Articles by Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press

Jul 12 2022 — Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — HALIFAX — The Nova Scotia denture maker who killed 22 people in April 2020 was long known to be a violent man, especially among disadvantaged people who owed him money, newly released documents show. In a summary of evidence released Tuesday, the inquiry investigating the mass shooting shared details about Gabriel Wortman's practice of providing […]

Jun 23 2022 — Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — HALIFAX — At the centre of the political firestorm erupting over the RCMP’s response to the worst mass shooting in Canadian history is a phrase used by police to justify withholding case information. In the weeks after a gunman killed 22 people during a 13-hour rampage on April 18-19, 2020, Nova Scotia RCMP officers insisted […]

Jun 21 2022 — Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — HALIFAX — In the days following the mass shooting that left 22 people dead in Nova Scotia, the RCMP's statements to the public were riddled with mistakes, confusion and omissions, a newly released report reveals. The document, published Tuesday by the inquiry investigating the 2020 tragedy, also asserts that key information about the case, including […]

Jun 9 2022 — Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — HALIFAX — The inquiry investigating the Nova Scotia mass shooting has released new details about the Mounties' scramble to find an aircraft to track down the killer on the night of April 18, 2020. Documents released Thursday show RCMP commanders were beset by bureaucratic hurdles and muddled advice before they eventually found a helicopter. But […]

Jun 8 2022 — Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — HALIFAX — An RCMP official broke down in tears when she told a public inquiry Wednesday that the unclear practices her team used to alert the public to an active shooter led to a crucial delay during the killer's 2020 rampage. "Just know that, if I could go back and have those minutes disappear, I […]

Jun 5 2022 — Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — HALIFAX — The inquiry investigating the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting will examine this week one of the most contentious aspects of the RCMP's handling of the tragedy: public communications. The Mounties have faced intense criticism for delaying the release of key information about the killer during his rampage, and there was confirmation last month […]

May 31 2022 — Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — HALIFAX — A senior Nova Scotia Mountie involved in the response to the worst mass shooting in modern Canadian history told an inquiry Tuesday that confusion was inevitable as the police force rapidly built a "beast" of an organization to stop an active shooter. The commission of inquiry is investigating how a man disguised as […]

May 30 2022 — Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — HALIFAX — The Mountie in charge of the RCMP's initial response to the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia began testifying before an inquiry Monday, but the public has been barred from listening. For unspecified health reasons, Staff Sgt. Brian Rehill was granted permission to testify via a Zoom call, which is being recorded and […]

May 26 2022 — Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — TRURO, N.S. — The inquiry into the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia is hearing Thursday from a retired senior Mountie who has been granted special accommodations to ensure he is not re-traumatized by having to relive the tragic, 13-hour event. After almost 40 years of service, Staff Sgt. Al Carroll was one month shy […]

May 15 2022 — Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — HALIFAX — Eighteen months after a public inquiry was established in Nova Scotia to investigate the worst mass shooting in modern Canadian history, lawyers representing most of the 22 victims say they are troubled about its slow progress and lack of witness testimony. "We're frustrated with the pace," said Josh Bryson, a lawyer whose firm […]

May 4 2022 — Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — HALIFAX — The inquiry investigating the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia was asked Wednesday to sort out conflicting evidence about how the RCMP responded to a woman who says she alerted police years ago to the killer's arsenal of illegal weapons. Brenda Forbes, a former neighbour of the man who killed 22 people on […]

May 2 2022 — Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — HALIFAX — The inquiry investigating the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia released an interim report Monday that charts its progress and defends its decision to limit witness testimony. Having largely completed its initial fact-finding phase, the inquiry has heard from several witnesses and disclosed more than 50,000 documents, including investigative files, emails, notes from […]

Apr 25 2022 — Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — HALIFAX — The inquiry into the 2020 mass shooting in Nova Scotia released more details Monday about missteps the RCMP made as investigators tried to identify the killer's vehicle early in his 13-hour rampage. The inquiry has heard that during a chaotic 40-minute span on the night of April 18, 2020, the perpetrator fatally shot […]

Apr 18 2022 — Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — HALIFAX — Two years after her father was gunned down by a man disguised as a Mountie, Charlene Bagley remains convinced he would be alive today had the Nova Scotia RCMP issued a provincewide alert early in the killer's rampage. "He usually would check the news on Facebook," Bagley said in a recent interview, recalling […]

Apr 11 2022 — Michael MacDonald, The Canadian Press — The Canadian Press — HALIFAX — Convinced there was a killer outside the firehall where he worked, Nova Scotia firefighter Darrell Currie recalled Monday how he was overcome by a deep sense of dread as he hid behind a stack of metal chairs with two other men. "I remember thinking, 'How am I going to die?'" the deputy fire […]