Nova Scotia won't buy air conditioners for low-income people with health issues
A Nova Scotia woman on income assistance who succeeded in forcing the province to pay for her air conditioner says she's sad other low-income people won't get the same relief.
Last October Julie Leggett from New Glasgow, N.S., won an appeal to receive provincial funding for an air conditioner because of a chronic health condition.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
But the decision by the income assistance appeal board didn't force the province to cover the cost of air conditioners for other low-income people with health issues.
Leggett raised her concerns during the November provincial election campaign, arguing government policy should be changed to help people cope during heat waves.
Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston, whose party won the election, had said on the campaign trail that he would look into adding air conditioners to a list of special needs covered by the social assistance program.
Story continues below advertisement
But a spokesperson for the Department of Social Development said on Tuesday that the government was not planning on changing the policy.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 25, 2025.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
7 hours ago
- Global News
Accused holocaust memorial vandal was City of Ottawa employee on leave
The City of Ottawa has cut ties with an employee who is accused of vandalizing the National Holocaust Monument with paint, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe confirmed Sunday. Ottawa police announced Saturday that a 46-year-old man had been charged with several offences, including mischief to a war memorial, mischief exceeding $5,000 and harassment by threatening conduct. The words FEED ME were splashed in red paint across the monument on June 9. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy On Saturday evening, Sutcliffe took to social media to say he was 'very disturbed' to learn the accused was a city employee on leave, adding he'd asked city officials to take 'appropriate action.' On Sunday, Sutcliffe provided an update saying the man was 'no longer employed by the City of Ottawa.' The vandalism has drawn condemnation from across the political spectrum, including from Prime Minister Mark Carney, who said he was 'appalled' someone would target a space for mourning and remembrance. Story continues below advertisement The monument, formally titled Landscape of Loss, Memory and Survival, was inaugurated in 2017 to honour the more than 6 million Jews and others murdered in the Holocaust. The Ottawa Police Service said the investigation by its hate and bias crime unit is ongoing. – with files from The Canadian Press
Global News
9 hours ago
- Global News
211 launches new N.B. services for victims of gender-based and intimate partner violence
Anyone experiencing gender-based or intimate partner violence in New Brunswick has a new dedicated tool to find the help they need on their terms. 211 New Brunswick has launched the 'It's Your Call' campaign, a 24/7 provincial resource linking those experiencing gender-based violence or intimate partner violence to social services ranging from safe places to stay to medical support. 'If you're in a situation where you're experiencing gender-based violence, it's an extremely stressful situation,' said Shelly Steeves, director of marketing and communications for United Way Moncton. 'And it can often be difficult to know where to go for help – what services are out there and who can you access. That's where 211 helps.' The 211 service, provided by United Way, has been available across Canada since 2020, connecting people to social, government, health and community services. This is the first time it is putting dedicated resources in place to help victims of gender-based and intimate partner violence. Anyone can call 211 or visit to access services anonymously. Story continues below advertisement 'Individuals do not need to formally report their experience, but they can explore the type of help they need and decide how to proceed accordingly based on what they need in their own individual situations,' Steeves said. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy She also says those who call in will be guided through the process by trained personnel. 'They are specially trained to really actively listen with empathy and understanding to the callers, whether it be a friend, family member or the person actually experiencing gender-based violence.' 2:03 New Brunswickers struggling with basic needs including housing The hope is 211 offers an easy-to-remember number for victims who may need to remain discreet in dangerous situations. 'They have to remember phone numbers. There is a risk that if you're with your partner who is violent that they would find those phone numbers. 211 is easy to remember,' said Valerie Roy-Lang, director of the Réseau des services pour victimes de violence du N.-B. Story continues below advertisement Roy-Lang says the service will also help victims overcome roadblocks. 'There are many barriers, if you look at financial barriers, some people have children, what happens then? They have so many questions on where to go and what to do,' she said. The campaign announcement follows the legislative assembly's unanimous support on June 6 to declare gender-based violence an epidemic and systemic crisis within the province. New Brunswick has the third highest police-reported rate of intimate partner violence in the country and the highest rate of reported gender-based violence in Atlantic Canada, according to the most recent data from 2023. The province saw an almost 40 per cent increase in intimate partner violence over a 12-year period, with rural communities being particularly affected. Since 2020, 211 New Brunswick has helped connect more than 100,000 people to services. – with files from Johnny James
Global News
9 hours ago
- Global News
Republican senate tax bill would add $3.3 trillion to the U.S. debt load, CBO says
The changes made to President Donald Trump's big tax bill in the Senate would pile trillions onto the nation's debt load while resulting in even steeper losses in health care coverage, the nonpartisan Congressional Budget Office said in a new analysis, adding to the challenges for Republicans as they try to muscle the bill to passage. The CBO estimates the Senate bill would increase the deficit by nearly $3.3 trillion from 2025 to 2034, a nearly $1 trillion increase over the House-passed bill, which CBO has projected would add $2.4 to the debt over a decade. The analysis also found that 11.8 million more Americans would become uninsured by 2034 if the bill became law, an increase over the scoring for the House-passed version of the bill, which predicts 10.9 million more people would be without health coverage. The stark numbers are yet another obstacle for Republican leaders as they labor to pass Trump's bill by his self-imposed July 4th deadline. Story continues below advertisement Even before the CBO's estimate, Republicans were at odds over the contours of the legislation, with some resisting the cost-saving proposals to reduce spending on Medicaid and food aid programs even as other Republicans say those proposals don't go far enough. Republicans are slashing the programs as a way to help cover the cost of extending some $3.8 trillion in Trump tax breaks put in place during his first term. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The push-pull was on vivid display Saturday night as a routine procedural vote to take up the legislation in the Senate was held open for hours as Vice President JD Vance and Republican leaders met with several holdouts. The bill ultimately advanced in a 51-49 vote, but the path ahead is fraught, with voting on amendments still to come. Still, many Republicans are disputing the CBO estimates and the reliability of the office's work. To hoist the bill to passage, they are using a different budget baseline that assumes the Trump tax cuts expiring in December have already been extended, essentially making them cost-free in the budget. The CBO on Saturday released a separate analysis of the GOP's preferred approach that found the Senate bill would reduce deficits by about $500 billion. Democrats and economists decry the GOP's approach as 'magic math' that obscures the true costs of the GOP tax breaks. In addition, Democrats note that under the traditional scoring system, the Republican bill bill would violate the Senate's 'Byrd Rule' that forbids the legislation from increasing deficits after 10 years. Story continues below advertisement In a Sunday letter to Oregon Sen. Jeff Merkley, the top Democrat on the Senate Budget Committee, CBO Director Phillip Swagel said the office estimates that the Finance Committee's portion of the bill, also known as Title VII, 'increases the deficits in years after 2034' under traditional scoring.
