Wagmatcook band meets with NS justice minister
Posted Jan 19, 2010 03:47:04 PM.
This article is more than 5 years old.
The justice minister isn’t closing the door on a public inquiry into the RCMP shooting death of a man on the Wagmatcook reserve in Cape Breton.
Minister Ross Landry met with the band’s council today in Halifax. He says the band is going through access to information in order to see the Halifax police report on the shooting.
“Once they’ve read the report we’re going to sit down and have a further discussion on the issues,” SAYS
The report, released last month, says the RCMP officer used self-defense when he shot 44-year-old John Simon three times in his home in December 2008.
Landry says he won’t make a decision on whether a public inquiry is needed until the report is in hand. However when the band will be able to get the report is unknown.
Former justice minister Cecil Clarke says they’re getting the run around.
“It’s definitely not a constructive process because there’s a number of other things with regards to the policing situation that have to be taken into account,” says Clarke.
Meanwhile the band’s director of operations, Brian Arbuthnot says they’re keeping positive.
“Our position still is that we need a public inquiry to tell the story around what happened to John Simon that day,” says Arbuthnot.
The meeting did lead to a new policing agreement, that will see the Cape Breton Regional Police take over for the RCMP on a three year contract.
