Nova Scotia to hold two minutes of silence to honour mass shooting victims

TRURO, N.S. — Nova Scotia’s premier is inviting people in the province to participate in two minutes of silence this Sunday for those lost in last year’s mass shooting.

Iain Rankin says he will be attending a closed gathering on Sunday afternoon in Truro, N.S., that will begin with a moment of silence at 3 p.m. local time.

The province said today in a news release it wants citizens to unite in honouring and remembering the 22 Nova Scotians who were killed on April 18-19, 2020.

A 51-year-old gunman committed the murders, including the death of a pregnant nurse, over a 13-hour period while disguised as an RCMP officer and driving a replica police vehicle.

Rankin says he hopes Nova Scotians will take time to remember those who died, their families, and those who were injured.

The event being organized by the non-profit Nova Scotia Remembers Legacy Society is going to be livestreamed on the group’s Facebook page.

Flags at the legislature will be lowered to half-mast from sunrise on Saturday to sunset on Sunday, and the building will be lit in blue.

A lone piper will play on the grounds of the legislature as the flags are lowered, and flags at all provincial government buildings and institutions will also be at half-mast.

Businesses and community organizations that fly flags are being encouraged by the province to lower them to half-mast for April 18-19.

The news release says the province is also suggesting citizens lower their flags to half-mast and consider putting a Nova Scotia flag in their windows as a way of remembering the tragedy.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 12, 2021.

News from © Canadian Press Enterprises Inc. 2021.