2020 North West 200 Races
On 17 March the organisers postponed the event due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Northern Ireland with a view to looking at a new date during the 2020 racing calendar. The meeting was cancelled on 11 May 2020.


2020 North West Thunder season
The 2020 season was North West Thunder's first season, in which they competed in the 50 over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy following reforms to the structure of women's domestic cricket in England. The side finished third in the North Group of the competition, winning two of their six matches.


2020 North West Thunder season
After the ending of the Women's Cricket Super League in 2019, the ECB announced the beginning of a new "women's elite domestic structure". Eight teams were included in this new structure, with North West Thunder being one of the new teams, replacing Lancashire Thunder and representing North West England. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, only the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy was able to take place. North West Thunder were captained by Alex Hartley and coached by Paul Shaw. They played their home matches at Aigburth Cricket Ground, Liverpool.


2020 North West Thunder season, Squad
North West Thunder's squad for the season is listed below. Age given is at the start of North West Thunder's first match of the season (29 August 2020).


2020 North vs South rugby union match
On 5 September 2020, was a rugby union match played between provinces on the North Island and the South Island of New Zealand. It was the eighty-first game between the islands and was the second one-off game after the fundraiser for the Otago Rugby Football Union in 2012 which the South won 32–24 at Forsyth Barr Stadium in Dunedin. The game along with Super Rugby Aotearoa supplants the 2020 Super Rugby season, which was suspended in March due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


2020 North vs South rugby union match
The second one-off was first considered by new All Blacks head coach Ian Foster on 4 June. On 30 June was then confirmed to be played at Eden Park on 29 August. The teams were coached by assistant coaches John Plumtree and Scott McLeod for the North, and Greg Feek and Brad Mooar for the South.


2020 North vs South rugby union match
On 21 August, the match was postponed to 5 September and was reschedule to be played at Sky Stadium when the country moved back to level 2 and Auckland moved back to level 3.


2020 NorthPort Batang Pier season
The 2020 NorthPort Batang Pier season is the 8th season of the franchise in the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).


2020 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament
The 2020 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament was the postseason men's basketball tournament for the Northeast Conference for the 2019–20 NCAA Division I men's basketball season. All tournament games are played at the home arena of the highest seed. The tournament took place March 4–10, 2020.


2020 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Seeds
The top eight teams in the Northeast Conference are eligible to compete in the conference tournament. Teams will be seeded by record within the conference, with a tiebreaker system to seed teams with identical conference records.


2020 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Schedule and results
Note: Bracket is re-seeded after quarterfinal matchups, with highest remaining seed playing the lowest remaining seed in the semifinals.


2020 Northeast Conference Men's Basketball Tournament, Bracket and results
Teams are reseeded after each round with highest remaining seeds receiving home court advantage.


2020 Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Tournament
The 2020 Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Tournament was the postseason women's basketball tournament for the Northeast Conference for the 2019–20 NCAA Division I women's basketball season. All tournament games were scheduled to be played at the home arena of the highest seed from March 9 through March 15, 2020. On March 12, the NCAA announced that the tournament was cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic.


2020 Northeast Conference Women's Basketball Tournament, Seeds
The top eight teams in the Northeast Conference are eligible to compete in the conference tournament. Teams were seeded by record within the conference, with a tiebreaker system to seed teams with identical conference records.


2020 Northeast Conference men's soccer season
The 2020 Northeast Conference men's soccer season will be the 40st season of men's varsity soccer in the conference. The season was slated to begin on August 29, 2020 and conclude on November 14, 2020. Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, the season was postponed, and is set to begin in Spring of 2021.


2020 Northeast Conference men's soccer season, Spring 2021 season
The season will start on February 22 and end on April 8, with each team playing 8 conference matches. The 2020 NEC Championship match will be contested the week of April 12-18 with the No. 1 seed hosting the No. 2 seed to determine the conference’s automatic qualifier to the NCAA Tournament.


2020 Northeast Conference men's soccer season, Spring 2021 season, Preseason poll
The preseason poll will be released in December 2020 or January 2021.


2020 Northeast Conference men's soccer season, Spring 2021 season, Preseason national polls
The preseason national polls were originally to be released in July and August 2020. Only CollegeSoccerNews.com released a preseason poll for 2020.


2020 Northeast Conference men's soccer season, Spring 2021 season, Early season tournaments
Early season tournaments will be announced in late Fall 2020 and winter 2021.


2020 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team
The 2020 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team represents Northern Arizona University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. They are led by 2nd-year head coach Chris Ball and play their home games at the Walkup Skydome. They are members of the Big Sky Conference.


2020 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team, Previous season
The Lumberjacks finished the 2019 season 4–8, 2–6 in Big Sky play to finish in a five-way tie for ninth place.


2020 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team, Preseason, Polls
On July 23, 2020, during the virtual Big Sky Kickoff, the Lumberjacks were predicted to finish seventh in the Big Sky by the coaches and ninth by the media.


2020 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team, Schedule
Northern Arizona released their full schedule on January 13, 2020. The Lumberjacks had a game scheduled against Arizona State, which was later canceled before the start of the 2020 season.


2020 Northern Arizona Lumberjacks football team, Schedule
Despite being a Big Sky opponent, the game against Eastern Washington on September 19 will not count towards the Big Sky Conference standings.


2020 Northern Cypriot constitutional referendum
A constitutional referendum was held in Northern Cyprus on 11 October 2020 alongside the first round of presidential elections. The proposed amendment would increase membership of the Supreme Court from eight to a maximum of sixteen. The amendment was rejected by 50.13% of voters.


2020 Northern Cypriot constitutional referendum, Background
The 1983 constitution established a Supreme Court with eight members. In 2020 members of the court stated that its workload had doubled in the previous decade. A proposal was subsequently made in the Assembly of the Republic to amend the constitution to make the number of members of the court variable, with a minimum of eight and a maximum of sixteen. This was approved by a vote of 42–3 on 6 July. After approval of the amendments by the Assembly, the constitution required them to be approved in a referendum.


2020 Northern Cypriot constitutional referendum, Results
With a 58.29% turnout, the changes were narrowly rejected by less than 300 votes, with 49.87% of voters in favour of the changes and 50.13% opposed.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election
Presidential elections were held in Northern Cyprus on 11 October 2020 alongside a constitutional referendum, with a run-off held on 18 October 2020. They were originally scheduled to take place on 26 April 2020, but were postponed in March 2020 for six months due to the COVID-19 pandemic. No candidate won a majority of votes in the first round.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election
The two candidates contesting the second round were Mustafa Akıncı, the incumbent President running as an independent candidate and supporting a federal solution to the Cyprus dispute, and Ersin Tatar, the Prime Minister, running as the National Unity Party candidate, and opposing a federal solution in favour of a two-state solution. During his first term in office after being elected in 2015, Akıncı pursued a relationship with Turkey on the basis of Northern Cyprus not becoming a "sub-administration", whilst Tatar deemed Akıncı's stance too belligerent and promised to repair relations.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election
The elections have been marked by controversies surrounding allegations and reports of interference from the Turkish government, with Akıncı claiming he was threatened by Turkish authorities in an attempt to force him to withdraw his candidacy. Five days before the first round, Tatar announced a partial reopening of the ghost town of Varosha, sparking international condemnation and the fall of his cabinet after the junior partner in the coalition withdrew from the government.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election
Despite the parties of candidates receiving lower votes in the first round predominantly supporting Mustafa Akıncı, including the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), Tatar won a narrow victory in the second round and thus became the 5th President of Northern Cyprus. His victory, which was the closest ever margin in the history of Northern Cyprus, was welcomed by most political parties in Turkey.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Electoral system
The President of Northern Cyprus is elected using the two-round system. If no candidate receives a majority of the vote in the first round, a second is held between the top two candidates.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Candidates
11 candidates ran in the first round of the election:


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Campaigns, Mustafa Akıncı
Akıncı, the incumbent President, sought re-election as an independent. He announced his candidacy and set out his vision for a second term on 5 February 2020 at a rally in Nicosia titled "Trust and Determination Evening". He defended the federal model for the resolution of the Cyprus dispute as the only feasible and reasonable option, declaring "We do not want to be a minority amongst Greek Cypriots, nor do we want to be a sub-administration dependent on Turkey." His re-election bid was shaped around the slogan "The Answer is Akıncı" (Turkish: Cevap Akıncı), and the themes promoted in the campaign included "trust", "determination", "sincerity" and "responsibility", all associated with Akıncı.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Campaigns, Mustafa Akıncı
The left-wing Communal Democracy Party (TDP) chairman Cemal Özyiğit declared his party's support for Akıncı's re-election on 23 October 2019, when Akıncı was yet to announce his candidacy. Other parties to declare support for Akıncı in the first round were the extraparliamentary Communal Liberation Party New Forces, Independence Path, United Cyprus Party and Left Movement. The Republican Turkish Party declared its support for Akıncı in the second round, while the New Cyprus Party called on voters not to vote for Ersin Tatar.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Campaigns, Ersin Tatar
Ersin Tatar, leader of the right-wing National Unity Party (UBP) and Prime Minister, put forward his candidacy representing the UBP on 18 January 2020. He set out his vision for the Presidency on 16 September 2020, in an event in Nicosia titled "We are walking to a new future". Whilst Tatar has said that he would be willing to negotiate with Greek Cypriots for a resolution of the Cyprus dispute, he advocated a two-state solution, involving separate Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot states in the European Union as his preferential model.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Campaigns, Ersin Tatar
He based this on his position that, having been explored as an option 1977, he believed the federal model for Cyprus to have been exhausted. A key campaign promise was to fully reopen the ghost town of Varosha, with the land being used by its original inhabitants under Turkish Cypriot sovereignty. He also held that Akıncı had been too belligerent with regards to the relationship with Turkey, and he said that he would undo the "damage" in the Turkey-Northern Cyprus relations brought upon by Akıncı.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Campaigns, Ersin Tatar
Tatar's central campaign slogan was "We are walking to a new future" (Turkish: Yeni bir geleceğe yürüyoruz), with an emphasis in his campaign on the message "Enough is enough! We will not lose another five years."


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Campaigns, Ersin Tatar
Political parties to declare support for Tatar in the second round were the Democratic Party the Rebirth Party and extraparliamentary the Nationalist Democracy Party.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Campaigns, Tufan Erhürman
Tufan Erhürman, head of the left-wing Republican Turkish Party (CTP), Leader of the Main Opposition and former Prime Minister, put forward his candidacy as the representative of his party on 17 December 2019, in an expanded party meeting in Nicosia. A proponent of the federal solution, Erhürman initially set out a "three-piece" vision for the Presidency, with the three pieces consisting of a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus dispute, a proactive foreign policy and a self-sustaining economy.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Campaigns, Tufan Erhürman
He promised to campaign proactively against the embargo against Northern Cyprus on fields such as trade and sports, whilst still striving for a "result-oriented" process to solve the Cyprus dispute. Whilst the President of Northern Cyprus has often left the major executive functions to the office of the Prime Minister, Erhürman promised a more active role for the Presidency in internal politics, foreseeing the Presidency as a stabiliser and a "bridge" between the short-lasting, volatile governments of Northern Cyprus.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Campaigns, Tufan Erhürman
Erhürman emphasised that he would place relations with Turkey, the European Union and Greek Cypriots "on the correct footing", with a particular emphasis on Turkish Cypriot "will" and self-sufficiency. He promoted "dialogue" as a basis for relations with Turkey, saying that he would act "responsibly, not problematically".


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Campaigns, Tufan Erhürman
Erhürman's campaign slogan was "The correct one is Tufan Erhürman" (Turkish: Doğrusu Tufan Erhürman), with a particular messaging focus on "all-round leadership".


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Campaigns, Kudret Özersay
Kudret Özersay, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign of Affairs, resigned from his position as head of the People's Party (HP) to run as an independent, supported by the HP. Özersay's campaign emphasised his previous experience as Chief Negotiator and a scholar of international law, and used the slogan "This is his job" (Turkish: Bu, onun işi, with a double meaning, also meaning "he can get this done"). Özersay ran on a platform advocating that there were alternatives to a federal solution, proposing a model of "partnership based on collaboration" instead. Another key campaign promise was to reopen Varosha, but only after "informing the international community correctly" about the nature of the reopening.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Campaign issues, Controversy over Turkish interference
Mustafa Akıncı made multiple statements over the course of the campaign that the government of Turkey was actively interfering in the elections against him. He stated on 1 October that members of the Turkish parliament of the ruling Justice and Development Party and Nationalist Movement Party were touring villages in Northern Cyprus, telling people not to vote for Akıncı, and that he had been receiving insults and threats from Turkish "sources". The Turkish embassy in Nicosia released a statement condemning "the mentality that considered every Turkish team on the island an interference in the elections" and said that it was unacceptable that "Turkey was being turned into campaign material".


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Campaign issues, Controversy over Turkish interference
On 9 October, Akıncı stated that he had been threatened by Turkish authorities early in his campaign, with a "person related to intelligence activity in Cyprus" telling his Chief of Staff that it would be "better for Akıncı himself, his family and the nation" if he withdrew from the election. He also revealed that his, his Chief of Staff's and his campaign team's emails had been hacked into. The Turkish embassy in Nicosia categorically denied that Akıncı had been threatened. Tatar said that it was unacceptable for a President to make such statements about Turkey.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Campaign issues, Controversy over Turkish interference
On 5 October, Özgür Gazete, an online newspaper in Northern Cyprus, published photos of Ersin Tatar meeting advisors of the Turkish Vice-President Fuat Oktay in a hotel in Kyrenia, reporting that the meetings had been taking place daily with Tatar briefing a Turkish ruling party campaign team about campaign developments and receiving strategic directives. Tatar released a statement in response, claiming that "foreign intelligence agencies had been secretly photographing technical teams from Turkey and serving them to websites set up specifically to manipulate the election".


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Campaign issues, Controversy over Turkish interference
He claimed that the photos were a violation of his right to privacy, and that the state would "take legal action against those who committed against the State and the nation". Tatar's statement was condemned by the CTP, the TDP and various civil society organisations as an assault on the freedom of the press.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Campaign issues, Controversy over Turkish interference
Various pro-government Turkish newspapers also ran headlines attacking Akıncı in the run-up to the election.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Campaign issues, Partial reopening of Varosha and the fall of the government
On 6 October 2020, with five days to go before the election, Ersin Tatar flew to Ankara upon the special invitation of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. This was the date for the scheduled reopening of the Northern Cyprus Water Supply Project after months of repairs, but the High Electoral Board had banned any political speeches at the reopening ceremony in Cyprus. The ceremony took place nonetheless, with Tatar and Erdoğan taking part virtually via videoconferencing from a live press conference in Ankara.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Campaign issues, Partial reopening of Varosha and the fall of the government
During the ceremony, Tatar announced that the ghost town of Varosha, which had been sealed off during the 1974 conflict after the flight of its Greek Cypriot population, would be partially reopened on 8 October. This would involve the reopening of a couple of avenues and the beach for the public to visit. Erdoğan stated his support for the move and said that the infrastructure work required would be completed swiftly.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Campaign issues, Partial reopening of Varosha and the fall of the government
The move met with condemnation from Josep Borrell, the foreign policy chief of the European Union, and expressions of concern from the United Nations Security Council and Russia. The UN Security Council presidential statement urged the reversal of the decision and that the UN Security Council decisions regarding Varosha be respected.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Campaign issues, Partial reopening of Varosha and the fall of the government
This move was seen as a pre-election political manoeuvre by other political figures in Northern Cyprus. Akıncı said that the developments were "a black stain on Turkish Cypriot democracy", saying that they constituted "yet another development in the interference with our elections just to confer advantage to one candidate". He also called using the reopening of Varosha as campaign material a "grave mistake".


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Campaign issues, Partial reopening of Varosha and the fall of the government
Kudret Özersay, Deputy Prime Minister, Minister of Foreign Affairs and member of the People's Party, the junior partner in the ruling coalition, said that he had no prior knowledge of the reopening, and that without a Council of Ministers decision, this could not possibly be a real reopening of Varosha. The Party Assembly of the People's Party decided to withdraw from the coalition, leading to a collapse of the government, citing Ersin Tatar's "bypassing" of his coalition partners and "using Varosha as an election ploy" as the reason.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Results
The first round results were regarded in the Turkish Cypriot media as a disappointment for Özersay, Arıklı and Denktaş, and especially for Özersay, who had suffered a loss of 15% from the previous election. Özersay said that he would "reconsider his future political career" based on the election results, saying that he had performed far below his expectations. Erhürman congratulated the two candidates reaching the second round and said that the election results would be critiqued by the CTP Party Assembly.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Results
On 13 October, the CTP Party Assembly unanimously voted to support Akıncı in the second round, citing their common goal of the federal solution as the rationale. Arıklı's YDP and the Democratic Party endorsed Tatar for the second round. The DP decision was a contested one, and as a response, Serdar Denktaş resigned from the party that he had previously led for 21 years, releasing a statement implying that he would vote for Akıncı and saying "If my party cannot defend its honour, I have to defend mine".


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Results
Tatar was elected in the second round by a narrow margin, winning 51.74% of the vote. The Gazimağusa and İskele districts swayed the result in favour of Tatar, with Tatar attaining 70.79% of the votes in İskele. Tatar had a lead of 1% in Girne District, whilst Akıncı won all three remaining districts, garnering 56.14% of the votes in the capital Lefkoşa District.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Aftermath
Speaking after he was elected, Tatar thanked the Turkish Cypriot electorate, who elected him "out of free will", as well as the political parties that supported him in the second round, "motherland Turkey" and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Aftermath
He promised an expansion of the relations with Turkey, stated that he would be ready for talks on the resolution of the Cyprus dispute "based on facts" and speaking in English, said "We are the voice of Turkish Cypriots, we are fighters, we are fighting to exist within the TRNC, Therefore our neighbours in the south and the international community should respect our fight to live with freedom within the TRNC." Tatar was immediately congratulated by Turkish President Erdoğan, as well as the Turkish Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Aftermath
In his concession speech, Akıncı congratulated Tatar, but reiterated that "this was not an election conducted under normal circumstances", and wished that "no one would resort to these ways once again". He also said that "it would be beneficial for Turkish Cypriots to assess which results came out of which region". He announced that he would be ending his political career.


2020 Northern Cypriot presidential election, Aftermath
Amongst Greek Cypriots, the left-wing opposition party AKEL called the election result a "negative development", but added that "the Greek Cypriot side must remain committed and consistent in resuming negotiations from the point they left off". EDEK stated that the Greek Cypriots should put an "end to illusions", claiming that the results showed that Ankara had the defining role in decision making in the north. President Nicos Anastasiades stated that the verdict of Turkish Cypriots is absolutely respected.


2020 Northern Diamonds season
The 2020 season was Northern Diamonds' first season, in which they competed in the 50 over Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy following reforms to the structure of women's domestic cricket in England. The side topped the North Group of the competition, winning 5 of their 6 games, progressing to the final. However, they lost to Southern Vipers in the final by 38 runs.


2020 Northern Diamonds season
After the ending of the Women's Cricket Super League in 2019, the ECB announced the beginning of a new "women's elite domestic structure". Eight teams were included in this new structure, with Northern Diamonds being one of the new teams, replacing Yorkshire Diamonds and representing the North East and Yorkshire. Due to the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, only the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy was able to take place. Northern Diamonds were captained by Hollie Armitage and coached by Danielle Hazell. They played two home matches at Headingley Cricket Ground and one at the Riverside Ground.


2020 Northern Diamonds season, Squad
Northern Diamonds named their squad on 19 August 2020. Age given is at the start of Northern Diamonds's first match of the season (29 August 2020).


2020 Northern Illinois Huskies football team
The 2020 Northern Illinois Huskies football team represented Northern Illinois University during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Huskies were led by second-year head coach Thomas Hammock and played their home games at Huskie Stadium in DeKalb, Illinois. They competed in the West Division of the Mid-American Conference (MAC). In a season shorted due to the COVID-19 pandemic, they finished the season 0–6 in MAC play to finish in last place in the West Division.


2020 Northern Illinois Huskies football team, Previous season
The Huskies finished the 2019 season 5–7, 4–4 in MAC play to finish in a tie for third place in the West Division.


2020 Northern Illinois Huskies football team, COVID-19 effects on season
On August 8, 2020, the MAC announced that it was postponing the 2020 football season due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic. The conference announced it would explore playing a season in the Spring of 2021. It was the first major football conference to announce the postponement of the season.


2020 Northern Illinois Huskies football team, COVID-19 effects on season
On September 25, the conference voted to reinstate the football season beginning on November 4. The conference was the last major conference to reinstate football.


2020 Northern Illinois Huskies football team, Schedule
Northern Illinois had games scheduled against Iowa, Maryland, and Rhode Island, which were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result, the school played a conference-only schedule.


2020 Northern Iowa Panthers football team
The 2020 Northern Iowa Panthers football team represents the University of Northern Iowa in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The team is led by Mark Farley in his 20th season and play their home games in the UNI-Dome in Cedar Falls, Iowa as a member of the Missouri Valley Football Conference.


2020 Northern Iowa Panthers football team, Previous season
They finished the 2019 season 8–4, 6–2 in MVFC play to finish in second place. They received an at-large bid to the FCS Playoffs where they defeated San Diego and South Dakota State to advance to the quarterfinals where they lost to James Madison.


2020 Northern Iowa Panthers football team, Schedule
Northern Iowa had a game scheduled against Iowa on September 5, which was later canceled before the start of the 2020 season.


2020 Northern Iowa Panthers football team, Schedule
a.^ Panther Sports Network involves these channels (CFU Ch. 15/HD415; KCRG-TV Ch. 9.2; KCWI Ch. 23; KGCW Ch. 26, (NBC Sports Chicago or NBC Sports Chicago Plus)


2020 Northern Ireland Agreement
The 2020 Northern Ireland Agreement (also known as the Stormont deal or Stormont Agreement) is an agreement put forward by the governments of the United Kingdom and Ireland, aimed at restoring the Northern Ireland Executive, which had been suspended following the 2017 Renewable Heat Incentive scandal. A draft of the agreement was published by both governments on 9 January 2020. The Democratic Unionist Party (DUP) gave their backing to the deal shortly afterwards, while Sinn Féin announced it would support the deal the following day. The document is titled "New Decade, New Approach".


2020 Northern Ireland Agreement
The Northern Ireland Assembly consequently reconvened after a three-year hiatus on 11 January; DUP leader Arlene Foster was appointed Northern Ireland's first minister, while Sinn Féin's Michelle O'Neill was appointed deputy first minister.


2020 Northern Ireland Open
The 2020 Northern Ireland Open (also known as the Matchroom.Live Northern Ireland Open) was a professional ranking snooker tournament that took place from 16 to 22 November 2020 at the Marshall Arena in Milton Keynes, England. It was the fourth ranking event of the 2020–21 season and a part of the Home Nations Series. It was the fifth edition of the Northern Ireland Open.


2020 Northern Ireland Open
For the third consecutive edition of the tournament, Judd Trump defeated Ronnie O'Sullivan 9–7 in final, winning his 19th ranking title. He is the first to win a ranking event three times in a row since Stephen Hendry won the UK Championship from 1994 to 1996.


2020 Northern Ireland Open
Trump made the fifth maximum break of his career in the third frame of his second-round match with Gao Yang.


2020 Northern Ireland Open, Prize fund
The breakdown of prize money for this year is shown below:


2020 Northern Ireland Open, Century breaks
A total of 68 century breaks were made during the competition.


2020 Northern Mariana Islands presidential caucuses
Although the Northern Mariana Islands did not participate in the 2020 presidential election because it is a territory and not a state, it still participated in the U.S. presidential caucuses and primaries.


2020 Northern Mariana Islands presidential caucuses
Bernie Sanders won the Democratic caucuses, held on March 14. The Republican caucuses, held on March 15, endorsed incumbent President Donald Trump.


2020 Northern Mariana Islands presidential caucuses, Democratic caucuses
The 2020 Northern Mariana Islands Democratic presidential caucuses took place on March 14, 2020, in the Democratic Party presidential primaries for the 2020 presidential election. The Northern Mariana Islands caucuses are a closed caucus. The territory awards 11 delegates, of which 6 are pledged delegates allocated on the basis of the results of the caucuses. The caucus was held at the Saipan World Resort and was organized by the Northern Mariana Islands Democratic Party.


2020 Northern Mariana Islands presidential caucuses, Democratic caucuses, Procedure
When the Northern Mariana Islands Democratic Party published its draft delegate selection plan in July 2019, it specified a March 14 date for the 2020 caucuses.


2020 Northern Mariana Islands presidential caucuses, Democratic caucuses, Procedure
In the open caucuses, candidates must meet a threshold of 15 percent across the territory to be considered viable. The 6 pledged delegates to the 2020 Democratic National Convention will be allocated proportionally on the basis of the results of the caucuses. Of the 6 pledged delegates, all 6 are at-large pledged delegates.


2020 Northern Mariana Islands presidential caucuses, Democratic caucuses, Procedure
The 6 pledged delegates Northern Mariana Islands sends to the national convention will be joined by 5 unpledged PLEO delegates (4 members of the Democratic National Committee and nonvoting delegate Gregorio Sablan).


2020 Northern Mariana Islands presidential caucuses, Republican caucuses
The 2020 Northern Mariana Islands Republican presidential caucuses took place on March 15, 2020, in the Republican Party presidential primaries for the 2020 presidential election. They are a closed caucus, with the territory awarding 9 delegates, of which 6 are pledged delegates directly allocated on the basis of the direct results of the caucuses. The other 3 delegates, represented by leaders of the CNMI Republican Party, are bound for the first ballot at the 2020 Republican National Convention but free to vote individually in any successive ballots  The caucuses unanimously bound all 9 national delegates to incumbent President Donald Trump.


2020 Northern Ontario Men's Provincial Curling Championship
The 2020 Northern Ontario Men's Provincial Curling Championship, the men's curling championship of Northern Ontario was held from January 29th to February 2nd at the Don Shepherdson Memorial Arena in New Liskeard. The winning Brad Jacobs rink represented Northern Ontario at the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier in Kingston, Ontario and finished in fourth place. The event was held in conjunction with the 2020 Northern Ontario Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the Northern Ontario women's curling championship. In the final, Team Jacobs defeated Team Badiuk 7–3 and will represent Northern Ontario at the Tim Hortons Brier for a twelfth time.


2020 Northern Ontario Scotties Tournament of Hearts
The 2020 Northern Ontario Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the Northern Ontario women's curling championship, was held from January 29 – February 2 at the Don Shepherdson Memorial Arena in New Liskeard, Temiskaming Shores. The winning Krista McCarville rink represented Northern Ontario at the 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and finished in fourth place. The event was held in conjunction with the 2020 Northern Ontario Men's Provincial Curling Championship, the provincial men's championship.


2020 Northern Ontario Scotties Tournament of Hearts
Krista McCarville won her eighth Northern Ontario Scotties Tournament of Hearts by defeating the young Krysta Burns rink in a tight 6–5 final. She and her teammates represented Northern Ontario at the Hearts for the second year in a row. The Burns rink also featured experienced curler Amanda Gates who used to play with the Sudbury based Tracy Fleury rink.


2020 Northern Territory general election
The 2020 Northern Territory general election was held on 22 August 2020 to elect all 25 members of the Legislative Assembly in the unicameral Northern Territory Parliament.


2020 Northern Territory general election
Members were elected through full preferential instant-runoff voting in single-member electorates, after the optional preferential voting system introduced for the 2016 election was abolished by the Electoral Legislation Amendment Act 2019 in April 2019. The election was conducted by the Northern Territory Electoral Commission, an independent body answerable to Parliament.


2020 Northern Territory general election
The incumbent centre-left Labor Party (ALP) majority government, led by Chief Minister Michael Gunner, won a second consecutive four-year term of government. It defeated the centre-right Country Liberal Party (CLP) opposition, led by Opposition Leader Lia Finocchiaro, and the regionalist big-tent Territory Alliance (TA) party, led by former Chief Minister Terry Mills.


2020 Northern Territory general election
ABC election analyst Antony Green called the election for the Labor Party nearly three hours after the polls closed. At the time it was not known if the party would claim a majority of seats, though on 24 August the ABC projected Labor had retained majority government. When the counting of votes concluded, Labor finished with 14 seats, enough for a two-seat majority on the floor of the Assembly. The Country Liberals won 8 seats, a gain of six from their landslide loss in the previous election, whilst 2 independents and 1 Territory Alliance candidate were elected. The new Gunner Ministry was sworn in on 8 September 2020.


2020 Northern Territory general election, Results, Results summary
The CLP regained a number of seats in traditional heartlands that it had lost to Labor in 2016, with the party winning back Braitling, Brennan and Katherine from the ALP. It also won the outback seats of Barkly and Namatjira by narrow margins. The ALP maintained its dominance of the Darwin/Palmerston area, holding all but two of the region's seats–accounting for almost all of its majority. The ALP managed to consolidate some of its gains from 2016. It retained Port Darwin and Drysdale, two seats it had only won once before 2016, while gaining Blain, a seat it had never won before. The ALP also won a majority of the two-party vote for only the third time ever in a Territory election.


2020 Northern Territory general election, Results, Results summary
Both incumbent independent MLAs running for reelection, Yingiya Mark Guyula and Kezia Purick, retained their seats, but long-serving independent Gerry Wood was succeeded by a CLP candidate in Nelson. The Territory Alliance won a single seat, with Robyn Lambley narrowly holding her seat of Araluen; party leader Terry Mills and Jeff Collins both lost their seats.


2020 Northern Territory general election, Results, Seats changing hands
Members in italics did not re-contest their seats at this election. Margins are notional estimates by Antony Green.


2020 Northern Territory general election, Background, Previous election
At the 2016 election, the one-term incumbent Country Liberal Party (CLP) minority government, led by Chief Minister Adam Giles, was defeated by the Labor Party Opposition, led by Opposition Leader Michael Gunner. The CLP suffered the worst defeat of a sitting government in the history of the Territory, and one of the worst defeats of a sitting government in the history of Australia. It was the first time that a sitting Northern Territory government was defeated after only one term.


2020 Northern Territory general election, Background, Previous election
From 11 seats at dissolution (and 16 after the 2012 election), the CLP suffered the worst election performance in its history, winning only two seats. Labor won 18 seats, in the process winning the third-largest majority government in Territory history. Independents won five seats. With only two members in the CLP caucus, Gary Higgins became opposition leader and CLP leader while Lia Finocchiaro became deputy CLP leader on 2 September. Although the independent MPs outnumbered the CLP MPs, on official advice the CLP was recognised as the official opposition.


2020 Northern Territory general election, Background, Previous election
Additionally, Giles lost his seat of Braitling to Labor, making him only the second Chief Minister/Majority Leader to lose their seat at an election. Along with the seat of Katherine, the election represented the first time Labor had won a seat in Alice Springs or Katherine.


2020 Northern Territory general election, Background, Previous election
With the overall result beyond doubt, Gunner had himself, Natasha Fyles, and Nicole Manison sworn in as an interim three-person government on 31 August until the full Gunner Ministry could be sworn in on 12 September.


2020 Northern Territory general election, Background, Previous election
The position of Speaker of the Northern Territory Legislative Assembly had been held by former CLP-turned-independent MP Kezia Purick since 23 October 2012. Despite Labor's massive majority following the 2016 election, the incoming Labor government re-appointed Purick as Speaker.


2020 Northern Territory general election, Background, Labor expulsions
The composition of the Assembly was unchanged for over two years, with Labor Party holding 18 seats, the Country Liberal Party three and the remaining five by independents. In December 2018, the Labor Government dismissed three sitting members of the parliamentary party; the Aboriginal Affairs Minister Ken Vowles, Assistant Minister Jeff Collins and backbencher Scott McConnell. The trio were dismissed after publicly criticising the government's handling of the territory's long-term economic situation, following a report finding the budget to be in "structural deficit" with expenditure struggling to cover previous borrowings and day-to-day costs. They consequently became independents and sat on the crossbench. McConnell later announced he would not re-contest his seat at the election, though did end up running for the adjacent seat of Braitling.


2020 Northern Territory general election, Background, Territory Alliance founding
In August 2019, Terry Mills, the independent member for the seat of Blain, announced the formation of a new regionalist big tent party known as Territory Alliance. Mills had previously been the leader of the CLP and was Chief Minister of the Northern Territory following the Country Liberal Party's (CLP) victory at the 2012 election. He was usurped for the leadership of the party by Adam Giles only six months into his Chief Ministership, defeated 11–5 in a party-room ballot. With Mills' presence in the Assembly, the new Territory Alliance held one seat.


2020 Northern Territory general election, Background, Territory Alliance founding
This increased to three seats in March 2020 when Jeff Collins (expelled by Labor in December 2018) and Robyn Lambley (the former deputy CLP leader who was re-elected as an independent in 2016) announced they had joined the party, taking Territory Alliance's representation in the Assembly to three seats. With more members in the Assembly than the CLP, Alliance sought to claim official opposition status, though they were defeated 5–3 in a secret Assembly ballot and the CLP retained opposition status, with Lia Finocchiaro remaining as Opposition Leader.


2020 Northern Territory general election, Background, Johnston by-election
With Scott McConnell having announced his retirement at the election and Jeff Collins becoming a member of the Territory Alliance, Ken Vowles, the remaining member of the Labor trio to be expelled by the party, announced his immediate resignation from the Assembly in November 2019. This decision necessitated a by-election in the seat of Johnston to replace Vowles. The by-election was held on 29 February 2020 and was won by Labor candidate Joel Bowden, who claimed 52.6% of the two-candidate preferred vote. Labor's primary vote collapsed more than 21 points, making the seat a marginal contest at the general election. The Territory Alliance candidate usurped the Greens and CLP candidates into second place (47.4% of the two-candidate preferred vote), with the CLP primary vote dropping by more than 15 points and the party finishing in fourth place.


2020 Northern Territory general election, Election date
The parliament has fixed four-year terms, with elections to be held on the fourth Saturday of August every four years.


2020 Northern Territory general election, Redistribution
A boundary redistribution for electoral divisions in the Northern Territory commenced on 27 February 2019, with the boundary commission releasing its report of the final boundaries on 4 September 2019.


2020 Northern Territory general election, Registered parties
At the time of the election, eight parties were registered with the Northern Territory Electoral Commission (NTEC).


2020 Northern Territory general election, Candidates
There were 111 candidates who nominated for the election—the second-highest number of candidates in a Territory election, just under the 115 who nominated in 2016.


2020 Northern Territory general election, Candidates
Sitting members are in bold. Successful candidates are highlighted in the relevant colour. Where there is possible confusion, an asterisk is used.


2020 Northwest Territories Men's Curling Championship
The 2020 Northwest Territories Men's Curling Championship was held from January 30 to February 2 at the Hay River Curling Club in Hay River. The winning Jamie Koe rink represented the Northwest Territories at the 2020 Tim Hortons Brier in Kingston, Ontario and finished with a 2–5 record.


2020 Northwest Territories Men's Curling Championship
Five teams entered the event, and played a round robin tournament with a three team playoff. Jamie Koe won his fourteenth Northwest Territories Men's Curling Championship when he defeated Glen Hudy 11–5 in the final.


2020 Northwest Territories Scotties Tournament of Hearts
The 2020 Northwest Territories Women's Curling Championship, the women's provincial curling championship for the Northwest Territories, was held from January 9 to 12 at the Hay River Curling Club in Hay River, Northwest Territories. The winning Kerry Galusha rink represented the Northwest Territories at the 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and finished with a 2–5 record.


2020 Northwest Territories Scotties Tournament of Hearts
Kerry Galusha and her team went undefeated through the tournament to claim the title with a perfect 4–0 round robin record and a 9–3 win over club mates Sarah Stroeder in the final.


2020 Northwestern State Demons football team
The 2020 Northwestern State Demons football team represents Northwestern State University in the 2020–21 NCAA Division I FCS football season. The Demons play their home games at Harry Turpin Stadium in Natchitoches, Louisiana, and compete in the Southland Conference. They are led by third-year head coach Brad Laird.


2020 Northwestern State Demons football team, Previous season
The Demons finished the 2019 season 3–9, 3–6 in Southland play to finish eighth in Southland play. The Demons were not invited/did not qualify to any postseason play.


2020 Northwestern State Demons football team, Preseason, Preseason poll
The Southland Conference released their spring preseason poll in January 2021. The Demons were picked to finish sixth in the conference. In addition, two Demons were chosen to the Preseason All-Southland Team


2020 Northwestern Wildcats football team
The 2020 Northwestern Wildcats football team represented Northwestern University during the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The Wildcats played their home games at Ryan Field in Evanston, Illinois, and competed in the West Division of the Big Ten Conference. They were led by 15th-year head coach Pat Fitzgerald.


2020 Northwestern Wildcats football team
On August 11, 2020, the Big Ten Conference canceled all fall sports competitions due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, on September 16, the Big Ten reinstated the season, announcing an eight-game season beginning on October 24.


2020 Northwestern Wildcats football team, Previous season
The Wildcats finished the 2019 season 3–9, 1–8 in Big Ten play to finish in last place in the West Division.


2020 Northwestern Wildcats football team, Schedule
Northwestern had games scheduled against Tulane, Central Michigan, and Morgan State, but canceled these games on July 9 due to the Big Ten Conference's decision to play a conference-only schedule due to the COVID-19 pandemic.


2020 Northwestern Wildcats football team, Game summaries, Wisconsin
I've been watching Northwestern play and honestly, they got a bunch of Rece Davises out there running around.


2020 Norwegian Athletics Championships
The 2020 Norwegian Athletics Championships (Norwegian: NM i friidrett 2020) was the year's national outdoor track and field championships for Norway. It was held from 2–4 August at the Fana Stadion in Bergen. It was organised by Fana IL, IL Gneist and IL Bjarg serving as organisers.


2020 Norwegian Athletics Championships
The King's Cups were won by Jakob Ingebrigtsen and Amalie Iuel.


2020 Norwegian Athletics Championships, Championships
Several outdoor senior national championships were staged. Separate championships are also arranged for juniors and masters athletes, and in several cases there are separate junior and maseters events incorporated into the senior championships.


2020 Norwegian Indoor Athletics Championships
The 2020 Norwegian Indoor Athletics Championships (Norwegian: Norgesmesterskapet i friidrett innendørs 2020) was the year's national indoor track and field championships for Norway. It was held on 1 and 2 February at the Bærum Idrettspark in Bærum. It was organised by Oslo og Akershus Friidrettskrets.


2020 Norwegian Women's Cup
The 2020 Norwegian Women's Cup was the 43rd season of the Norwegian annual knock-out football tournament. It began on 30 September 2020, severely belated due to the COVID-19 pandemic in Norway. Also, the cup was open to clubs in the first two tiers only. The clubs of the 2020 Toppserien entered in the first round, whereas the rest of the clubs in the 2020 1. divisjon contested a preliminary round.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
The 2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team represented the University of Notre Dame in the 2020 NCAA Division I FBS football season. The team was led by Brian Kelly in his 11th season at Notre Dame. The Fighting Irish played their home games at Notre Dame Stadium in South Bend, Indiana.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
Because the Power Five conferences enforced restrictions on non-conference games in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, Notre Dame played a full Atlantic Coast Conference (ACC) schedule for the 2020 season (expanding upon an existing relationship in all other sports besides football and ice hockey). This was the first season in several decades that Notre Dame did not play its traditional intersectional rivalry games against Navy (previously played every season since 1927), USC (since 1946), or Stanford (since 1997).


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
After the cancellation of the Wake Forest game scheduled for December 12 by the ACC, due to an evaluation of the three teams in contention to play in the ACC Championship Game, Notre Dame clinched a spot in the ACC Championship Game, which they went on to lose to Clemson.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team
The Fighting Irish were subsequently ranked fourth in the final College Football Playoff (CFP) rankings, securing a spot in the Rose Bowl, a CFP semifinal game, against top–ranked Alabama. Notre Dame lost to Alabama on New Year's Day, the eventual national champion, ending the season with a 10–2 record.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, Previous season
The 2019 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team finished 11–2 on the season with a 33–9 victory over Iowa State in the Camping World Bowl in Orlando, Florida. They finished at No. 12 in the final AP Poll of the 2019 season.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, Previous season, Coaching changes
Chip Long, former offensive coordinator of the Fighting Irish, was relieved of his duties by Notre Dame and became an offensive analyst at University of Tennessee.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, Schedule
The 2020 schedule was officially released on December 7, 2017.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, Schedule
Due to suspensions of athletic programs nationwide as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, the team called off the 2020 edition of its spring Blue-Gold Game. The Emerald Isle Classic game against Navy at Aviva Stadium in Dublin, Ireland  was tentatively rescheduled for Navy–Marine Corps Memorial Stadium in Annapolis, Maryland, and three games were scrapped after the Big Ten and Pac-12 elected to restrict play to conference opponents only.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, Schedule
This included a game scheduled against Wisconsin on October 3 (which was to be played at Lambeau Field in Green Bay as a Shamrock Series game), the team's rivalry game against Stanford, and the team's rivalry game against USC (resulting in its postponement for the first time since World War II).


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, Schedule
In regards to replacing the canceled games, head coach Brian Kelly told ESPN's Mike Greenberg that "our phone is ringing off the hook right now in terms of teams looking for games", and that Notre Dame athletics director Jack Swarbrick had been communicating with ACC commissioner John Swofford; as per its membership in most other sports, Notre Dame typically plays five games against ACC opponents per-season.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, Schedule
On July 29, 2020, the ACC officially announced that Notre Dame would play its 2020 season within the conference, with 10 games against ACC opponents, a non-conference game of its choice against an in-state opponent, and being eligible to compete for the conference championship. The team contributed revenue from its broadcast rights with NBC into the conference's shared pool, split between all ACC members and Notre Dame.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, Schedule
Notre Dame's opening game against Duke marked the first time that the Fighting Irish had ever competed in, or won a conference game.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish football team, Game summaries, at Wake Forest (No Contest)
The No. 2 Notre Dame at Wake Forest game was canceled by the ACC, due to an evaluation of the three teams in contention to play in the ACC Championship Game and the game was not rescheduled. Instead, Notre Dame ended their regular season vs. Syracuse and had a bye this week, and Wake Forest played a replacement game at Louisville.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's soccer team
The 2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's soccer team represented University of Notre Dame during the 2020 NCAA Division I men's soccer season. It was the program's 43rd season. It was the program's 8th season competing in the Atlantic Coast Conference. The Fighting Irish were be led by head coach Chad Riley, in his third year and played their home games at Alumni Stadium in Notre Dame, Indiana.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's soccer team
The teams' 2020 season was significantly impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, which curtailed the fall season and caused the NCAA Tournament to be played in Spring 2021. The ACC was one of the only two conferences in men's soccer to play in the fall of 2020. The ACC also held a mini-season during the spring of 2021.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's soccer team
The Fighting Irish finished the fall season 5–4–0 and 3–2–0 in ACC play to finish in third place in the North Division. In the ACC Tournament they defeated North Carolina in the Quarterfinals before losing to Pittsubrgh in the Semifinals. They finished the spring season 3–5–0 and 1–5–0 in ACC play, to finish in sixth place in the Coastal Division. They were not invited to the NCAA Tournament.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's soccer team
In the 2021 MLS SuperDraft, the Fighting Irish had one player drafted: Aiden McFadden.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's soccer team, Background
The 2019 Notre Dame men's soccer team finished the season with a 10–8–1 overall record and a 3–5–0 ACC record. The Fighting Irish were seeded eight–overall in the 2019 ACC Men's Soccer Tournament, where they defeated Boston College in the first round and lost to Clemson in the quarterfinals. The Fighting Irish earned an at-large bid into the 2019 NCAA Division I Men's Soccer Tournament for the seventh season in a row. In the tournament, the Fighting Irish lost to Wright State in the first round to end their season.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's soccer team, Background
At the end of the season, two Fighting Irish soccer players wer selected in the 2020 MLS SuperDraft: Félicien Dumas and Duncan Turnbull.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish men's soccer team, Squad, Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's soccer team
The 2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's soccer team represented the University of Notre Dame during the 2020 NCAA Division I women's soccer season. It was the 33rd season of the university fielding a program. The Fighting Irish were led by 3rd year head coach Nate Norman and played their games at Alumni Stadium.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's soccer team
Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the ACC played a reduced schedule in 2020 and the NCAA Tournament was postponed to 2021. The ACC did not play a spring league schedule, but did allow teams to play non-conference games that would count toward their 2020 record in the lead up to the NCAA Tournament.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's soccer team
The Fighting Irish finished the fall season 4–5–0, 4–4–0 in ACC play to finish in a tie for sixth place. They were awarded the eighth seed in the ACC Tournament based on tiebreakers. In the tournament they lost to Florida State in the Quarterfinals. They finished the spring season 2–2–0 and were not invited to the NCAA Tournament.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's soccer team, Previous Season
The Fighting Irish finished the season 11–8–2, 4–4–2 in ACC play to finish in a tie for eighth place. As the eight seed in the ACC Tournament, they lost to North Carolina in the Quarterfinals. They received an at-large bid to the NCAA Tournament where they defeated Saint Louis in the first round, before losing to South Carolina in the Second Round.


2020 Notre Dame Fighting Irish women's soccer team, Squad, Roster
Note: Flags indicate national team as defined under FIFA eligibility rules. Players may hold more than one non-FIFA nationality.


2020 Nova Scotia Scotties Tournament of Hearts
The 2020 Nova Scotia Scotties Tournament of Hearts, the provincial women's curling championship of Nova Scotia, was held from January 20 to 26 at the Dartmouth Curling Club in Dartmouth. The winning Mary-Anne Arsenault rink represented Nova Scotia at the 2020 Scotties Tournament of Hearts in Moose Jaw, Saskatchewan and finished with a 4–4 record. The event was held in conjunction with the 2020 Deloitte Tankard, the provincial men's curling championship.


2020 Nova Scotia Scotties Tournament of Hearts
Mary-Anne Arsenault defeated former teammate Colleen Jones 7–4 in the final to win her ninth Nova Scotia Scotties Tournament of Hearts.


2020 Nova Scotia Scotties Tournament of Hearts, Round Robin Results
All draw times are listed in Atlantic Standard Time (UTC-04:00).


2020 Nova Scotia attacks
The 2020 Nova Scotia attacks was a thirteen-hour rampage in April 2020 in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia. On April 18–19, Gabriel Wortman committed multiple shootings and set fires at 16 locations in Nova Scotia, killing 22 people and injuring three others before he was shot and killed by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) in Enfield.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks
For part of the thirteen-hour crime spree, Wortman impersonated a police officer by driving a replica police car and wearing a police uniform. On December 4, three people, including Wortman's spouse, were charged with supplying him with ammunition later used in the attacks.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks
Police were criticised for not using Alert Ready to warn the public about the attacks, as well as not responding to reports of Wortman's behaviour and previous acts of domestic violence. An investigation into law enforcement's response to the rampage, including the decision not to use Alert Ready, is underway. A public inquiry into the law enforcement response was declared on July 28 following escalating criticism of the investigation's lack of transparency.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks
The attacks are the deadliest rampage in Canadian history, exceeding the 1989 École Polytechnique massacre in Montreal, where fourteen women were killed. On May 1, in the wake of the attacks, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, following through on a 2019 campaign promise, announced an immediate ban on some 1,500 makes and models of "military-grade assault-style" weapons, including the types used in the attacks.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Events, April 18, Portapique attacks
The attacks originated as a case of domestic violence between Wortman and his common-law spouse in the rural beachside community of Portapique, 130 kilometres (81 mi) north of Halifax. At the time, they were celebrating their anniversary. The couple returned home after arguing at a nearby party shortly before 22:00, whereupon Wortman attacked his spouse, handcuffing her. According to a statement provided by the spouse, Wortman attacked her while she was in bed, fired shots in her direction, and forced her into an unregistered replica police vehicle that he owned, locking her inside of it.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Events, April 18, Portapique attacks
He then set his house on fire while she was still present. After loading guns and ammunition into the replica police vehicle, Wortman returned to the party and opened fire, killing seven people. Meanwhile, the spouse was able to escape from her bonds, after which she fled into the woods to hide.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Events, April 18, Portapique attacks
Beginning at 22:01, a number of Portapique residents called 9-1-1 to report gunshots and several fires. Investigative reporting by CBC News' The Fifth Estate, examining the timeline of the events, found that the first call came from the wife of a victim. The woman was then shot and killed as well while barricading a bedroom door and protecting her two sons. Wortman then attempted to set the house on fire, but the two sons escaped from the home.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Events, April 18, Portapique attacks
A third son of the victims said he believes Wortman targeted his father first during the attacks because he owned rifles and would have been able to stop him. At about 22:05, Wortman reportedly returned to his burning house; there, he killed a woman living across the street from him, who had mistaken him for an RCMP officer responding to the fire. The woman's children took in the two sons of the first victims, and together, they hid for several hours.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Events, April 18, Portapique attacks
At 22:10, two of Wortman's neighbours drove over to his house to investigate the fire while calling 9-1-1. Along the way, they passed by the house of a couple Wortman had shot and killed, where they noticed what appeared to be a police car parked in front with its roof lights off. After confirming Wortman's house was on fire, the two drove back and encountered the same police car, fleeing the scene of another house fire. They pulled up alongside the police car, only for the driver, Wortman, to fire at them with a handgun, injuring the driver in the shoulder. The two managed to flee in their vehicle.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Events, April 18, Initial police response
When the first three RCMP officers arrived on the scene at 22:26, they discovered thirteen victims who had been shot and killed both inside and outside of eight homes on Orchard Beach Drive and Portapique Beach Road, three of which were burning. Police said many had died while trying to escape the flames or to help other victims. Some of the victims were not discovered until many hours later. One officer reported by radio that they could not locate the shooter and that "it's very bad, what's going on down here". The Fifth Estate reported that the first responding officers were "overwhelmed" and called for assistance.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Events, April 18, Initial police response
First responders also found the neighbours that Wortman shot at; they said he had gone toward the beach, which was a dead end. They also informed the officers that Wortman was impersonating an officer and had a replica police vehicle. Police officially identified Wortman as a suspect, but with his property on fire and the understanding that there was only one exit from the community, they believed he was either on foot or already dead by suicide and could not be far away.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Events, April 18, Initial police response
At 23:32, the RCMP posted a tweet saying it was dealing with a "firearms complaint"; it asked residents of the Portapique area to stay inside with their doors locked, as officers set up a search perimeter of 2 kilometres (1.2 mi). Overnight, there was still confusion over whether Wortman had been apprehended and if he was the driver of the apparent police car. At the time, the RCMP was unable to use a helicopter to assist in the manhunt because their only Atlantic-based helicopter was unavailable due to routine maintenance.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Events, April 18, Initial police response
The RCMP later determined that Wortman had left Portapique at around 22:45, 19 minutes after police first responded, by driving through a dirt road along a blueberry field, which officers did not know about and therefore did not block off. After escaping, he spent the night parked behind a welding shop in the Debert area, about 26 kilometres (16 mi) east of Portapique. There, he left behind police equipment and gun-related items in a ditch on the property of a resident he knew. At some point after, the RCMP's Emergency Response Team responded to Portapique. Before then, residents reported seeing little to no law enforcement presence in the area, despite seeing fires and making 9-1-1 calls to report gunshots.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Events, April 19, Wentworth Valley attacks
By 01:00, the RCMP had circulated internal bulletins to police agencies across Nova Scotia, identifying Wortman as a suspect who was "armed and dangerous" and associated with "an old white police car". At 05:43, Wortman left Debert and drove north on Highway 4 to a house whose residents he knew, located on Hunter Road in Wentworth, approximately 37 kilometres (23 mi) north of Portapique. He arrived at around 06:30 and shortly thereafter killed the two occupants and their two dogs. Wortman then remained at the house for about three hours; what he did during that time was unclear.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Events, April 19, Wentworth Valley attacks
At around that time, police located Wortman's spouse in Portapique; she had fled to a neighbour's home to call 9-1-1 since Wortman had smashed her cellphone. She confirmed that he was impersonating a police officer and provided a photo of his replica police vehicle. A BOLO alert containing this updated information was issued to officers across the province at around 08:00, warning Wortman "could be anywhere" in Nova Scotia. However, the RCMP publicly announced that they were dealing with an active shooter situation in Portapique at 08:02. Wortman was publicly identified as the suspect at 08:54.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Events, April 19, Wentworth Valley attacks
Wortman eventually set the house he was staying in on fire. As he left, he killed a neighbour who had been out for a walk when he saw the fire and tried to help. Wortman then began driving back south on Highway 4 toward Portapique at 09:23, and at 09:35, he shot and killed another victim while she was walking on the side of the road in Wentworth Valley. At around 09:45, he went to another house in Glenholme whose residents he knew, while armed and dressed in a police uniform.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Events, April 19, Wentworth Valley attacks
However, the occupants recognised him and refused to let him in. Wortman attempted to trick them into thinking he was an officer involved in the manhunt by calling out his own name and shouting "Come out with your hands up", but the occupants called the police and he left. By 09:48, Wortman was seen near a campground in Glenholme.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Events, April 19, Debert and Shubenacadie attacks
Before 10:00, in Debert, Wortman performed two traffic stops on random cars, a few hundred meters apart, and killed their occupants. He was seen at 10:08 travelling through Debert and Onslow. In a tweet posted at 10:17, the RCMP first warned the public that Wortman was impersonating a police officer and shared the photo of his vehicle. Wortman was captured on surveillance video passing through Truro at around 10:20, and then Millbrook First Nation at 10:25, where he briefly stopped in a parking lot to exchange his jacket for a reflective vest.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Events, April 19, Debert and Shubenacadie attacks
Sometime before 10:49, Wortman pulled alongside RCMP Constable Chad Morrison's cruiser at the intersection of Route 2 and Route 224 in Shubenacadie, about 50 kilometres (31 mi) from Debert. Morrison had planned to meet fellow officer Heidi Stevenson at that location. Wortman shot into the car with a handgun, injuring Morrison, who fled down Route 2 and took shelter at an empty paramedic station. He was eventually found by paramedics and was transported to hospital. Wortman proceeded less than 500 metres (0.31 mi) south into the junction with Route 224 and collided head-on with Stevenson, who was driving north. Stevenson then engaged Wortman, resulting in him returning fire and killing her. Immediately after the engagement, he stole her sidearm and remaining ammunition before setting both cars on fire.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Events, April 19, Debert and Shubenacadie attacks
Wortman then shot and killed a nearby motorist who had stopped to help Stevenson and drove off in the victim's silver Chevrolet Tracker SUV. Police announced the vehicle change at 11:06. Shortly thereafter, Wortman killed a woman he knew at her Shubenacadie home, changed his clothes again, and stole her Mazda 3. By 11:24, he was spotted continuing south along Highway 102 through Milford.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Events, April 19, Wortman's death
Over thirteen hours after police began pursuing him, at 11:26, Wortman stopped to refuel at the Irving Big Stop service area in Enfield, 92 kilometres (57 mi) south of Portapique and 40 kilometres (25 mi) north of Halifax. At the time, two RCMP officers were already there to fill up on gas, having been parked next to his vehicle and unaware he had switched vehicles again. One of them spotted Wortman, who had a noticeable, bloody wound on his forehead. When the officer recognised him and alerted his partner, Wortman raised Stevenson's sidearm, whereupon the officers fatally shot him.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Events, April 19, Wortman's death
Wortman's death was confirmed by police at 11:40 a.m. According to a partially redacted document, Wortman's spouse said he had been on his way to Halifax on the day of the attacks to "get" someone, and local authorities had to go to a residence to provide protection for its two occupants.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Victims
Wortman killed 22 people, including Constable Heidi Stevenson. The other officer he shot, Constable Chad Morrison, survived, as did the man he shot in Portapique who first reported his possible use of a police car. He tied up and injured his spouse before she escaped at the start of the rampage. Thirteen of the dead were found in Portapique, four in Wentworth, two in Debert, and three in Shubenacadie. They are believed to have died from gunshot wounds. Eight of the victims were found in the remains of structure fires. Wortman also killed two dogs and injured two others.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Victims
According to RCMP Commissioner Brenda Lucki, some of Wortman's first victims were closely connected to him, but over time, those he attacked were selected more at random. The Globe and Mail reported that one of the victims in Wentworth had previously gone hunting with Wortman, while CBC News reported that another victim owned the property in Portapique that was subject to a dispute between Wortman and his uncle.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Perpetrator
The RCMP identified the perpetrator as 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman, a denturist who operated two clinics in Halifax and Dartmouth, and who owned real estate in Halifax, Dartmouth, and Portapique. His estate, which consisted of six properties and three corporations, was valued at CA$2.1 million. Wortman had been normally living above his Dartmouth clinic, but he owned a cottage in Portapique since 2004. He had a close friendship and business association with a former Fredericton lawyer who died in November 2009 and left him all of his possessions, including one of the rifles used in the attacks.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Perpetrator
After the attacks, the decorative signs on Wortman's denture clinic on Portland Street in Dartmouth, portraying a large smile and a set of dentures, were the subject of complaints from the public. In response, Halifax Regional Police removed the signs on April 22.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Perpetrator, Past charges and litigation
Wortman had previously pleaded guilty to assault in 2002 and was sentenced to nine months of probation, in which he was prohibited from possessing weapons and ordered to undergo anger management counseling.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Perpetrator, Past charges and litigation
Wortman was also involved in two civil lawsuits regarding property disputes, according to interviews and public records. In 2004, he offered to help a friend who had financial difficulties and was about to lose his house, then discreetly took ownership of the house, evicted the man, and sold the property. In 2015, Wortman's uncle lent him a house that he purchased in Portapique while selling his Edmonton condominium. Wortman refused to release the property back to him, claiming he was owed money, until the uncle eventually sold it; one of the buyers later became a victim in the killings.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Perpetrator, Personality and police memorabilia hobbies
Witnesses described Wortman as paranoid, manipulative, and controlling. According to Wortman's uncle, Wortman and his mother were abused by his father, a chronic petty thief who liked to manipulate the system to avoid paying money, and that Wortman may have learned those habits from him. A cousin described Wortman as "almost a career criminal" who did "a lot of stuff but never got caught." A neighbour said Wortman was obsessed with his spouse and tended to be "jealous about things with her". Residents were suspicious that Wortman was stockpiling gasoline and propane tanks, and they reported hearing him brag about having lime and muriatic acid to dispose of bodies.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Perpetrator, Personality and police memorabilia hobbies
Neighbours also said that Wortman struggled with alcohol use and his business was negatively affected by the COVID-19 pandemic, which forced all non-essential denturist services in Nova Scotia to close. According to his spouse, Wortman, who took her across Nova Scotia in the hours before the attacks, had been "consumed" by the pandemic for weeks and believed he was going to die. He was also fearful that Prime Minister Justin Trudeau would begin controlling money, which prompted him to make hefty bank withdrawals. Additionally, Wortman talked to an acquaintance via email about how other people were not prepared for it and how he was "well-armed" in advance.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Perpetrator, Personality and police memorabilia hobbies
According to his yearbook, Wortman aspired to become a police officer. However, his partner informed police after the attacks that Wortman disliked law enforcement and "thought he was better than them". He had a hobby of buying law enforcement memorabilia and refurbishing old police cruisers. At the time of the attacks, he was in possession of four such cruisers. Police found two of them on fire at his Portapique property and a third at his Halifax property, while Wortman initially drove the fourth during the attacks. One person called Wortman's home a "shrine" for the RCMP. He stored two of the vehicles behind his denture clinic.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Perpetrator, Personality and police memorabilia hobbies
According to a businessman in Dieppe, Wortman inquired about buying a decommissioned RCMP cruiser from him in 2017 or 2018, claiming to be a retired officer who wanted to park the vehicle outside his house to deter thieves. For price reasons, he did not buy it. A witness claimed Wortman tended to dress up in a police uniform and role-play.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Perpetrator, Earlier warnings to police
On at least four occasions, police were alerted to the gunman’s behavior. In 2001, he reportedly assaulted a 15-year-old boy.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Perpetrator, Earlier warnings to police
In June 2010, Wortman was investigated by Halifax Regional Police for threatening his parents, but no official action was taken due to a lack of evidence. In May 2011, Truro Police received a tip from an unnamed source via email about Wortman's stash of guns and his desire to "kill a cop". The tipster warned about Wortman's recent stress and mental health issues, and said he always kept a handgun close by. The tip was transferred to the Nova Scotia RCMP for jurisdictional reasons, but it is unclear what action was taken by them. The tip was ultimately purged from their records, as is standard protocol according to an RCMP spokesperson.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Perpetrator, Earlier warnings to police
A former neighbour in Portapique said he reported Wortman to the RCMP in the summer of 2013 for assaulting his spouse and having a cache of illegal firearms, but they declined to take firmer action due to not receiving a complaint from the partner. The former neighbour ended up leaving Portapique after Wortman became more aggressive and threatening to his spouse in response to the complaint. The RCMP confirmed they had received the neighbour's complaint, but that the file had since been purged from their records.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Criminal
No motive has been established for the attacks, and they are not considered an act of terrorism. Over 25 different units of the RCMP were involved in the criminal investigation, along with the Halifax Regional Police and the Canada Border Services Agency. The Canadian Armed Forces were also dispatched on April 21 to assist the RCMP in their investigation by providing them with additional personnel and supplies. There were a total of 16 crime scenes, including five structure fires, spread over a distance of at least 50 kilometres (31 mi), along with 500 identified witnesses.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Criminal
The man from whom Wortman had previously considered buying a police car said that he was warned by police during the incident that he was considered a possible target. However, Wortman ultimately never attacked him during the rampage.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Criminal
The Nova Scotia RCMP Major Crime Unit launched a tip hotline to gather further information about the attacks.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Criminal
On May 11, the RCMP's Behavioral Analysis Unit launched a "psychological autopsy" on Wortman, which involved extensive interrogations with his friends, family members, and colleagues. It found that he was an "injustice collector", a criminology term for those who keep track of perceived slights and petty grievances that occur over many years.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Criminal, Acquisition of firearms and ammunition
Chief Superintendent Chris Leather said that Wortman had no possession and acquisition licence and his weapons were illegally purchased, a matter that is being investigated further. Superintendent Darren Campbell said five firearms were recovered from the stolen vehicle Wortman was driving in Enfield. Four of them belonged to Wortman: two semiautomatic handguns and two semiautomatic rifles, one of which was described as a "military-style assault rifle". The fifth was Stevenson's stolen service pistol, a 9mm Smith & Wesson. Police also said that while one of Wortman's firearms had originated in Canada, via the estate of a former associate who died in 2009, all of the others likely came from the United States.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Criminal, Acquisition of firearms and ammunition
On November 20, the National Post acquired a briefing note sent to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau days after the shooting, which identified the four firearms owned by Wortman and used by him in the attacks. According to the note, the rifles were a Colt Law Enforcement Carbine and a Ruger Mini-14, both of which were among the firearm models and variants banned by the Canadian government in the wake of the attacks. The pistols were a .40-caliber Glock 23 and a 9mm Ruger P89. Further information on the firearms and ammunition was released by court orders in December.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Criminal, Acquisition of firearms and ammunition
The Mini-14 was the firearm Wortman acquired from his former associate's estate, having been imported into Canada and legally purchased in a Winnipeg gun store beforehand. A Canadian gun policy expert said that, while a possession and acquisition licence was required for someone to legally possess a Mini-14, the executor of an estate is allowed to temporarily own the estate's firearms. Conversely, the Colt was sourced to a gun store in California and the pistols to a gun store in Mattawamkeag, Maine.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Criminal, Acquisition of firearms and ammunition
Wortman was said to have had acquaintances living in Maine; one confirmed to police that Wortman stole the Glock 23 from him and later said it was for his own protection, while another confirmed he loaned the Ruger P89 to Wortman "sometime within the last two to five years." An acquaintance also told police that the Colt was obtained at a gun show in the U.S. by an individual who gave it to a friend of Wortman's, who then gave it to Wortman himself.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Criminal, Acquisition of firearms and ammunition
The Colt and both pistols were previously classified as restricted in Canada, meaning Wortman would have needed to complete a more detailed safety course and background check in order to legally own them. However, these firearms were illegally smuggled into the country. In addition, the briefing note said Wortman was in possession of high-capacity magazines, which are illegal in Canada. The pistols were also equipped with laser sights.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Criminal, Acquisition of police paraphernalia
Leather noted that Wortman's use of a police cruiser and a police uniform allowed him to evade detection for a long time. Owning police vehicles or uniforms is not a crime in Canada, but impersonating a police officer is. CBC News reported that at least one RCMP officer had previously taken note of one of Wortman's replica vehicles and advised him not to drive it on the road. Officials later said Wortman had acquired the specific vehicle he used in the attacks, a 2017 Ford Taurus, at an auction in fall 2019.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Criminal, Acquisition of police paraphernalia
It was recolored white and stripped of its police accessories at the time of its purchase, a routine process for any recently decommissioned RCMP vehicle. Police confirmed Wortman had estranged relatives who were retired RCMP officers, but he had not obtained any police uniforms from them. The RCMP looked into the navigation logs of Wortman's vehicles to determine if the route he took during the attacks was predetermined.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Criminal, Acquisition of police paraphernalia
Wortman is believed to have worked on refurbishing the decommissioned police vehicle used in the attacks over the course of nine months. The RCMP determined the decals used for the vehicle came from a supplier, but that they were made without the business owner's permission. The Financial Transactions and Reports Analysis Centre of Canada, a Canadian money-laundering watchdog agency, found that Wortman purchased police-themed vehicle accessories via PayPal, and that PayPal flagged a number of these transactions as suspicious between March 22 and December 5, 2019. Wortman's spouse said that he purchased police gear in both Canada and the U.S. According to records from the Canada Border Services Agency, Wortman crossed the Canada–United States border through Woodstock, New Brunswick, fifteen times within the past two years, with his most recent return to Canada being on March 6.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Criminal, Uncorroborated allegations
In the weeks before the attacks, Wortman liquidated his bank accounts and withdrew a large sum of money in cash. News magazine Maclean's reported that a C$475,000 withdrawal from Brink's and other evidence pointed to Wortman having ties to organised crime and being a confidential informant for the RCMP. In response to the allegations, the RCMP denied having any prior association with Wortman, saying his recent behaviour and stockpiling activities were driven by paranoia about the COVID-19 pandemic possibly growing out of control and leading to a widespread institutional and infrastructural collapse. They also said they found a fireproof safe containing hundreds of thousands of dollars at his Portapique property. A total of C$705,000 was seized from the remains of Wortman's cottage after the attacks. A financial audit has been conducted as part of the investigation.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Criminal, Uncorroborated allegations
On July 27, court documents were unsealed, detailing police interviews with witnesses who claimed Wortman was a drug smuggler who provided people in Portapique and nearby Economy with drugs from Maine. These witnesses alleged Wortman had stockpiles of guns and drugs, along with false walls and hidden compartments, in his properties. The RCMP confirmed three days later that Wortman had kept hidden compartments in buildings, but they were unable to corroborate the drug smuggling claims.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Criminal, Uncorroborated allegations
Another witness claimed Wortman had two crates of grenades acquired in the U.S.; a lawyer representing the victims' families reported that one of his clients found, at a crime scene in Portapique, wooden ammunition cases that could have been used to store grenades. Additional witnesses told police that Wortman and an associate tended to travel to the U.S. and smuggle cigarettes, alcohol, and presumably other illegal items from there, using a sailboat the associate owned.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Criminal, Related arrests and prosecutions
On December 4, Wortman's spouse, her older brother, and a brother-in-law were charged with providing Wortman ammunition that he used in the attacks. The spouse was believed to have transferred .223 Remington and .40 Smith & Wesson cartridges, all of them purchased in Nova Scotia, between March 17 and April 18, 2020. However, the RCMP acknowledged that the three cooperated in the investigation and had "no prior knowledge" of Wortman's actions. Their arraignment was scheduled for January 27, 2021. On that day, the cases were adjourned until March 9, 2021.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Police response
Nova Scotia's Serious Incident Response Team (SIRT) announced it would conduct an investigation into the police shooting of Wortman, as well as another incident involving two RCMP officers who discharged their weapons inside a fire hall in Onslow; Wortman was not there at the time. On December 17, SIRT finished their review of Wortman's death and concluded the officers' actions were justified. A Global News investigation of the Onslow incident found indications that the officers involved mistook a third RCMP officer and an Emergency Management Office employee stationed at the fire hall for Wortman, but the SIRT investigation remains ongoing.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Police response
In an interview with As It Happens on April 25, Commissioner Lucki promised a thorough review of the police response to the attacks, including the delay in informing the public about Wortman potentially impersonating a police officer.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Lack of emergency alert
Following the attacks, many questions were raised about why Nova Scotia failed to use Alert Ready, Canada's mandatory emergency population warning system, to warn the public about the attacks but instead chose to use social media platforms Twitter and Facebook to provide updates, RCMP officials said they had been dealing with an unfolding situation and details were being updated frequently. However, the areas affected had poor cellular Internet service and were mostly populated by seniors who might not have used social media. Relatives of the victims pointed out that the use of Alert Ready could have saved lives. Chief Superintendent Leather said an investigation would be conducted into the decision-making process on alerting the public.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Lack of emergency alert
On April 22, Leather said officers in Dartmouth were asked by the province about a warning at 10:15 a.m., but they did not agree on details like wording before Wortman died 71 minutes later. The United States Consulate in Halifax said it emailed American citizens in Nova Scotia warning them of the situation using the RCMP's information.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Public inquiry
On July 28, 2020, federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair, announced a public inquiry. The federal and provincial governments had previously considered a more narrow "joint review," but, following public outcry and protests held by victims' families, they agreed to hold a more expansive public inquiry.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Public inquiry
Formally titled the Joint Federal/Provincial Commission into the April 2020 Nova Scotia Mass Casualty (or the Mass Casualty Commission), it was officially established on October 21 via an Order in Council issued by the Government of Canada and Province of Nova Scotia. The federal and provincial governments jointly selected three commissioners to conduct the inquiry: J. Michael MacDonald (former Chief Justice of Nova Scotia), Leanne J. Fitch (retired Police Chief), and Dr. Kim Stanton.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Investigations, Public inquiry
The inquiry, which includes mandates on probing the RCMP response and the role gender-based violence played, is expected to deliver an interim report by May 1, 2022, followed by a final report six months later.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Aftermath, Political reactions
Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau expressed his condolences. During his morning address from Rideau Cottage on April 20, he reaffirmed his commitment to strengthening gun control. He asked the media to not use the attacker's name or image: "Do not give this person the gift of infamy."


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Aftermath, Political reactions
Nova Scotia Premier Stephen McNeil told reporters, "This is one of the most senseless acts of violence in our province's history." He expressed his condolences to the residents affected and the families of the victims.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Aftermath, Political reactions
Elizabeth II, Queen of Canada, expressed her condolences, saying that she and Prince Philip were "saddened by the appalling events", and that her thoughts and prayers were with the people of Nova Scotia and all Canadians. She also paid tribute to the "bravery and sacrifice" of the RCMP and other emergency services.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Aftermath, Political reactions
The White House condemned the attacks and expressed US President Donald Trump and First Lady Melania Trump's condolences. Condolences for the victims were issued by other countries as well.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Aftermath, Political reactions
Since the attacks, the lack of transparency in the investigation has been strongly criticised, and calls have been made for a public inquiry into the police response, including by dozens of senators from Nova Scotia and across the country. On June 3, Nova Scotia Justice Minister Mark Furey announced a public inquiry of some kind will be held in the near future, but a month later, he said the proceedings into the inquiry's formation were being hampered by legal technicalities. On July 28, federal Public Safety Minister Bill Blair announced that a public inquiry would take place.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Aftermath, Gun laws
On May 1, Trudeau announced that the sale, transportation, importation, or use of "assault-style" firearms in Canada was now banned effective immediately. Via Order in Council, the government re-classified them as "Prohibited" under the Firearms Act, with a two-year amnesty period to allow current owners to dispose, export, register, or sell them (under a buy-back scheme), and for special uses.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Aftermath, Gun laws
The prohibition applies to at least 1,500 models and variants, largely semi-automatic firearms (fully automatic and certain specifically chosen firearms were already classified as "Prohibited"), including the AR-15 and guns that had been used in other notable mass shootings in Canada, such as the Ruger Mini-14 (École Polytechnique massacre), the Beretta Cx4 Storm (Dawson College shooting), and the CSA vz. 58 (Quebec City mosque shooting).


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Aftermath, Gun laws
The intended long-term effects of the ban were questioned by experts, who pointed out it would have had no effect on Wortman's illegal acquisition of his firearms. They also highlighted the ban's inability to address international firearms trafficking or other types of firearms used in criminal activity, like handguns and other semiautomatic rifles such as the SKS. Five separate court challenges were raised in response to the ban, claiming the Canadian government contravened the Firearms Act and unfairly targeted legal gun owners.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Aftermath, Gun laws
On May 3, Public Safety Minister Bill Blair announced plans to expand Canada's red flag law to include family members and others.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Aftermath, Criticism of the RCMP response
The families of the victims, as well as the residents of Portapique, strongly condemned the RCMP's response to the attacks, as well as their transparency in the criminal investigation. CBC News' television program The Fifth Estate and online newspaper Halifax Examiner analyzed the timeline of events, and both observed a myriad of failures and shortcomings in the RCMP response. A criminologist criticised the RCMP's response as "a mess" and called for an overhaul in how the agency responds to active shooter situations, citing its failure to properly respond to other such incidents in the past.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Aftermath, Memorials and fundraisers
Flags across Canada were lowered to half-mast, and the House of Commons observed a moment of silence for the victims.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Aftermath, Memorials and fundraisers
On April 20, the CN Tower was illuminated in blue and white, the colours of the Nova Scotia flag, and also in RCMP red, blue, and gold in honour of Stevenson, on the quarter- and half-hours. On April 21, at Niagara Falls, both the Canadian Horseshoe Falls and the American Falls were also illuminated in blue and white as a symbol of bi-national solidarity with Nova Scotia.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Aftermath, Memorials and fundraisers
In the days after the incident, many fundraisers for the victims and their families were started on the crowdfunding platform GoFundMe. There was also at least one fake or fraudulent fundraiser started, which was subsequently removed. Jeff Thomson of the RCMP's Anti- Fraud Centre warned Canadians to be diligent when donating to charities related to the tragedy.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Aftermath, Memorials and fundraisers
As large gatherings were restricted in the province due to the COVID-19 pandemic, a public virtual vigil was streamed online via Facebook, and broadcast by CBC Television in the Atlantic provinces.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Aftermath, Memorials and fundraisers
A permanent memorial to the victims was set up at a former church in Portapique, after an earlier makeshift memorial was dismantled by residents.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Aftermath, Misogyny and domestic violence
Following RCMP confirmation that the attacks were preceded by an act of domestic violence, women's rights advocates said the rampage highlighted a broader problem of domestic violence in Canada, as well as its potential as a warning sign for future violent behaviour and public threats. Activists criticised law enforcement's inability to respond to earlier domestic violence reports against Wortman, and called upon attention to be placed on the role of misogyny in the attacks. These activists also expressed concern about the criminalization of Wortman's victimized spouse, who suffered extreme domestic violence.


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Aftermath, Misogyny and domestic violence
Citing eyewitness reports of Wortman's behaviour and ways of controlling his partner, domestic violence experts called for the passage of a coercive control law in Canada, similar to one that had been passed by the United Kingdom in 2015, which they say may "help prevent other abusers from escaping detection".


2020 Nova Scotia attacks, Aftermath, Lawsuits
Relatives of the victims filed a lawsuit against Wortman's estate for damages caused by the rampage. Another lawsuit was filed by victims' families against the RCMP and Nova Scotia, citing the former's "disrespectful manner" to victims and their families and its handling of the attacks, both during and after the event. In June, Wortman's partner renounced her status as his executor and eventually filed her own lawsuit against his estate on August 13. In February 2021, the lawsuit filed by the victims' families added the names of Wortman's partner, her brother, and her brother-in-law.


2020 Nova Scotia municipal elections
Municipal elections were held in the Canadian province of Nova Scotia on October 17, 2020. Here is a summary of the mayoral results in the largest municipalities in the province and the council results for Cape Breton and Kings County (for Halifax, see 2020 Halifax municipal election). Elections were also held for the Conseil scolaire acadien provincial school board.


2020 Nova Scotia municipal elections, Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Mayor
Challenging incumbent mayor Cecil Clarke are District 8 councillor Amanda McDougall, businessman Kevin MacEachern, 1990 Sydney mayoral candidate Chris Abbass, former Sydney Steel president John Strasser, and Archie MacKinnon who ran as an Independent candidate in the 2019 Canadian federal election in Sydney—Victoria.


2020 Nova Scotia municipal elections, Cumberland County
Cumberland County will be directly electing a mayor for the first time in 2020.