Update to Court Operations at Devonshire Courthouse
Following flooding and water damage, remediation work at the Devonshire courthouse (3380 Devonshire Ave., Halifax) has continued. In-person matters have recommenced, and the Court Administration Office is now operational at its usual location on the lower level. Mail collection/drop-off remains on the main floor, as does the front counter for the Family Law Information Program (FLIP). Further updates will be provided.

Holiday Notice
Courthouses across the province will be closed on Wednesday, September 30 (National Day for Truth and Reconciliation), reopening on Thursday, October 1.

Webcast of Hearing in the Court of Appeal – Nathan Tremain Johnson v. His Majesty the King

A graphic with the words "Nova Scotia Court of Appeal. Upcoming Webcast. CAC-446850 - His Majesty the King v. Nathan Tremain Johnson. Date: 1 October, 2026. Time: 10:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. Courts.ns.ca/operations/webcasts."

Members of the media and the public are advised that the following proceeding before the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal will be livestreamed on the Courts of Nova Scotia website on Thursday, October 1, 2026:

CAC-446850 – His Majesty the King v. Nathan Tremain Johnson

Nathan Tremain Johnson was found guilty by a jury of first-degree murder in December 2015 in the death of Chad Smith. Mr. Johnson’s appeal was dismissed in June 2017. He applied for Leave to Appeal to the Supreme Court of Canada; Leave to Appeal was dismissed in December 2022.

Mr. Johnson’s co-accused, Randy Riley, was found guilty by a jury of second-degree murder in April 2018; his appeal was dismissed in December 2019. Mr. Riley appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada, which ordered a new trial. A jury found him not guilty in October 2023. 

During Mr. Riley’s second trial, key witnesses who also testified in Mr. Johnson’s trial, recanted their inculpatory evidence against Mr. Riley. Mr. Johnson subsequently made a motion to the Supreme Court of Canada for reconsideration of its original decision to dismiss his Leave application based on this revised testimony. In November 2025, the Supreme Court of Canada granted the reconsideration motion and remanded the case to the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal for further consideration of any potential fresh evidence.

Mr. Johnson seeks either an acquittal or a retrial and has filed fresh evidence in support of the reconsideration motion.

 This hearing is scheduled for one day, starting at 10 a.m. on Thursday, October 1, 2026. It will be heard by a three-member panel comprised of Chief Justice Michael J. Wood, Justice David P.S. Farrar, and Justice Carole A. Beaton.

The public can watch the livestream on the Courts of Nova Scotia website here.

As per the Nova Scotia Courts’ copyright policy, webcasts of court proceedings may not be broadcast or re-broadcast by embedding them in another website or by any other means. However, portions of the webcasts (audio and video) may be re-broadcast as part of conventional news coverage. Hyperlinks to the live webcast page and the page of archived videos on the Courts of Nova Scotia website are permitted.