'We just want this to move forward' – Family members hope for no further delays in public examination of N.S. mass shooting
Family members of those killed in Nova Scotia’s mass shooting hope there will be no further delays for public hearings examining the massacre.
Earlier this month, the Mass Casualty Commission announced those hearings were delayed again and are now expected to begin in late February.
The Commission is examining the events of the April 2020 massacre, during which a gunman impersonating an RCMP officer killed 22 people and an unborn child while evading police over a 13-hour period.
In an interview on CTV News at Six Friday, two Nova Scotians who lost loved ones in the tragedy expressed frustration with the most recent delay in public proceedings.
“We understand it’s a long process,” says Nick Beaton, the husband of Kristen Beaton. The young mother, a VON continuing care assistant, was killed while pregnant with the couple’s second child.
“The delays, unexpected or unasked from our end, have piled up numerous times, and we just want this to move forward and we want this to get in the public,” says Beaton.
“We want to be able to move forward, we want it done right,” he adds, “and we want it just not prodded, but dug into so when it's done it's done, and we just want the truth and transparency, and I’m hesitant to say that we've had all that to be honest."
“It’s time to get things started,” says Darcy Dobson, daughter of Heather O’Brien, a VON nurse also killed in the tragedy.
“My biggest fear at this point is that there’s not an adequate amount of time to get their final recommendations out,” says Dobson.
“I really do feel like we’re walking in with blinders on, because we have no idea what’s going to happen in the public hearings, we’ve really been left in the dark,” she says.
“It’s not fair for the safety of the people of this province, or the safety of the people in this country,” Dobson adds.
In a media release this week, one of the lawyers representing the families described his clients as “increasingly concerned” with the delay.
Robert Pineo also expressed the families’ worry over “the limited information being shared about what the public proceedings will entail, and what role those “most affected” will be afforded in those public proceedings.”
“In spite of these concerns,” Pineo writes, “our clients will continue to participate completely in trust that a public inquiry will, in fact, begin in February and that our clients’ ability to participate in the presentation and testing of evidence before the Commission will be full and unfettered.”
According to the Commission's website, public hearings have now been pushed to February 22.
The three-person commission, led by former Nova Scotia chief justice Michael MacDonald, is scheduled to release its interim report by June 1, and a final report by December 1. Those dates have been pushed back by a month since the Commission was first announced in the fall of 2020.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Weather alerts issued for 7 provinces, 1 territory
Warnings of up to 60 millimetres of rain and other alerts have been issued for seven Canadian provinces and one territory ahead of the Easter weekend.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Luxury cruise line selling world cruise suite for US$1.7 million
Luxury operator Regent Seven Seas Cruises is raising their price tag to eye-watering levels, with a suite on an upcoming 140-day world voyage costing US$1.7 million.
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
A Filipino villager is nailed to a cross for the 35th time on Good Friday to pray for world peace
A Filipino villager has been nailed to a wooden cross for the 35th time to reenact Jesus Christ’s suffering in a brutal Good Friday tradition he said he would devote to pray for peace in Ukraine, Gaza and the disputed South China Sea.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
'Oppenheimer' finally premieres in Japan to mixed reactions and high emotions
'Oppenheimer' finally premiered Friday in the nation where two cities were obliterated 79 years ago by the nuclear weapons invented by the American scientist who was the subject of the Oscar-winning film. Japanese filmgoers' reactions understandably were mixed and highly emotional.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.