By Canadian Press

Judge who led Desmond inquiry accuses N.S. government of spreading misinformation

Jul 10, 2023 | 10:27 AM

HALIFAX — The Nova Scotia government is facing accusations from a judge who says misinformation and ignorance were behind the attorney general’s decision last week to dismiss him as the commissioner leading a high-profile inquiry.

Provincial court Judge Warren Zimmer was appointed in July 2018 to lead the fatality inquiry that investigated why Afghanistan war veteran Lionel Desmond killed three family members and himself in 2017.

In a July 6 letter to inquiry lawyers, Zimmer says the government’s suggestion that he delayed the inquiry process is offensive, and he accuses Attorney General Brad Johns of being ignorant of the complexity of the inquiry process.

Two days earlier, Premier Tim Houston said his government decided to replace the judge because Zimmer’s final report was taking too long to complete, and the premier went on to say “it wasn’t clear … a report was forthcoming.”

Zimmer’s letter, however, includes an excerpt from a previous letter to the government stating that as of June 30, he planned to have his report finished in August.

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Zimmer was set to retire as a judge in March 2022, a month before the inquiry’s hearings concluded, but his term was extended four times over the past 18 months to allow him to complete the report. The government decided not to extend his term on July 4.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 10, 2023.

The Canadian Press