Nova Scotia medical examiner says too early to decide on probe into July flood deaths
Nova Scotia's chief medical examiner says he could consider asking the justice minister to conduct an inquiry into the deaths of four people in flash flooding that hit the province in July.
However, Dr. Matthew Bowes says he'll wait until other investigations and reviews are complete before deciding whether to make such a request under the province's Fatality Investigations Act.
Bowes declined an interview request but said in an email sent Thursday that the public agencies involved are still conducting internal reviews, and therefore it would be "premature to consider an inquiry in this matter."
"Asking the minister for an inquiry under the Fatality Investigations Act is an avenue that could be considered after other investigations and reviews are complete," he wrote.
"As the lead authorities are still conducting a review into the floods and the emergency response, it would be premature to consider an inquiry on this matter."
Two six-year-old children, a 52-year-old man and a 14-year-old girl died during flash flooding after being swept away as waters poured onto a rural highway northwest of Halifax, near Brooklyn, N.S., on the morning of July 22.
Numerous potential areas of improvement in emergency response have been raised by the parents of six-year-old Colton Sisco, one of the victims, and they have called for an independent inquiry.
Tera Sisco, Colton's mother, says an inquiry under the provincial legislation could look at issues that include the slow pace of sending emergency alerts, the lack of adequate cellular service in rural Nova Scotia and the need for accurate flood plain mapping.
In an interview on Friday, she said she is increasingly concerned about the slow pace of the various internal government reviews of the flooding response.
"I am struggling with how dismissive most are when it comes to the events of July. Either it's being dismissed or deflected," she said.
She said the problems that arose in the emergency response involve the municipal, provincial and federal governments, and what's needed is an independent probe that looks at how the various levels of government could improve their performance and help avoid a similar tragedy in the future.
"I think (the review) needs to look at flaws in our emergency preparedness and how to better protect ourselves in the future, and to learn from this," she said.
Heather Fairbairn, a spokeswoman for the Department of Municipal Affairs, said in an email that the "initial debrief into the response on July floods is underway," and added that the provincial emergency management office is meeting with municipalities, police, fire services and search and rescue officials to "enhance the use" of the emergency alert system.
She said initial meetings occurred on Aug. 25 and more discussions are underway, while work on the report into the response will start "later this fall and will take several months to complete."
Unlike a number of other provincial jurisdictions, Nova Scotia doesn't have a coroner's inquest system where certain kinds of fatalities are examined and public reports produced. Fatality reviews are rare in Nova Scotia and often require months of public pressure from families and communities before they're approved.
According to the Nova Scotia courts website, a fatality inquiry may be recommended by the chief medical examiner to the Justice Minister, "in which case an inquiry becomes mandatory."
In addition, the minister can call an inquiry "if it is determined one is needed in the public interest or the interest of public safety." To date, Justice Minister Brad Johns has not committed to any form of probe beyond the internal reviews that are underway.
The last major fatality inquiry in the province examined the Jan. 3, 2017 deaths of Afghanistan war veteran Lionel Desmond, his wife, his 10-year-old daughter and his mother. Desmond shot his family members before he took his own life. The fatality inquiry into their deaths began in May 2019 and is nearing completion after a series of delays.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 6, 2023.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police release bodycam video of officer-involved incident at Hindu temple protest in Brampton, Ont.
Police say an officer who forcefully removed a 'weapon' from a protester outside of a Hindu temple in Brampton was acting 'within the lawful execution of his duties' after bystander video of the incident circulated widely online.
W5 Investigates Car security investigation: How W5 'stole' a car using a device we ordered online
In part two of a three-part series into how thieves are able to drive off with modern vehicles so easily, CTV W5 correspondent Jon Woodward uses a device flagged by police to easily clone a car key.
Scotiabank users facing 'intermittent' access to banking
Scotiabank users say they are having issues using their bank’s services following a scheduled maintenance period that ended days ago.
RCMP begins deploying body-worn cameras to frontline officers across Canada
Within days, thousands of frontline RCMP officers will be starting their shifts equipped with a body-worn camera, as the national police force begins deploying the program across Canada.
'Countless lives were at risk:' 8 charged, including teen wanted in deadly home invasion, after West Queen West gun battle
A teenage boy arrested along with more than 20 others following a gun battle in Toronto’s West Queen West neighbourhood was wanted in connection with a deadly home invasion in Etobicoke back in April, Toronto police say.
Everything is under US$20 at Amazon's newest store
Amazon is targeting retail rivals Shein, Temu and TikTok Shop with a new deeply discounted storefront that sells a wide array of products for US$20 or less.
Many long COVID patients adjust to slim recovery odds as world moves on
There are certain phrases that Wachuka Gichohi finds difficult to hear after enduring four years of living with long COVID, marked by debilitating fatigue, pain, panic attacks and other symptoms so severe she feared she would die overnight.
Sandy Hook families help The Onion buy Infowars
The satirical news publication The Onion won the bidding for Alex Jones' Infowars at a bankruptcy auction, backed by families of Sandy Hook Elementary School shooting victims whom Jones owes more than US$1 billion in defamation judgments for calling the massacre a hoax.
California teenager admits to making hundreds of hoax emergency calls
A California teenager has admitted to making hundreds of swatting calls — hoax emergency calls — over a two-year period, creating 'fear and chaos' when police responded to his false reports of bomb threats and mass shootings at schools, homes and houses of worship, federal prosecutors said.