In honour of Desmond, the provincial government has named the first Nova Scotia Heritage Day after her. In the hours between April 18 and 19, 2020, a spree killing consisting of shootings and arsons took place across several communities in Nova Scotia. 22 people were killed, including a Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officer, before another officer killed the perpetrator, 51-year-old Gabriel Wortman, following a car chase. It was the deadliest rampage in Canadian history.