Desmond Fatality Inquiry final report coming ‘soon’

The long-awaited Desmond Fatality Inquiry final report is under final review and will be released “soon.”

“We recognize that the families involved in this process are anxious for an outcome,” wrote Nova Scotia Judiciary spokeswoman Jennifer Stairs in a response to Chronicle Herald questions on Friday.

“Judge Paul Scovil has been working diligently on the final report and recommendations since he took over responsibilities for the inquiry last summer. The report is going through a final review now and we expect it will be released to the public soon. Specific details on when and where that will happen will be shared on the inquiry website.”

Wednesday marked the seventh anniversary of Afghan war veteran Lionel Desmond murdering his wife Shanna, daughter Aaliyah and mother Brenda before taking his own life in their Upper Big Tracadie home.

Over the course of the inquiry, 70 witnesses testified over 58 days of hearings and 58,699 documents were reviewed. 

The hearings revealed significant gaps in the care of veterans suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder after their discharge, sharing of medical records between the military and provincial health authorities, the ongoing monitoring of the mental health of those possessing firearms licences and large amounts of marijuana being prescribed.

Scovil was appointed to take over the inquiry last summer after Justice Minister Brad Johns refused the request of Judge Warren Zimmer, who had hosted the inquiry, for more time to prepare the final report.

In a letter sent to lawyers involved in the inquiry expressing his own frustration with the Department of Justice after his term was ended, Zimmer attributed delays to the pandemic, the immense amount of documents and that, unlike the Mass Casualty Commission, he did not have a large staff to assist him.

Zimmer said in the letter it was his intention to have a copy of the report available by last August.

“The families are a little skeptical at this point,” said Adam Rodgers, who was the lawyer tasked with representing the interests of Cassandra Desmond and Lionel Desmond during the inquiry.

“They had a lot of faith in Judge Zimmer. Judge Scovil certainly made the right comments when we were in court Sept. 12, that he would continue in the same vein. Until we get that report it’s hard to know what he’s going to do about it. He wasn’t there for the day to day.”

Rodgers said the Desmond family wants to see “strong recommendations” for reforming the hospital system to ensure that when a soldier is discharged their military and medical records are transferred from Veterans Affairs to the provincial hospital system.

He said they also want to hear Scovil give his opinion on suggestions made during the hearings that Desmond was in a post-traumatic stress disorder-driven dissociative state on the day of the killings.

“It could lead to more research in that area and it seems important that there should be,” said Rodgers.