August 20, 2021
Members of the Mass Casualty Commission team are planning to visit Portapique, Wentworth, Glenholme, Debert, Shubenacadie, Onslow, Enfield, and surrounding communities next week, August 23-27.
The exact schedule will depend on the weather, but we expect our team’s work to take about three days.
These site visits will include the use of aerial drones and other camera equipment to take accurate and respectful footage for use during public proceedings and throughout the Commission’s work. Drones are being used as they are efficient investigative tools that save time and require fewer people. Some of the footage will be taken after dark. Our team will use the footage to gather more information about terrain, routes, and locations.
We know that the current conditions, particularly the foliage in the area, do not match how it would have been in April of 2020. This footage is not intended to represent direct reenactments. Rather, these images will help to provide context as we establish what happened on April 18-19, 2020. We are doing this work now because we have enough information to inform what footage is required for our proceedings. It is important to us to minimize disruption in these communities, and it is our intention to complete this work next week.
We will be sending a small team for the site visits and they will be mindful of the time they spend in the communities while completing their important work.
If you have any questions or information you think would be helpful to our work, please do not hesitate to reach out to info@MassCasualtyCommission.ca or 902-407-7532.
If you are experiencing distress and overwhelming emotions please remember, you can reach the Nova Scotia Provincial Crisis Line 24/7 at 1-888-429-8167.