On January 3, 2017, Afghanistan war veteran Lionel Desmond shot and killed his wife, daughter, and mother and subsequently committed suicide — all with a semi-automatic rifle he bought a few hours earlier. Seven years later, the final report was just released yesterday on January 31, 2024. Ever since this macabre event, the biggest question the public has been wondering is how? How can someone murder their own family? And how was this allowed to happen? The provincial fatality inquiry was supposed to help answer these questions by exploring what happened and how similar future tragedies could be prevented. It seems that tragedy-prevention is not as urgent as the name seems to mean because it has taken seven years to see the final report.

Given the public interest, why did the report take so long? There are two reasons that Michael MacDonald writing for Collingwood Today provided. The report included hearings that started in January 2020, but proceedings were suspended in March when the COVID-19 pandemic began and the proceedings were delayed for eleven months. It also seems that Judge Warren Zimmer, the provincial court judge presiding over the inquiry, was taking too long to complete his final report. He was subsequently fired in July 2023 by the Nova Scotia government and replaced by Judge Paul Scovil. It’s tough to say whether the firing added more delay in the interruption or if the appointment of Scovil expedited the process.

The report carefully details the mental health history of Lionel Desmond, discussing whether he had appropriate access to mental health services, health care, and social services, and whether Desmond, given his depression and PTSD, should have been able to purchase a firearm. The purpose of the final report is not to make findings of liability and its recommendations are not binding. The report is meant to collect the evidence and make recommendations on how to prevent these tragedies from happening in the future.