Mass Casualty Commission to deliver final report in Truro, NS on March 30, 2023

The Mass Casualty Commission plans to deliver its final report in Truro, NS, on March 30, 2023.

TRURO, NS, Feb. 22, 2023 /CNW/ - The Mass Casualty Commission plans to deliver its final report in Truro, NS, on March 30, 2023. The final report is the culmination of the Commission’s independent, comprehensive investigation into the April 2020 mass casualty in Nova Scotia, which included looking into what happened and how and why it happened.

“In the final stages of our mandate, the Commission has worked to review and analyze the significant amount of information we learned through the course of our work. The final report will take everything we learned and provide a detailed account of what happened as well as forward-focused recommendations to strengthen community safety across Canada,” said Commission Investigations Director Barbara McLean.

As required in its mandate, the final report includes the Commission’s thorough analysis and review of:

Access to firearms
Communications between and within law enforcement agencies and other services
Communications with the public during and after the event
Gender-based and intimate partner violence
Police actions
Police policies, procedures and training
Prior interactions and relationship of the perpetrator with the police and social services
The steps taken to inform, support and engage those most affected

“The broad mandate of the Commission warrants a comprehensive final report. The recommendations are intended to assist people across our governments, institutions and communities to begin to take action right away. There will be insights, topics and recommendations of interest for everyone in Canada and beyond, ” said Senior Commission counsel Emily Hill.

The final report will be released in person at the Best Western Glengarry in Truro NS and via live-stream on the Commission website. Participants, community groups, stakeholders, media and the public are invited to attend. More information will follow as the date for the release draws closer, including details on timing, registration and to how to attend. The report and supporting materials will also be available on the Commission website, MassCasualtyCommission.ca, on March 30, 2023.

“Like all of the Commission’s work, the final report is the result of the contributions of many people, including the families, Participants and their counsel, First Responders, witnesses, experts in roundtables, community organizations, the media, service providers, the public, and the Commission teams. Once again, this has been a collective effort, and we thank everyone for coming forward and helping the Commission do this important work,” said Investigations Director, Barbara McLean.

“Community safety is a shared responsibility. The final report will include pathways for everyone in Canada and beyond to take action in our communities, homes, workplaces and organizations” said Senior Commission counsel, Emily Hill. “In the lead up to the final report, we encourage continued conversations about community safety and wellbeing. All of the documents, reports, witness testimony and other proceeding webcasts remain available on our website. They are there for you to use and talk about with your communities, coworkers, and networks.”

Commission Work to Date

Since the Commission started,

We have learned from others and heard input through:

A thorough independent investigation into the causes, context and circumstances giving rise to the mass casualty.
Written and oral Participant submissions.
6 community open houses.
76 days of public proceedings.

We have shared:

31 Foundational Documents and over 7,000 supporting source materials and additional exhibits.
22 Commissioned Reports prepared by independent experts that focus on the issues in our mandate.
More than 50 supplementary reports and additional exhibits with results of further investigation into specific questions, events or particular topics.

We have heard from:

Over 230 witnesses as part of our investigation, including more than 80 RCMP members.
60 witnesses during public proceedings, including more than 30 RCMP members.
More than 100 experts and others with relevant experience through more than 20 roundtables.
A variety of people with direct experience of the mass casualty including family members, first responders, support services and elected officials.

We have engaged:

With media through more than 900 requests from media outlets and journalists and subsequent coverage from across Canada, United States and Europe.
With more than 200,000 different visitors to the Commission website and more than 600,000 hours watched of the proceedings webcast.
With people through over 550 emails and more then 200 phone calls to the Commission's information email and phone line.
By receiving more than 1,000 submissions from members of the public either sharing personal experience of the mass casualty or recommendations for relevant research and suggestions for change.

Background References:

About the Mass Casualty Commission: The Commission is the independent public inquiry created to examine the April 2020 mass casualty in Nova Scotia and to provide meaningful recommendations to help make communities safer in the future. For more information, visit MassCasualtyCommission.ca.

Share