A Queens County man is the latest victim of intimate partner violence in Nova Scotia, RCMP say. (RCMP)
RCMP have charged a man with second-degree murder in a domestic assault in Queens County in late March.
On March 28 at 3:30 a.m., Queens District RCMP and paramedics responded to a weapons call at a home in Mill Village.
They found an 84-year-old man with life-threatening injuries after being stabbed. Another man fled earlier in a vehicle.
Officers arrested a suspect later that morning, at about 7:45 a.m. at a home in Voglers Cove.
Derek Dominix, 60, of Mill Village was charged then with attempted murder.
The 84-year-old man died on April 11 in hospital, where he had been since the attack.
The Nova Scotia medical examiner’s office ruled the death a homicide, according to an RCMP news release.
Police say it’s a case of intimate partner violence.
The Southwest Nova RCMP major crime unit took over the investigation and upgraded the attempted murder charge to second-degree murder on April 22.
Dominix remains in custody and will appear in Bridgewater provincial court on May 15, at 9:30 a.m.
This is the ninth person killed because of intimate partner violence in Nova Scotia since Oct. 18, 2024. Seven women have been killed in cases linked to their male partners. In one of those cases, a woman’s father was also killed.
An RCMP spokeswoman said they won’t be releasing the victim’s name.
Anyone experiencing, or at risk of, intimate partner violence can seek help anonymously by calling 211 or 1-855-225-0220.
RCMP have charged a 60-year-old Mill Village man with attempted murder.
Queens District RCMP were called to a house on Hwy. 3 in Mill Village on March 28 at about 3:30 a.m.
Officers and ambulance personnel found an 84-year-old man with life-threatening injuries after being stabbed.
Another man had fled the scene before police arrived, according to an RCMP news release late Wednesday afternoon.
Both men knew each other, and no one else was in the home at the time of the assault.
Police arrested a suspect at a home in Voglers Cove at 7:45 p.m.
Derek Dominix, 60, has been charged with attempted murder and taken into custody. He’s scheduled to appear in Bridgewater provincial court on April 10 at 9:30 a.m.
Region of Queens Coun. David Brown says he’s not seeking re-election in October partly because he’s frustrated by some of the abusive comments he’s received in the past four years. This photo was taken when he launched his first election campaign in 2020. (David Brown councillor Facebook page)
When David Brown ran for Region of Queens council for the first time in 2020, he wanted to try to make things better for the people in his district.
Brown represents District 6, the areas around Port Medway, Mill Village, Greenfield and Labelle.
He was ready to work hard and bring his constituents’ issues to the council table. What he wasn’t prepared for, though, were some of the abusive comments he would receive after he was elected.
“It’s online, it’s in person, it’s all the way across the spectrum in dealings with people,” Brown told QCCR.
“It just seems like after Covid, everybody was angry and they found people that thought the same way as them online and it became an echo chamber, that they feel they can say whatever they want because you’re a public figure. And really, that’s not the way to treat your friends, your family, your neighbours, people in your community that have just put their name out and step up and try to do the best for people.”
Brown has had enough and has decided not to reoffer in October’s municipal election. Some other council members have said privately that they’re also frustrated by some of the online abuse.
“I think people have legitimate concerns and they should absolutely voice those concerns. But when people start voicing those concerns is that politicans are corrupt because they didn’t decide the way they wanted to or they’re lining their pockets or we’re criminals and we should be thrown in jail. That’s not voicing your opinion, that’s anger and those are attacks. If somebody disagrees, I’m wholeheartedly in favour of people voicing their disagreements. It’s the tone of the disagreements and the way they voice them now, I’m just not interested in putting up with for another four years.”
It’s a familiar story for politicians around the province and at all levels of government. Amanda McDougall-Merrill, the mayor of Cape Breton Regional Municipality, has said that she won’t seek re-election partly because of threats she received as mayor.
And RCMP announced this week charges against two Alberta men for posting threats on YouTube and X or Twitter about Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland and NDP Leader Jagmeet Singh.
Brown says he hasn’t been threatened. But he’s still frustrated by the tone of some of the disparaging feedback he’s received.
“Maybe others don’t find the same thing but I found that it seems the harder you try to work, it seems like you’re upsetting people. As councillors we have to try to do the most good for the most people. But that means that some people are going to be unhappy but those people are very vocal and will attack now just because they didn’t get their way. And that’s really just not the way it should be.”
Robert Huish, an associate professor at Dalhousie University in Halifax, has studied civic and political engagement.
He says abusive and threatening comments rose exponentially after Donald Trump was elected U.S. president in 2016. And because the U.S. has such an influence on political and popular culture, Huish says that flavour of political vitriol has bled to other countries.
But he says toxicity has been a fixture in political discourse dating back to the 19th century.
“It’s something that is like a crescendo that we’re seeing right now,” Huish says.
“It’s coming to this big climax of political culture that seems to be producing and reproducing hatred through discourse and engagement rather than try to find something about a rules-based order and listening and those compromises that are so important in governance.
“The more that we’ve normalized the ability to describe and caricature people through derogatory or offensive names and stereotypes and the more that becomes common, the more it’s ultimately reproduced.”
He said social media is a great tool for politicians to engage with voters. But it’s also made it easier for people to attack politicians personally.
“Any sort of politics, especially municipal, it’s about engagement. And engagement is fostered on the ability to listen, respond, debate, discuss. And if we’re seeing the only feedback that’s getting the attention of politicians at the municipal level is this really heated vitriol then it really puts any politician in a position to not respond effectively to the issue at hand but try to deflect from whatever character attack is coming in.
“And now it begins to unfold into what can be called a democracy deficit, because it’s as if those who are holding the seeds o governance are just going to be attacked for being there, rather being pressured for change or to hear community concerns.”
Huish said putting pressure on politicians is a good thing. But personal attacks actually work against making our politics better. And he says they may be losing their effectiveness as people get tired of the lashing out.
“You can’t make people do something, but you can certainly put certain behaviour out of fashion quickly. And this might be getting to be too tired because it’s ineffective to try to have political engagement along these terms.”
For now, though, it’s pushing people like David Brown out of politics.
Region of Queens Municipality administration building. (Rick Conrad photo)
By Rick Conrad
Fire trucks and Airbnbs are on the agenda as Region of Queens council meets Tuesday evening in Milton.
Council has four meetings a year in a community facility in a different part of Queens County. Tuesday’s meeting begins at 6 p.m. at the Milton Community Hall, 168 Tupper St., Milton.
Councillors will discuss a policy to help the county’s five fire departments with vehicle purchases according to a set schedule.
The current schedule expired last year. And council will be discussing a new timetable that will expire in 2035.
The Mill Village fire department has asked the region for $275,000 in loan payments over 10 years toward a new $711,810 fire truck.
Under the proposed new funding arrangment, the maximum amounts available to fire departments for the next two fiscal years for new equipment would remain at $275,000 for pumpers, tankers and aerial trucks and $100,000 for rescue and utility vehicles.
From 2026/27 to 2034/35, those amounts would increase to $425,000 for new trucks and $200,000 for rescue vehicles.
The amounts would be reviewed with fire chiefs every two years.
Also on council’s agenda Tuesday evening, owners of short-term rentals in Queens County may get a chance to have their say on a tourism accommodation levy.
The Nova Scotia government made it possible in 2022 for municipalities to tax all tourist lodging up to a maximum of three per cent.
Since last April, all short-term rentals must sign up with a provincial registry. They must also follow municipal land-use bylaws.
According to a staff report to council, a three per cent levy could raise about $240,000 per year. The extra revenue would go toward boosting local tourism efforts.
But first, staff is suggesting that the region consult the owners of such properties.
About 30 customers in the area surrounding Old Kettle Road outside Mill Village awoke without power this morning.
That will likely mark the start of what is predicted to be a very busy weekend for Nova Scotia Power crews as Hurricane Fiona prepares to make landfall early Saturday morning.
Chief Operating Officer with Nova Scotia Power Dave Pickles says the utility has learned from previous storms and is taking measures to ensure fewer outages and faster restore times.
“Having the right level of resources and properly located around the province for where we expect to see the most damage,” said Pickles.
He says the combination of leaves on the trees and soft ground could mean more downed trees and a larger number of power outages and that restoration efforts will be at the mercy of the weather.
“There will be a want to get out there very quickly. This event is expected to start late Friday into Saturday morning, but sustained winds will continue throughout the day. That will make it a little bit tough for us to get out when people want us to get out,” said Pickles. “The weather on Sunday is forecasting to be nice so that will help with restoration efforts. But, yeah, there are many challenges.”
Pickles says Nova Scotia Power currently has 800 personnel ready to respond and are prepared to ask neighbouring provinces for assistance if the need arises.
Any outages should be reported through the NS Power outage map or by calling 1-877-428-6004 and people should monitor the map for restoration times.
Officials from all levels of government and Emergency Management Office are warning Nova Scotians to prepare to be without power for 72 hours and to stock up on items such as water, batteries, candles and food.
