A new judge will take over the report on the Desmond Fatality Inquiry as the province looks to finally provide some answers to the affected community.
Judge Paul Scovil was appointed today by Chief Judge of the Provincial Court of Nova Scotia Pamela Williams to lead the inquiry. He will take over from Judge Warren Zimmer who the province announced last week it would not be extending.
Zimmer has reportedly criticized the Nova Scotia government for what he calls misinformation surrounding their decision to move on from him.
Afghanistan war veteran Lionel Desmond killed his mother, wife, daughter, and himself in Upper Big Tracadie on January 3, 2017, sending shockwaves throughout the community, province, and country. The inquiry was ordered in February 2018 and Zimmer began his work on it in 2022.
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said last week that the government is focused on getting the family of the victims, and the people of Upper Big Tracadie, some long awaited answers.
“The reason that the department took the action that it took is because it wasn’t clear to them that a report was forthcoming… How many times do you say, ‘another extension, another extension, another extension,’ before you need to accept the reality that maybe you need to take another course to get it finished?” said Houston.
As for Williams, she wished Zimmer well in a press release announcing Scovil’s appointment, saying he was committed to a thorough investigation over the course of his tenure leading the inquiry.
She says that she is confident in Scovil’s ability to apply the same attention to the report while understanding the urgency that it is needed to help give people some closure.
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