MCC Day 4 - Presentation on 911 System and Initial Police Response Foundational Document

The morning was occupied by a presentation by the commander of the Operational Communications Centre, Daryl Macdonald. Mr. Macdonald may technically be considered a witness of the MCC, but the evidence unfolded as a pre-scripted discussion between Commission counsel Jennifer Cox Q.C. (formerly of Dalhousie Legal Aid) and Mr. Macdonald. He talked about how the 911 system works in Nova Scotia. His testimony was heavy on technical detail, and in sum seemed to show that the system works very well and that things happen on a very timely basis. The more important part of the day, from an evidentiary standpoint, was the final few hours, with a presentation from Commission counsel, Roger Burrill. This presentation covered the initial hours in Portapique from the perspective of the police, reviewing what they knew and what they did. Tomorrow and Thursday, the Participants will have their opportunity to make submission to the Commission as to any gaps in the factual record, and any recommendations they may have for further witnesses and evidence that might fill in those gaps. This will be their first real opportunity to openly challenge the Commission’s work, and so will be a chance for everyone to show their stuff. I will be watching closely.