Changes made to N.S. alert system following mass shooting scrutiny

Nova Scotia announced changes Thursday to the province's emergency alert system, a move that follows heavy scrutiny of how police communicated with the public during last year's mass shooting rampage.

Nova Scotia RCMP and Halifax Regional Police will now have direct access to the Alert Ready system, which can send out emergency warnings by television, radio and through LTE-connected cellphones. The option is available to other policing services across the province when and if they choose.

"Protecting the public is serious and difficult work, and we know that in certain situations alerts are one of the tools that can help to do that," Brendan Maguire, the minister responsible for the province's Emergency Management Office, said in a news release.

The province and police came together in a recent review and collaboration on the effective use of the Alert Ready system. In order to issue an alert, police had previously needed the help of EMO officials. 

RCMP were criticized last year for not issuing an alert about the gunman disguised as a Mountie who went on a 13-hour shooting rampage through rural Nova Scotia on April 18-19, 2020, killing 22 people.

Instead, the force issued updates through its Twitter account, even though records show provincial officials were ready to send an alert and were waiting for word from the RCMP.

Friends and family members of some of the victims have said they believe lives could have been saved had an alert been issued, and note not everyone is on social media or has consistent access to the internet.

EMO to still play role

Alerts have been issued for 12 events in Nova Scotia between April 2020 and July 2021, nine of which have been police-related events.

EMO will continue to issue police-related alerts at the request of all policing agencies in Nova Scotia and for non-police matters such as floods and forest fires.

The review established the criteria under which an alert can issued, according to Julia Cecchetto, the chief of the police for the town of Kentville and president of the Nova Scotia Chiefs of Police Association.

"The criteria now being consistent is a huge change and help to all agencies," Cecchetto said in an interview. "It takes away any confusion on whether we should issue an alert. It also lets the public know when they can expect an alert so they don't become upset if they don't receive one. We are able to say an incident met or did not meet the need to alert the public."

Last year's mass shooting began in the small community of Portapique. In all, the killer travelled more than 150 kilometres before he was fatally shot by RCMP officers who recognized him when he pulled into a gas station about 30 kilometres north of Halifax, driving a car stolen from his last victim.