'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
Most of Canada to receive emergency alert test today
The federal government will test its capacity to issue emergency alerts today, with the exception of Ontario, where the test will take place on May 15.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests about relationship with Prince Harry
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
Ontario man devastated to learn $150,000 line of credit isn't insured after wife dies
An Ontario man found out that a line of credit he thought was insured actually isn't after his wife of 50 years died.
Boy Scouts of America is rebranding. Here's why they're now named Scouting America
After more than a century, Boy Scouts of America is rebranding as Scouting America, another major shakeup for an organization that once proudly resisted change.
Stormy Daniels describes meeting Trump during occasionally graphic testimony in hush money trial
With Donald Trump sitting just feet away, Stormy Daniels testified Tuesday at the former president's hush money trial about a sexual encounter the porn actor says they had in 2006 that resulted in her being paid to keep silent during the presidential race 10 years later.
Rape, terror and death at sea: How a boat carrying Rohingya children, women and men capsized
In March, Indonesian officials and local fishermen rescued 75 people from the overturned hull of a boat off the coast of Indonesia. Until now, little was known about why the boat capsized.
'A huge difference': These adults born in the '90s partnered with their parents to buy homes in Ontario
An Ontario woman said it would have been impossible to buy a house without her mother – an anecdote that animates the fact that over 17 per cent of Canadian homeowners born in the ‘90s own their property with their parents, according to a new report.
For their protection, immigrants critical of China and India call for speedy passage of Canada's foreign interference legislation
Canadian immigrants threatened by hostile regimes are urging parliamentarians to quickly pass the 'Countering Foreign Interference Act' so they can feel safe living in their adopted home.
How Drake and Kendrick Lamar's rap beef escalated within weeks
A long-simmering feud between hip-hop superstars Drake and Kendrick Lamar reached a boiling point in recent days as the pair traded increasingly personal insults on a succession of diss tracks. Here’s a quick overview of what’s behind the ongoing beef.