The families of many of the 22 victims killed in the Nova Scotia mass shooting have told their lawyers to boycott the public inquiry into the rampage for at least four days. Patterson Law says the families are “traumatized” that their lawyers won’t be allowed to cross-examine two Mounties who were in command and oversaw the early response to the shootings.The two officers are being allowed to testify via Zoom and will only face questioning by inquiry lawyers. No reason was given for the special arrangement that restricts the families’ lawyers to submitting written questions in advance of the questioning, which is expected to take place on Monday and Tuesday.
A survey of 600 Nova Scotians found satisfaction with Progressive Conservative Premier Tim Houston remains high. The survey conducted by Narrative Research found 60 per cent of people are satisfied with Houston’s performance. This is down slightly from February’s results, when 67 per cent of people surveyed said they were satisfied with his governing. Four in 10 people surveyed said they would vote for the P-Cs if an election were held today.
Nova Scotia’s director of correctional services is disputing the auditor general’s recent report that found flaws in the program that monitors people serving community sentences. Michael McAloney was questioned Wednesday after the report said electronic surveillance protocols were often not followed and that some probation officers weren’t complying with corrections policies. Auditor General Kim Adair said a lack of oversight by the Justice Department presented a public safety risk to Nova Scotians. But McAloney told a legislative committee that there is “extensive oversight” of community corrections officers and he thinks “some of that might have been missed” in Adair’s report.
The Atlantic agriculture ministers are meeting today in Halifax. A news release from Newfoundland and Labrador’s agriculture minister Derrick Bragg says they will discuss opportunities for collaboration. They will also talk about what comes after the Canadian Agricultural Partnership, which ends in 2023. The five-year, three-billion-dollar program between provincial, territorial and federal governments aimed to strengthen the country’s agricultural sector.
The Public Health mobile units will be offering testing in communities across Nova Scotia over the next week. The mobile units conduct on-site PCR testing by appointment, including to confirm positive rapid test results. One of the locations for the mobile unit testing is: Tatamagouche Fire Hall, 202 Main St., Tatamagouche- Sunday, May 29 from 11 a.m. – 4 p.m.
Premier Tim Houston will be in New Glasgow today. He’ll be making an announcement regarding affordable housing. The Premier will be joined by Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship Minister and Central Nova MP Sean Fraser.
