National

N.S. mass shooting: media outlets challenge judge

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 31 Aug, 2020 07:05 PM

A lawyer for eight news media outlets is challenging the decisions of a Nova Scotia Provincial Court judge who authorized heavy redactions of RCMP search warrants connected to the mass shooting in April that claimed 22 lives.

David Coles submitted an application today for a judicial review of decisions Judge Laurel Halfpenny-MacQuarrie made last month, arguing she had exceeded her jurisdiction.

Coles' application says the judge went too far in authorizing permanent and temporary redactions in the documents and that the media have been denied the right to argue against those decisions.

The lawyer says the judge has declined to unseal information based on what he says is speculation unsupported by the evidence.

The RCMP have released several search warrants and production orders since their investigation began regarding the April 18-19 killings, but most of the documents remain heavily redacted.

Search warrants are supposed to be made public after they have been executed, with some exceptions, but in this case the Crown has produced documents that are largely blacked out and beyond public scrutiny.

Crown attorneys Mark Heerema and Shauna MacDonald have argued that certain information — including the models of guns the killer used — should remain sealed for six months.

They say the content pertaining to innocent persons should be sealed permanently.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Pandemic Response Must Uphold Human Rights, Avoid Discrimination: B.C. Commissioner

VANCOUVER - British Columbia's human rights commissioner is urging policy-makers, employers, landlords and service providers to keep human rights principles at the core of their response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Pandemic Response Must Uphold Human Rights, Avoid Discrimination: B.C. Commissioner

B.C. Offers $500 Monthly Rental Rebate, Moratorium On Evictions, Rent Freeze

VICTORIA - The British Columbia government will offer financial relief to renters and landlords to ensure people have safe homes during the novel coronavirus pandemic, Premier John Horgan said Wednesday.

B.C. Offers $500 Monthly Rental Rebate, Moratorium On Evictions, Rent Freeze

With A Crash And A Bang, B.C. Residents Applaud Health-Care Workers

At the same time each night, Rev. Gary Paterson and about half a dozen other neighbours have begun gathering at least two metres apart on the rooftop patio of their building in Vancouver's west end.

With A Crash And A Bang, B.C. Residents Applaud Health-Care Workers

BC Takes Unprecedented Steps To Support COVID-19 Response - SEE All The Highlights

The B.C. government stepped up its efforts under the Emergency Program Act on Thursday to ensure, among other things, that goods and services are getting to those who need them. Here's a look at what is happening:

BC Takes Unprecedented Steps To Support COVID-19 Response - SEE All The Highlights

Air Canada Begins Operating Cargo-Only Flights Carrying Vital Supplies, Necessary Goods

"Air Canada Cargo has long served as a vital link in global supply chains and with the disruption arising from the COVID-19 pandemic our capabilities are more important than ever.

Air Canada Begins Operating Cargo-Only Flights Carrying Vital Supplies, Necessary Goods

Air Canada Will Operate Six Special Flights as Repatriation Efforts Continue

Air Canada will operate six special flights from Lima, Barcelona and Quito this week to enable Canadians stranded abroad to return home. The flights, operated in collaboration with the Government of Canada, are part of Air Canada's ongoing efforts to repatriate Canadians.