The RCMP has quietly closed its investigation into the wildfires that burned in the Halifax area last spring, having found no criminality was involved in its cause.
The results of the investigation were not made public and were provided to Global News by a community member who submitted an access to information request to the province in October.
More than 16,000 people were evacuated from their homes in late May and early June when a series of fires broke out in the Tantallon and Hammonds Plains areas of Halifax Regional Municipality. The destructive blaze destroyed 150 homes.
At the end of June, the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables said they were handing their findings over to the RCMP, which was continuing the investigation.
According to the documents provided under the Access to Information Act, RCMP correspondence dated Sept. 11 said there was “no Criminal Code offense noted” and the file was closed.
It said the fire “started as a result of unextinguished (embers) from small outdoor patio fireplace.”
A concluding report from the RCMP, also dated Sept. 11, said there was insufficient evidence to proceed in the case.
Earlier correspondence from June 1 indicated the RCMP was sent a Snapchat video allegedly depicting how the wildfire started, but an investigator noted the video does not depict the location or parties involved, “therefore it would be impossible to determine if this was actually the cause of the main wildfire.”
RCMP declined an interview with Global News on Friday.
“For our aspect of the investigation, based on the information provided, there was insufficient evidence to indicate the fire was the result of arson,” wrote Const. Dominic Laflamme in an emailed statement.
“We concluded our file in September and provided this information to the Department of Natural Resources and Renewables (DNRR) as the lead investigating agency. We continue to liaise with them and are available to provide assistance as required.”
In a statement, DNRR said they understand that Nova Scotians “want to know the outcome of investigations.”
“These things take time,” wrote spokesperson Erin Lynch.
“We are working as quickly as we can while doing our due diligence with our investigations into violations of the Forests Act. We hope to have information to share soon.”
Ben Jessome, an MLA for the Hammonds Plains-Lucasville riding, which was heavily affected by the severe wildfires, said the results of the RCMP’s investigation came as a “big surprise.” He said many constituents have expressed their dissatisfaction to him regarding the lack of information.
“I know from the people that I’ve spoken to in the community there was an expectation that people would get some transparency around a decision like this,” he said. “I believe this is a huge disappointment for a lot of residents who are expecting more information.”
Jessome said he hopes the departments involved with the investigation will provide further details soon, adding that the case’s conclusion three months ago “leaves a lot of questions” as to why an update from wasn’t offered to the public at the time.
“It’s frustrating that the community has to find out through an ATIP (Access to Information and Privacy) request rather than something that was presented voluntarily by the agencies involved,” he continued.
“That’s a problem. We have what some people refer to as the largest catastrophe since the Halifax explosion, and it’s a problem when your government agencies aren’t being forthright about producing that information.”
Dustin O’Leary, president of the Westwood Hills Residents Association, said despite his gratitude for the RCMP’s response during the devastating blaze in late May, he said the lack of “furthering the investigation” is a concern to many.
“I really do hope law enforcement and folks who are in charge of the investigation overall will be more forthcoming with why we are where we are,” he said, adding that residents are “still hurting” in the Westwood Hills subdivision, where the wildfire initially broke out.
“I don’t know if having somebody charged with it is necessarily going to make it any better,” he continued.
“People, whether they’re negligent, whether it’s intentional, whether it’s accidental, we knew for a long time that we were vulnerable to something like this.”
O’Leary said he hopes the biggest takeaway from government officials is to ensure the neighbourhood is better equipped for the future, such as recent discussions regarding developing a new emergency exit in the area.
“As much as we’d like to see accountability on May’s wildfires, we’d like to see accountability on what happens in the future too,” he said.
— with files from Global News’ Vanessa Wright, Mitchell Bailey, and Rebecca Lau