The final report from the Mass Casualty Commissions inquiry into the April 2020 mass shooting is being released today.

The public inquiry’s mandate included examinations of the police response, the killer’s access to firearms, gender-based violence, the assistance offered to those most affected, and the steps taken to inform the public as the rampage unfolded.

The final report is expected to include recommendations to improve community safety across Canada.

 

The Province is making it easier for physicians to book surgical consults and patients to get information with a new healthcare tool to manage surgical referrals.

A new electronic surgical consult referral system, Ocean eReferrals, will provide better information to patients on the status of their referral and will eventually lead to shorter wait times.

 It will make sending and receiving surgical referrals easier and faster for primary care providers and surgeons. 

Health and Wellness Minister Michelle Thompson said waiting for care is frustrating for patients, their families, and health care providers, and Nova Scotians deserve shorter wait times that will keep them out of pain. 

Patients who provide an email address and referring providers will receive automatic notifications when their referral is received, forwarded to a surgeon, and when a consult is booked or changed.

The service goes live for primary care providers and surgeons at Nova Scotia Health and IWK Health on Friday, March 31.

 

Reports that Pictou Lodge will not be opening this summer and that its future remains uncertain are causing concern for the tourism industry in Pictou County.

On Tuesday an email was sent to people who had bookings at the Pictou Lodge stating that they would not reopen this year due to the extensive damage that Hurricane Fiona had caused to the building.

Coastal Nova Scotia’s managing director Cindy MacKinnon said the loss of Pictou Lodge is a huge blow to the tourism industry in Pictou County, and a lot of people who made plans for events or stays at Pictou Lodge will now be looking for a new venue that might take people outside of Pictou County.

It also takes away accommodations that people might have stayed in while attending other events in Pictou County, as the town of Pictou is celebrating its 150th anniversary this year and there are also events planned to mark the 250th anniversary of the Ship Hector arrival.

 

Fiona and Ian will never be used to name another Atlantic Hurricane.

The World Meteorological Organization has retired the names Fiona and Ian from its roster of tropical storm names, citing the extensive damage caused by hurricanes with those names in 2022.

Hurricane names in the Atlantic region are used in a six-year rotation, so Fiona and Ian were next due to be used in 2028.

The World Meteorological Organization said Farrah will be used to replace Fiona in the lists of names, whilst Idris will replace Ian.