'It's my hope … that people will prepare themselves': Inquiry into N.S. mass shooting hints at what's to come

The inquiry tasked with examining Nova Scotia’s tragic mass murder in April 2020 gave hints Wednesday as to what's ahead as the Mass Casualty Commission plans to continue public proceedings on Monday.

After spending its first day and a half with panel discussions on mental health and rural life in the communities touched by the horrific events, the commission offered a few glimpses into the types of information that will be presented in the coming weeks.

One of those glimpses came in the form of a brief presentation by senior commission counsel Rachel Young on the structure of policing in Nova Scotia. The presentation shared what the commission called “key information” about policing responsibilities, jurisdictions, and resources in the province at the time of the mass shooting.

“The police radio system in Nova Scotia allows for some shared channels,” said Young. “But all the police agencies that you’ve heard about, are not able to hear others."

Police communication is one issue CTV's public safety analyst and former OPP commissioner, Chris Lewis, anticipates will be explored as part of the larger policing picture during the inquiry.

“The public is going to see now what RCMP were faced with, what resources they had available to them, (and) how they responded,” says Lewis.

When asked about police radio channels, Lewis added, “that’s not unheard of at all … I believe now in some provinces, and maybe Nova Scotia, any car-to-car, officer-to-officer from different police departments, that linkage has to be established by the communication centres involved, and so at times, that becomes an issue where it exists.”

Much of the commission’s work behind the scenes to date will come to light starting Monday, when the commission begins to publicly present its “Foundational Documents," which outline factual details determined by the inquiry’s investigative team.

As the inquiry wrapped up its public proceedings for the week on Wednesday, the commission’s director of investigations, Toronto Police Deputy Chief Barbara McLean, offered a word of caution about what’s ahead.

“I’m going to be real here,” said McLean. “The information we are going to share on Monday is disturbing.”

“On Monday, we start sharing information (about) Portapique, 18^th and 19^th of 2020, and it will detail what the residents, what community members, what happened to them, what they saw, what they did.”

McLean said the commission will also start to share some of the details around what first responders encountered on the scene.

“It’s my hope that in the coming days, people will think about what they need, and prepare themselves for what they’re going to start to hear on Monday,” she said.

The lawyer for families of those who died in the massacre says his clients are apprehensive.

“But certainly (they’re) relieved they’re going to finally see the process move along and start the truth-finding parts of this inquiry,” Pineo added.

Even as the commission inches closer to answers, there is one question remaining for Pineo and his clients: whether the gunman's spouse will speak to the inquiry.

Lisa Banfield’s lawyer, James Lockyer, told CTV News Wednesday that he advised his client not to speak to the commission while she faces criminal charges of allegedly transferring ammunition to the shooter before the killings took place.

Banfield’s trial in that matter is scheduled to begin in late March.

She, along with her brother and brother-in-law, were charged in December 2020. RCMP said at the time of the charges that the three were not aware of the gunman’s intentions.

The shooter, who didn’t have a firearms licence, used illegally-obtained guns in his massacre, killing 22 people, including a pregnant mother, while dressed as an RCMP officer and driving a mock police cruiser.

Pineo says his clients are disappointed Banfield will not be giving evidence to the commission at this time and suggests the commission could compel her to speak without incriminating herself in the process.

“If the commission was to subpoena her, she could give answers under subpoena that couldn't be used against her in the criminal law,” says Pineo.

The commission has only said there is still time for them to speak to her.

Wednesday, Lockyer told CTV News in an email his client will talk to the commission “on the same day her charges are finished.”