The Dark Between Tides

The Dark Between Tides

A familiar shore. An unsettling story. Join Mara and Julian for gripping true crime from Nova Scotia and the Maritime provinces, alongside the eerie legends that cling to this coast. Mara guides the story; Julian brings the questions, surprising connections, and occasional wit. Together they follow the clues, untangle the court cases, and remember the people whose lives matter beyond the headlines. From historic piracy to modern investigations, every episode takes the story one turn at a time. Contact: ted.lownie@dal.ca

Episodes

  1. Oct 18

    Cassidy Bernard: The Silence That Stopped the Causeway

    A mother cannot reach her daughter. Days later, Cassidy Bernard is found dead at home in Cape Breton, her infant twins alive beside her. Her family’s demand for answers reaches the Canso Causeway—and the investigation eventually leads into a criminal organization that does not exist. Mara follows the evidence, the six-month undercover operation and the manslaughter conviction, then unpacks the eighteen-year sentence and the lives continuing in Cassidy’s absence. Dated national statistics and Nova Scotia’s recognition of intimate partner violence as an epidemic place the case in a wider context. Episode 10 of The Dark Between Tides. One female host. Non-graphic storytelling. Content note: intimate partner violence, homicide and infant abandonment. Research cutoff: October 11, 2026. Sources: R. v. Isadore, 2022 NSSC 209 — sentencing reasons and agreed facts: https://decisions.courts.ns.ca/nsc/nssc/en/item/521166/index.do APTN News — community protest, November 2018: https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/red-dress-protest-for-cassidy-bernard-of-wekoqmaq-first-nation-closes-causeway-to-cape-cape-breton/ APTN News — family and community, October 2019: https://www.aptnnews.ca/national-news/i-miss-her-everyday-family-community-still-waiting-for-information-on-who-killed-cassidy-bernard/ R. v. Hart, 2014 SCC 52 — separate legal context: https://scc-csc.lexum.com/scc-csc/scc-csc/en/item/14301/index.do Statistics Canada — Indigenous women’s experiences of intimate partner violence, 2018 survey: https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2021001/article/00007-eng.htm Nova Scotia Intimate Partner Violence Epidemic Act, 2024: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/intimate%20partner%20violence%20epidemic.pdf Public Safety Canada — Review of Police Practices in Relation to Indigenous Peoples: https://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/cnt/rsrcs/pblctns/rvw-plc-prctcs-stf/rvw-plc-prctcs-stf-en.pdf Narration: Mara, a licensed stock synthetic voice. Contact and corrections: ted.lownie@dal.ca Chapters 00:00 When the road stopped 01:10 Cassidy, her family, and Cape Breton 02:51 The messages stop 05:21 What he first told police 07:22 A public demand for an answer 09:21 The organization that wasn’t there 12:01 The account changes 14:23 Eighteen years, and the number behind the headline 17:09 What a sentence cannot finish 19:03 The pattern, without losing the person 21:06 The crossing, and the life behind the name

  2. Oct 4

    Desmond: A Warning in Separate Files

    Aaliyah Desmond arranges a ride to tutoring. That ordinary plan brings the stakes of this story home. Mara and Julian remember Shanna, Brenda, and Aaliyah, then follow medical history, family concerns, and firearms records that different people held apart. The inquiry’s findings reveal why a careful assessment can still depend on information somewhere else—and what must change at the next handoff. Content note: Family homicide, death of a child, intimate partner violence, suicide and mental-health history; non-graphic. Chapters00:00 A plan for six o'clock01:21 Three people, beyond a headline02:41 Coming home with a fragmented record05:16 Information that was harder to hear07:16 The overnight visit09:17 A concern crosses a provincial border12:17 The evening that never arrived13:15 Twenty does not mean a percentage16:02 Changing the handoffs19:28 What the province says it has done22:09 Read the files together Sourceshttps://www.courts.ns.ca/sites/default/files/courts/Provincial%20Court/Desmond_Fatality_Inquiry_Final_Report_Jan_31_%202024_WEB.pdfhttps://nsgovresponse.ca/desmondinquiryhttps://news.novascotia.ca/en/2026/01/26/government-launches-new-website-response-public-inquiry-reportshttps://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/85-002-x/2026001/article/00011-eng.htmhttps://masscasualtycommission.ca/files/documents/Turning-the-Tide-Together-Volume-2-What-Happened.pdfhttps://masscasualtycommission.ca/files/documents/Turning-the-Tide-Together-Volume-3-Violence.pdf Contact: ted.lownie@dal.ca

  3. Oct 4

    Halifax, Valentine's Day: The Plot That Was Stopped

    A one-way flight to Halifax and an anonymous warning move toward the same deadline: Valentine’s Day 2015. Mara and Julian follow the online conspiracy, the response in Timberlea, and arrests at the airport that interrupt a planned attack on the Halifax Shopping Centre. Sometimes the most consequential person in a crime story is the one who decides to make a call. Content note: Mass-murder conspiracy, extremist beliefs, suicide and criminal proceedings; non-graphic. Chapters00:00 A ticket to Halifax01:14 The catastrophe that did not happen03:21 Seven and a half weeks06:59 Knowing was not the end of his involvement09:20 Someone makes the call12:43 The separate oversight investigation15:06 Arrival becomes evidence17:20 The same offence, different roles19:27 A difficult comparison20:58 The person who interrupted the story Sourceshttps://decisions.courts.ns.ca/nsc/nssc/en/item/308989/index.dohttps://decisions.courts.ns.ca/nsc/nsca/en/item/406818/index.dohttps://decisions.courts.ns.ca/nsc/nssc/en/item/212753/index.dohttps://sirtnsnb.ca/wp-content/uploads/2025/05/2015-003_Summary_of_Investigation.pdfhttps://masscasualtycommission.ca/files/documents/Turning-the-Tide-Together-Volume-2-What-Happened.pdfhttps://www.parlament.gv.at/dokument/XXVII/J/19388/fnameorig_1649004.html Contact: ted.lownie@dal.ca

  4. Oct 4

    Loretta Saunders: The Journey Without Her

    Loretta Saunders goes to collect rent. Days later, her car and possessions turn up in Ontario without her. Mara and Julian follow the route back toward the Maritimes, the guilty pleas, and thirty-five pages found during a jail-cell search. They remember the Inuk student close to graduation, explore the questions she cared about, and explain what later temporary prison passes actually meant. Content note: Homicide, pregnancy, missing and murdered Indigenous women, grief and incarceration; non-graphic. Chapters00:00 Her car kept moving01:23 A life approaching graduation03:44 The reason to enter06:48 A car is not its owner09:35 What an admission settles12:24 Thirty-five pages behind bars14:27 The guilty plea is challenged16:47 What the national figures can tell us18:40 A life sentence and a temporary absence20:48 Bring the story back to Loretta Sourceshttps://decisions.courts.ns.ca/nsc/nssc/en/item/109437/index.dohttps://decisions.courts.ns.ca/nsc/nsca/en/item/234069/index.dohttps://decisions.courts.ns.ca/nsc/nssc/en/item/109203/index.dohttps://www.smu.ca/indigenous-community/financial-aid.htmlhttps://www.nunatsiavut.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Loretta-Saunders-Memorial-Scholarship-Application.pdfhttps://www.smu.ca/future-students/moneymatters/indigenousstudentfinancialsupports/https://www.mmiwg-ffada.ca/transcripts/https://halifax.citynews.ca/2014/02/26/loretta-saunders-disappearance-now-being-treated-as-a-homicide-police-say/https://malaysia.news.yahoo.com/woman-convicted-murder-loretta-saunders-203915021.htmlhttps://www.canada.ca/en/parole-board/services/parole/types-of-conditional-release.htmlhttps://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/260722/dq260722a-eng.htm Contact: ted.lownie@dal.ca

  5. Oct 3

    Taylor Samson: The Last Recorded Arrival

    Taylor Samson takes a short walk to a Halifax apartment. An account says he never arrived. Messages and surveillance tell a different story. Mara and Julian follow the investigation, a defence investigator’s extraordinary conduct, an overturned first conviction, and a second trial. The later conviction stands, while Taylor’s family continues living with an absence no verdict can repair. Content note: Homicide, unrecovered remains, drug transaction, grief and criminal trials; non-graphic. Chapters00:00 The arrival and the contradiction01:09 A recent trial in an older murder02:20 A short walk that became a disappearance05:26 The account that did not fit the phone08:26 What remained after the cleanup11:25 The investigator who crossed sides14:06 An admission and a rejected explanation16:26 What the later court actually decided19:10 A missing person is not a statistic in reverse20:34 The case and the continuing absence Sourceshttps://masscasualtycommission.ca/files/documents/Turning-the-Tide-Together-Volume-2-What-Happened.pdfhttps://decisions.courts.ns.ca/nsc/nsca/en/item/523765/index.dohttps://decisions.courts.ns.ca/nsc/nssc/en/item/521631/index.dohttps://decisions.courts.ns.ca/nsc/nsca/en/item/481194/index.dohttps://decisions.courts.ns.ca/nsc/nsca/en/item/523447/index.dohttps://halifax.citynews.ca/2026/04/10/nova-scotia-man-convicted-of-murder-asks-court-to-approve-return-of-personal-items/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/251202/dq251202a-eng.htm Contact: ted.lownie@dal.ca

  6. Oct 3

    Pat Stay: Five Seconds, Two Case Files

    Five seconds in a Halifax nightclub. Years of court proceedings. Mara and Julian remember Dartmouth battle rapper Pat Stay, follow the murder conviction and life sentence, and unpack the separate Tyler Keizer case whose conviction was overturned in June 2026. Two cases, different evidence, different outcomes—and a closer look at what a camera can really prove. Content note: Fatal stabbing, homicide, grief and criminal trials; non-graphic. Chapters00:00 Five seconds01:06 The name beyond Nova Scotia02:04 The person before the case number05:00 What the sentencing judge found07:38 What the footage could carry11:08 Seventeen is not the sentence13:38 A camera without an identification16:22 The finding that changed the second file18:41 Headlines, counts, and the people left behind Sourceshttps://decisions.courts.ns.ca/nsc/nssc/en/item/523358/index.dohttps://decisions.courts.ns.ca/nsc/nsca/en/item/523765/index.dohttps://pni-etear.navigahub.com/ETear/20250621/CRPRINT2025-06-214AS.pdfhttps://www.halifax.ca/home/news/hopscotch-arts-festival-returnshttps://halifax.citynews.ca/2022/09/27/police-look-for-photos-or-videos-in-pat-stay-homicide-investigation-5875763/https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/251202/t001a-eng.htmhttps://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/251202/dq251202a-eng.htm Contact: ted.lownie@dal.ca

  7. Oct 3

    Portapique: The Cruiser That Wasn’t Police

    What happens when danger looks exactly like help? Mara and Julian follow the 2020 Nova Scotia mass casualty through two timelines: the perpetrator’s movements and the warning about his replica police cruiser. Names, survival, missed information, and the continuing questions after the inquiry make this a story about what people needed to know while there was still time. Content note: Murder, mass violence, intimate partner violence, children surviving an attack; non-graphic. Chapters00:00 A familiar shape in the dark01:09 The people behind the timeline03:25 The attack began before the first homicide06:10 What the callers knew09:34 Two different maps of the same night13:20 A warning still waiting to leave16:41 The attack ends; the inquiry begins18:33 What a provincial total can hide20:41 What remains after the report Sourceshttps://masscasualtycommission.ca/files/documents/Turning-the-Tide-Together-Volume-2-What-Happened.pdfhttps://masscasualtycommission.ca/files/documents/Turning-the-Tide-Together-Volume-3-Violence.pdfhttps://masscasualtycommission.ca/files/foundational-documents/COMM0050893.pdfhttps://masscasualtycommission.ca/files/foundational-documents/COMM0051979.pdfhttps://masscasualtycommission.ca/files/foundational-documents/COMM0055715.pdfhttps://masscasualtycommission.ca/files/foundational-documents/COMM0058836.pdfhttps://masscasualtycommission.ca/files/foundational-documents/COMM0057390.pdfhttps://masscasualtycommission.ca/files/foundational-documents/COMM0053830.pdfhttps://masscasualtycommission.ca/files/foundational-documents/COMM0052490.pdfhttps://masscasualtycommission.ca/files/foundational-documents/COMM0059740.pdfhttps://news.novascotia.ca/en/2026/08/31/progress-monitoring-committee-releases-final-annual-reporthttps://rcmp.ca/en/mass-casualty-commission/tracking-rcmp-progress-mass-casualty-commission-recommendationshttps://rcmp.ca/en/corporate-information/publications-and-manuals/taking-action-rcmps-strategy-implementing-masshttps://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/daily-quotidien/251202/t001a-eng.htmhttps://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/en/daily-quotidien/260722/dq260722a-eng.htm Contact: ted.lownie@dal.ca

  8. Oct 3

    The Ship That Burned Twice

    A fast privateer, a British pursuit, and an explosion before the boarding boats can reach her. Then the Young Teazer begins to burn again in the stories told around Mahone Bay. Mara and Julian follow the wartime disaster, the wreckage brought ashore, and the eerie legend that still changes how the water feels after dark. Content note: Fatal explosion, wartime violence and injuries; folklore explicitly labelled. Chapters00:00 The light that comes back01:18 Episode three01:48 Two stories in one bay03:11 Permission to prey on ships06:33 Landlocked10:40 Who set the powder alight?13:20 The ship did not disappear all at once15:20 When the bay remembers fire18:50 The second fire Sourceshttps://www.communitystories.ca/v1/pm_v2.php?ex=00000832&fl=&id=story_line_child&lg=English&pos=1&scpos=0&sl=9264https://www.thegazette.co.uk/London/issue/16787/page/2031/data.pdfhttps://www.press.jhu.edu/newsroom/privateer-blown-sky-highhttps://archives.novascotia.ca/pdf/library/NovaScotiaHistoricalQuarterly-6-4-1976.pdfhttps://www.historicplaces.ca/en/rep-reg/place-lieu.aspx?id=11326https://archives.novascotia.ca/creighton/how-to-use/ Contact: ted.lownie@dal.ca

  9. Oct 3

    The Trunk That Came Back Alone

    Maggie Vail and her little daughter Ella May disappear. Their trunk comes back alone. Mara and Julian follow the clothes, witnesses, aliases, and disputed experiments that helped investigators reconstruct a journey near Saint John. Behind a respectable appearance lies a devastating crime—and a trial that has to answer the simplest question first: who was found? Content note: Murder of a woman and young child, intimate-partner violence and execution; no graphic reconstruction. Chapters00:00 Luggage without a passenger01:08 Episode two01:36 The people behind the scandal02:44 The discovery on Black River Road07:08 The road, the alias, and the trunk10:42 Experiments in a Victorian courtroom14:08 Three questions, then a sentence16:42 The confession that admitted planning18:51 What returned, and what could not Sourceshttps://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.11172https://www.unb.ca/saintjohn/arts/projects/crimepunishment/cases/blackriver.htmlhttps://media.netflix.com/en/only-on-netflix/81254340 Contact: ted.lownie@dal.ca

  10. Oct 3

    The Captain Who Would Not Drown

    A captain jumps into the Atlantic with a wooden hatch. Behind him, two sailors have been killed and his ship has been taken. Mara and Julian follow John Stairs’s extraordinary survival, an escape complicated by insurance and naval service, and a courtroom ending that separates Edward Jordan’s fate from Margaret’s. A real Nova Scotia piracy case from 1809, with a witness nobody expected to come home. Content note: Murder, domestic abuse and execution; no graphic reconstruction. Chapters00:00 A witness in the water01:08 Episode one01:38 A schooner, a debt, a family03:43 The shot through the skylight07:09 The rescue that did not end the danger11:12 A voyage with changing names15:42 Margaret's different case19:28 A last account, and its limits20:50 What the hatch carried Sourceshttps://www.canadiana.ca/view/oocihm.45218https://dai.mun.ca/PDFs/royalgazette/TheRoyalGazette18091221.pdfhttps://www.halifaxpubliclibraries.ca/blogs/post/street-smart-blowers-street/https://www.centcom.mil/MEDIA/PUBLIC-RELEASES/Article/903732/maersk-alabama-captain-rescued/ Contact: ted.lownie@dal.ca

  11. Trailer

    Introducing The Dark Between Tides

    A familiar shore. An unsettling story. Meet Mara and Julian, your co-hosts for true crime from Nova Scotia and the Maritime provinces, alongside the eerie legends that cling to this coast. From a captain surviving piracy to modern investigations and the warning that stops a planned attack, each story unfolds one turn at a time. Contact: ted.lownie@dal.ca

  • 1 Trailer
    10 Episodes

Trailer

About

A familiar shore. An unsettling story. Join Mara and Julian for gripping true crime from Nova Scotia and the Maritime provinces, alongside the eerie legends that cling to this coast. Mara guides the story; Julian brings the questions, surprising connections, and occasional wit. Together they follow the clues, untangle the court cases, and remember the people whose lives matter beyond the headlines. From historic piracy to modern investigations, every episode takes the story one turn at a time. Contact: ted.lownie@dal.ca

Information

  • Creator
    The Dark Between Tides
  • Years Active
    2026
  • Episodes
    11
  • Rating
    Explicit
  • Copyright
    © The Dark Between Tides
  • Show Website
    The Dark Between Tides