Which news has flown under the radar because of the Russian invasion?
The long-awaited public inquiry into the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting is finally underway, a report about the deaths of Indigenous people in Thunder Bay was published, and more.
Welcome to the 68th issue of The Supplement, a newsletter that fills in the gaps of your other news intake. This is Alex, one-third of The Supplement team!
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This week, we’re tackling this question: Which news has flown under the radar because of the Russian invasion?
TL;DR: A lot is happening beyond the Russian invasion of Ukraine, even though most newsrooms are putting their full weight behind their European coverage. Fear not — we have a quick round-up of the other important news you should be aware of. In Canada, the long-awaited public inquiry into the 2020 Nova Scotia mass shooting is finally underway, and a report is calling for the Thunder Bay police force to re-investigate a number of sudden deaths of Indigenous people. Globally, the UN has once again raised grim warnings about climate change impacts, and the world has now passed six million known COVID-19 deaths.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has commanded much of our attention. If you want to quickly catch up on other important news, we got you!
Nova Scotia mass shooting inquiry underway
Almost two years after Nova Scotia experienced the worst mass shooting in Canada’s history, the public inquiry is finally happening. The joint federal-provincial commission started on February 22.
In the lead up to it, victims’ families have criticized the inquiry over its lack of transparency, including around who will be testifying. Premier Tim Houston also publicly shared this criticism, which the commission rebuffed as political interference.
Commission chair Michael MacDonald said they have interviewed almost 150 witnesses, so having all of them cross-examined would take too long. (The RCMP is also pushing back against having the relevant officers testify.) He added that the commission will aim to investigate broad questions geared toward producing systemic changes, instead of functioning like a trial.
More investigation needed in Thunder Bay
A recent report found that the police force in Thunder Bay needs to re-investigate the sudden deaths of multiple Indigenous people, citing “shortcomings in police work, and a lack of documentation and coroner involvement” in a number of cases. The report also wants an external review of the local police’s failure to solve 25 cases of missing and murdered Indigenous women and girls so far.
Two prior investigations have found systemic racism within this local police force.
UN climate report brings more grim warnings
Last August, the UN released a landmark report raising a “code red” alarm about climate change and linking it to human activities. Last week, it followed up with another major report detailing how “dangerous and widespread disruption” to nature and humans is already underway — and how many countries are not prepared to deal with that.
The Washington Post broke down the report into five handy takeaways:
Disruptions to nature and human lives are already happening, but adaptation can mitigate them.
Every small temperature increase will bring ever-more deadly and costly consequences.
Communities least able to adapt, like low-income countries that have contributed the least to emissions, are seeing the most severe consequences. (Though nowhere is spared — just think about all the floods and wildfires Canada has faced.)
Nature is suffering.
Time is running low on mobilizing for critical adaptations, so the global community needs to get its act together now.
The UN will release the third report to this series, focusing on emission targets, this spring.
COVID-19’s global known death toll exceeds six million
As of yesterday, the world has seen over six million known COVID-19 deaths. And we say known because experts believe that it’s impossible to know the true global toll.
For example, experts indicated that there’s undercounting in BC. They spot this by looking at the number of expected deaths based on infection, vaccination and fatality rates versus the number of reported deaths. They also look at excess mortality, which refers to deaths that were not expected.
Beyond the grim figure, it’s clear the world is not doing so hot in general — even as many areas in Canada and the US are lifting restrictions. Surges are still happening in many places like Hong Kong, which is currently battling its worst surge after previously seeing a low number of cases. The gap in vaccinations between high-income and low-income countries persists, raising the risk of spurring on new variants. (I’m not going to even get started with the new-ish Omicron subvariant.)
Here’s someone to follow:
I’m not gonna lie, the Nova Scotia inquiry fell off my radar too when it first started in late February. Thankfully, the Globe’s Atlantic Canada reporter Greg Mercer has been a great source for catching up and keeping up with the inquiry as it unfolds.
Here’s a story to check out:
I just realized that this news roundup is full of prime doom-scrolling materials, so here’s some less serious reading to cap off this newsletter. If you’re a fan of ‘My Cousin Vinny’ — a masterpiece of a lawyer comedy — like I am, check out this oral history of the movie produced for its 30th anniversary!