Massacre of 2020: what was the role of domestic violence?

Karen Foster, sociology professor at Dalhousie University, testifies at the Mass Casualty Commission, June 30, 2022 in Halifax.

A sociologist told the Nova Scotia Public Inquiry Commission that domestic violence was not always reported in small communities. rural communities.

Professor Karen Foster of Dalhousie University said Thursday that the tightly knit character and social cohesion typical of rural areas can have perverse effects

L' An expert in rural economics and sociology says the same closeness that can lead residents of small communities to solve problems among themselves and protect each other can also impose a collective law of silence on domestic and spousal violence.

Because domestic violence is considered shameful, members of small communities may downplay or ignore it, in order to avoid implicating the authorities.

Gabriel Wortman, who killed 22 Nova Scotians in April 2020, began his killing spree after physically assaulting his wife, Lisa Banfield.

A vehicle belonging to Gabriel Wortman is seen in the rubble of his burned home at 220 Portapique Beach Road, Portapique, Nova Scotia, shortly after the April 2020 shooting.

Interviews conducted by prosecutors of the Board of Inquiry revealed that the perpetrator's history of violence against women spanned decades and that he assaulted both Lisa Banfield and his first wife.

The Nova Scotia Public Inquiry Commission has a mandate to x27;examine the role of gender-based violence.