Latest news with #VickyLevack
CBC
5 days ago
- Health
- CBC
N.S. premier must keep focus on remedy plan for people with disabilities: advocates
Social Sharing An advocacy group says Nova Scotia's premier should make a five-year plan to overhaul housing and care of people with disabilities a major policy priority. On Friday, an independent monitor said the province had notable delays in delivering new programs and services, two years into the legally mandated program to move people with disabilities out of institutions and off wait-lists. The report by Michael Prince, a University of Victoria professor of social policy, noted Nova Scotia was making progress with its plan, while also calling for "sustained attention by the government executive" to make sure it stays on track. In a news release, the Disability Rights Coalition said on Tuesday that Tim Houston's office needs to improve co-operation among key departments that support people moving from large facilities into the community. Prince's report says this co-operation is crucial in setting up mental health support programs and rapid response teams to cope with issues that may arise during the transitions under the program. Vicky Levack, a spokeswoman for the coalition, said in a statement that her group is urging the premier "to engage with those recommendations ... which call upon him to give direction and a sense of urgency to those departments which appear to have failed to give the proper priority to their obligations" under the program. In 2021, the coalition won an Appeal Court decision that identified systemic discrimination against people with disabilities seeking housing and supports in the community. A human rights board of inquiry subsequently created a list of reforms required to address the province's shortcomings, with annual reports on progress by Prince. Shortcomings remain Prince's latest 55-page report said the government is "gaining traction" on overhauling the system. For example, the number of people living in institutions dropped by 189 — about three-quarters of the original plan's goal for this year. When the process started there were about 400 people still in the larger facilities. In addition, the number of people on a wait-list to receive some form of service from the disability supports program has fallen by 293, exceeding the target for this year. In 2022, the list had about 1,800 people on it. Prince also noted that key leadership positions are being filled and staff training is advancing. However, there were other shortcomings flagged in the report, including a 12 per cent increase in young adults — about 52 people — being placed in long-term care facilities. Prince's report described this as "unnecessary institutionalization." Prince also noted that policy manuals used by the disability support program staff need to be revised to make clear the province is "legally obliged to provide social assistance to eligible persons in need." "All legal rights obligations of applicants and participants and public officials should appear explicitly in public documents," he added. 'We all care,' premier says During a news conference on Tuesday, Houston said his office is already "taking a role" in ensuring the provincial plan stays on track. "I think the province is making progress. There's work to be done for sure, but it's a government effort," he said. "We have a great team on that. [A] fantastic minister and the people in the department are dedicated. They care. We all care. We all want progress, including the premier."
CTV News
5 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
N.S. premier must keep focus on remedy plan for people with disabilities: advocates
Vicky Levack, a spokeswoman for the Disability Rights Coalition who lives with cerebral palsy, poses outside her apartment building in Halifax on Thursday, July 31, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese HALIFAX — An advocacy group says Nova Scotia's premier should make a five-year plan to overhaul housing and care of people with disabilities a major policy priority. On Friday, an independent monitor said the province had notable delays in delivering new programs and services, two years into the legally mandated program to move people with disabilities out of institutions and off wait-lists. The report by Michael Prince, a University of Victoria professor of social policy, noted Nova Scotia was making progress with its plan, while also calling for 'sustained attention by the government executive' to make sure it stays on track. In a new release, the Disability Rights Coalition said on Tuesday that Tim Houston's office needs to improve co-operation among key departments that support people moving from large facilities into the community. Prince's report says this co-operation is crucial in setting up mental health support programs and rapid response teams to cope with issues that may arise during the transitions under the program. Vicky Levack, a spokeswoman for the coalition, said in a statement that her group is urging the premier 'to engage with those recommendations ... which call upon him to give direction and a sense of urgency to those departments which appear to have failed to give the proper priority to their obligations' under the program. In 2021, the coalition won an Appeal Court decision that identified systemic discrimination against people with disabilities seeking housing and supports in the community. A human rights board of inquiry subsequently created a list of reforms required to address the province's shortcomings, with annual reports on progress by Prince. Prince's latest 55-page report said the government is 'gaining traction' on overhauling the system. For example, the number of people living in institutions dropped by 189 -- about three-quarters of the original plan's goal for this year. When the process started there were about 400 people still in the larger facilities. In addition, the number of people on a wait list to receive some form of service from the disability supports program has fallen by 293, exceeding the target for this year. In 2022, the list had about 1,800 people on it. Prince also noted that key leadership positions are being filled and staff training is advancing. However, there were other shortcomings flagged in the report, including a 12 per cent increase in young adults -- about 52 people -- being placed in long-term care facilities. Prince's report described this as 'unnecessary institutionalization.' Prince also noted that policy manuals used by the disability support program staff need to be revised to make clear the province is 'legally obliged to provide social assistance to eligible persons in need.' 'All legal rights obligations of applicants and participants and public officials should appear explicitly in public documents,' he added. During a news conference on Tuesday, Houston said his office is already 'taking a role' in ensuring the provincial plan stays on track. 'I think the province is making progress. There's work to be done for sure, but it's a government effort,' he said. 'We have a great team on that. (A) fantastic minister and the people in the department are dedicated. They care. We all care. We all want progress, including the premier.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 5, 2025. By Michael Tutton, with files from Lyndsay Armstrong in Halifax.
CTV News
01-08-2025
- Health
- CTV News
N.S. given mixed review on overhaul of housing for people with disabilities
Vicky Levack, a spokeswoman for the Disability Rights Coalition who lives with cerebral palsy, poses outside her apartment building in Halifax on Thursday, July 31, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darren Calabrese An independent monitor says Nova Scotia is making gradual progress in some aspects of its five-year plan to move people with disabilities out of institutions and off wait-lists for community housing. However, Michael Prince also notes in his second annual report that the government is 'heading in the wrong direction' on other portions of its response to a legally binding human rights decision. In his conclusion to the 55-page report, Prince wrote the province is 'gaining traction,' and moving toward meeting the program's 2028 deadlines on 24 out of the 90 legally required steps, but added it is 'not yet advancing consistently and comprehensively toward the outcomes.' The province's five-year plan is the result of a 2021 Appeal Court decision that identified systemic discrimination against people with disabilities seeking housing and supports in the community. A human rights board of inquiry subsequently provided the list of reforms required to address the province's shortcomings. Prince, a professor of social policy at the University of Victoria, was appointed in 2023 to provide annual reports on the province's progress. Under the provincial plan, 400 people are expected to be moved into new housing and care programs in the communities of their choice by 2028, when all of the institutions would be closed. Last year, Prince's report found the province made only 'slight progress' — defined as 'minimal' and 'marginal in result' — on almost half of the 90 legally required steps to improve housing and support of people with disabilities. The latest report says the number of people living in institutions dropped by 189 — about three-quarters of the original plan's goal for this year. In addition, the number of people on a wait list to receive some form of service from the disability supports program has fallen by 293, exceeding the target for this year. In 2022, the list had about 1,800 people on it. However, Prince also notes that in some areas the figures are going in the opposite direction. One example is a program called 'homeshare' — where community members share their home and provide support to individuals with disabilities who choose to live with them. The monitor called this 'a case of inaction,' in that none of the planned 240 homeshare places planned for by now are yet in place. Prince said in his report this poses a risk to the successful transition of about 400 residents" in large facilities to community housing. In addition, the number of people with disabilities who are under 65 still living in nursing homes rose, and there was a sharp increase in people placed in emergency, temporary housing arrangements. 'The increase amounted to 52 more young people admitted to long-term care facilities or 12 per cent growth. It is hard to square these results with the province's assessment of this requirement as complete. This appears to be unnecessary institutionalization, imposing disadvantages on the individuals concerned,' wrote Prince. Prince also noted that only about a third of new staff — 26 of the 65 expected by Year 2 — slated to provide 'intensive' support to help people move were in place. In addition, only about half of the 50 staff slated to provide support in communities by Year 2 were in place. However, the monitor saw improvements in this area from the last year, and noted that by the spring of 2026, the province anticipates a 'targeted recruitment campaign,' over this summer will yield results. The province has pointed to labour shortages in the health care sector as being among the key reasons for the delays in hiring. The annual report emphasized the need for the province to heighten a focus on co-operation among various departments and programs to provide support for people moving from facilities into community. That co-operation will be key in setting up mental health support programs in the community, along with rapid response teams for issues that may arise for people who are living in new forms of housing, says the report. Prince wrote that he believes the premier's office and key cabinet ministers should be more involved in ensuring that various, multidisciplinary support teams start being set up. 'Making the remedy a major policy priority requires sustained strategic involvement by key cabinet minister and the premier's office,' he wrote. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 1, 2025. Michael Tutton, The Canadian Press
CTV News
10-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
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. The Canadian Press
