The public hearings to determine who will participate in the upcoming Lionel Desmond Fatality Inquiry are scheduled to begin on Tuesday, May 21, in Guysborough, N.S.
Following the hearings, the Judge will decide who will be permitted to participate in the inquiry and any limitations. Each applicant will be given the opportunity to explain why they should be allowed to participate in the inquiry.
READ MORE: N.S. inquiry into Lionel Desmond murder-suicide to examine mental health, domestic violence services
The inquiry into the deaths will examine whether Desmond had access to appropriate mental health services, and whether health care and social services providers who interacted with Desmond were trained to recognize the symptoms of domestic violence and psychological trauma.
Nova Scotia ordered the inquiry in December 2017, almost a year after Desmond, an Afghan veteran, fatally shot his mother, wife, 10-year-old daughter and himself in Upper Big Tracadie, N.S.
WATCH: ‘We won’t stop’: Lionel Desmond’s family, ex-military personnel call for inquiry, changes
The bodies of Desmond, his mother Brenda, his wife Shanna and his daughter Aaliyah were found in a house on Jan. 3, 2017.
The hearings next week are scheduled to begin at 9:30 a.m. The building will open the public at 8:30 a.m., but public seating in the hearing room is limited and priority will be given to family members involved in the inquiry.