to directly question witnesses without clearing a series of procedural hurdles.

Pineo adds his team hasn’t been given access to the source material used to create the so-called ‘Foundational Documents’ prepared by the commission, which are being used as part of the inquiry’s fact-finding process.

“It looks like our participation will be curtailed in any meaningful way, and that really smacks of non-participation of the most affected,” says Pineo.

No one from the Mass Casualty Commission would do an interview in response to a request from CTV News on Tuesday.  

But in a written statement, senior commission counsel Emily Hill says the commission has been providing family members with information weekly.

“We have been and will continue to work closely with participants. We appreciate the valuable input they have provided to the commission. Over the past number of months, they have had a critical role in shaping the factual record,” the statement adds.

“During the public proceedings, the commission will continue to hear from participants regarding gaps they see in the factual record and witnesses they suggest should be heard by the commission.”

But so far, Beaton calls the commission’s responses to the concerns raised as “lip service.”

“Not giving us the information that they're uncovering or digging, or lack of digging, is very traumatizing,” he says. “It just feels like more of the same.”