N.S. reforms for people with disabilities behind schedule but has momentum: province
Vicky Levack, who lives with cerebral palsy, smiles as she adjusts to her new living accommodation in Halifax on Wednesday, Nov. 16, 2022. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Andrew Vaughan
HALIFAX — The Nova Scotia government says its five-year plan to bring about sweeping reforms in housing and care for people with disabilities is behind schedule but gaining momentum.
In October 2021, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal ruled that the province was systemically discriminating against people with disabilities.
The government was subsequently ordered to make reforms, including to move people out of large institutions and into small homes in the community where they can live independently.
However, in a progress report released today the province says only 189 people have left large institutions, a number that is about two-thirds of the goal the government had set for the spring.
Scott Armstrong, the minister of social development, says there were delays in finding staff to oversee the transfers to community living, but adds that hiring programs are catching up.
The department also says it has succeeded in reducing a wait-list for disabilities services by 293 people, exceeding the plan's original targets.
The Disability Rights Coalition — the advocacy group that led the original court case — says the premier's office should be more directly involved in keeping the plan on track.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 10, 2025.
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