Committee head overseeing reaction to N.S. mass shooting pleased with advancements

HALIFAX — Myra Freeman, chair of the committee overseeing the government’s response to the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting inquiry, has expressed satisfaction with the progress made to date.

Appointed three months ago, Freeman leads the independent committee tasked with monitoring the implementation of the 130 non-binding recommendations from the inquiry report.

This 3,000-page report addresses various issues, including community safety, police reform, mental health, access to firearms, and gender-based violence.

In a briefing today, Freeman noted that significant progress has been achieved by both police and government agencies.

However, she did not provide specifics or release supporting documents, stating that her group’s first annual report will be available in November.

Freeman emphasized that the recommendations are complex and require substantial coordination for full implementation.

The public inquiry's final report, released in March 2023, was critical of the RCMP’s handling of the April 2020 incident, during which a man dressed as a Mountie and driving a replica RCMP vehicle killed 22 people in a 13-hour rampage across northern and central Nova Scotia.