N.S. Mass Casualty Commission final report delayed

The final report from the Mass Casualty Commission leading the inquiry into the April 2020 massacre where a gunman killed 22 people across the province will be delayed five months.

In a notice on Friday, the commissioners said after making a request, the provincial and federal government granted an extension to submit the final report from Nov. 1, 2022, to March 31, 2023. 

The commission said it's still on track to complete public proceedings by the end of September 2022 as planned and has "not requested any additional funding to accommodate an extension."

Reasons for the extension request included the timeline for submitting the final report being tight from the start, delays from COVID-19 and "the pace, unpredictability and volume of document disclosure severely affected the commission's ability to meet timelines and progress our work in a timely way."

This past Monday, a lawyer for the commission revealed new notes from retired RCMP assistant commissioner Lee Bergerman were shared during the same period Bergerman was giving evidence to the commission.

Lori Ward, counsel for the federal government, blamed the late disclosure on the time it took to track down the notes Bergerman made in the months before she retired last October.

"We recently received them and were attempting to review them and disclose them before her evidence and I regret that we were not able to do so," Ward said.

The commissioners said the extra time granted will allow them to complete the final report "which will be substantial, with the care and attention it deserves."

"We have said that we want to ensure this process is thorough and the report and its recommendations are beneficial to all Canadians and will help to improve community safety across our country."