Latest news with #NovaScotians
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Health
- Hamilton Spectator
30 measles cases in ‘low-vaccine' communities in northern Nova Scotia
HALIFAX - A measles outbreak Nova Scotia has risen to 30 cases in a northern part of the province with a low vaccination rate, health officials said Thursday. All 30 cases originated from travel within Canada to regions where measles is known to be circulating, Nova Scotia Public Health said. The agency had reported a single case on July 7 in the northern zone. Dr. Ryan Sommers, senior medical director of public health, said the new cases mainly involve large households and specific, small communities whose members are in close contact with one another. 'The risk to the general public is still considered low at this time,' he told a media briefing Thursday afternoon. Citing the need to protect people's privacy, Sommers declined to give details on the communities involved in the outbreak, including 'if there are any religious affiliations that they have.' 'What we can say is, what we're seeing in Nova Scotia, is these are low-vaccine communities.' Sommers thanked the communities involved in the measles outbreak for their co-operation with public health, saying they followed recommendations and 'avoided any exposures outside of their households.' As a result, he said, there have been no new public exposure sites to report. Some community members, he added, received an immunization within 72 hours of being exposed to the measles virus, but he declined to say how many. Michelle Thompson, Nova Scotia's minister of health, told reporters Thursday that the outbreak in the province's north is 'not unexpected.' 'We know there are some folks who are under-immunized throughout the province, and so when measles enters a population or … enters a community with lower immunization rates, we can expect to see more measles cases,' Thompson said. She said it's possible the number of cases in this community may 'go up a bit higher.' Sommers said it's common for secondary infections to appear within seven to 21 days after initial measles cases are identified. Eight of 30 cases in the northern zone have been lab-confirmed and the remaining are considered confirmed based on patients' household exposure and symptoms. Sommers said that so far these cases have not required hospitalization, and most people have been recovering as they self-isolate at home. The provincial health agency is reminding Nova Scotians that the best protection against measles is vaccination, and every person born after 1970 should have two doses of the measles-mumps-rubella vaccine after their first birthday. Sommers said the majority of those who have measles are young people 'ranging from less than five years old up to (people in their) 20s and 30s.' Nova Scotia's Department of Health says 93.4 per cent of children who turned two years old in 2024 had received one dose of the measles vaccine, and 78.6 per cent were fully vaccinated with two doses. A spokesperson with the department says actual measles vaccination rates in Nova Scotia may be higher 'because of under-reporting.' Scientists, meanwhile, say that a population needs a vaccination rate of 95 per cent — with two doses — to stop measles from spreading. Sommers said he was unable to provide a breakdown of the measles vaccination numbers for the northern health zone where the outbreak is located. In May, a single case of measles was reported in the Halifax Regional Municipality, but there were no secondary infections identified with the original case, now considered 'resolved.' This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 24, 2025. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
CBC
3 days ago
- Climate
- CBC
Water companies struggle to meet demand as N.S. faces dry conditions
Hot, humid weather and lower than expected rainfall is resulting in calls for some Nova Scotians to conserve water, and leaving water delivery companies stretched thin. Gareth Hampshire has the story.
CTV News
3 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Four offshore wind energy areas designated off Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston (centre) makes an announcement about offshore wind energy in Halifax on July 29, 2025. (Callum Smith/CTV Atlantic) The Nova Scotia government says Canada's first four offshore wind energy areas have been designated on the province's offshore. The federal and provincial governments jointly designated the following four areas, which were announced on Tuesday: French Bank Middle Bank Sable Island Bank Sydney Bight The province says the designation is a key step in developing the offshore wind industry. 'With some of the top wind speeds in the world, Nova Scotia has the potential to become a clean energy superpower,' said Premier Tim Houston in a news release. 'With the right infrastructure, we'll have the opportunity to send our wind west to power other parts of Canada. By becoming an energy exporter, we can secure long-term prosperity for Nova Scotians.' A regional assessment initially identified eight areas with strong potential for offshore wind. After further review, the federal and provincial governments shortlisted five locations as possible offshore wind energy areas. The government says public feedback on those five proposed areas helped it decide on which four locations to designate, and to make the French Bank and Sydney Bight areas slightly smaller. Offshore wind energy areas in N.S. Canada's first four offshore wind energy areas are seen in this image (Province of Nova Scotia) The next step is identifying parcels within the designated areas, which will be included in the first call for bids later this year. 'The identification of wind energy areas off the coast of Nova Scotia is a significant step forward towards unlocking our renewable energy potential,' said federal Energy and Natural Resources Minister Tim Hodgson. 'We are moving quickly to deliver on our commitment to advance offshore wind, create clean jobs and support our long-term energy security.' The province hopes to license five gigawatts of offshore wind by 2030, which is says will 'set the stage for future offshore wind development and position Nova Scotia to become an exporter of clean energy.' After the first round of licences are awarded, the government will revisit four other areas identified in the regional assessment of offshore wind development. Those areas include the Western/Emerald Bank, which was the other area shortlisted in the spring. Private companies that wish to build offshore wind projects in Nova Scotia are required to participate in a competitive licensing process managed by the Canada-Nova Scotia Offshore Energy Regulator. For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
Global News
4 days ago
- Health
- Global News
N.S. reform of care of people with disabilities behind in housing ‘complex' cases
There's been a surge in the number of Nova Scotians with complex disabilities stuck in temporary housing, according to recent figures released by the province. This rise in what are called 'temporary shelter arrangements,' or TSAs, operated by for-profit and non-profit agencies has occurred despite a plan by the province to decrease their use over the past two years. The Department of Social Development describes the temporary housing as being needed whenever a person with a complex disability is in urgent need of housing, and options for a permanent home have been 'explored and exhausted.' Usually, the person is placed in an apartment, with one-on-one care, but without a long-term plan to improve their lives. 'The infrastructure to shift away from the temporary model is slow. It's not happening as quickly as anticipated,' said Harman Singh, director of Breton Ability Centre — a non-profit agency in Sydney, N.S. that houses people with disabilities, which has been asked to oversee eight people in temporary shelters. Story continues below advertisement The province introduced a sweeping, five-year reform plan for the care and housing of people with disabilities in 2023. It was the result of a landmark court decision that found there was systemic discrimination against people with disabilities. 2:03 Mothers of children with severe disabilities call on Nova Scotia to create more housing The plan called for a sharp decrease in the number of people with disabilities in temporary housing arrangements by 2025 but the opposite has occurred. Get weekly health news Receive the latest medical news and health information delivered to you every Sunday. Sign up for weekly health newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The recent government update on the plan, referred to as 'The Remedy,' indicated there were 89 people in the temporary arrangements in early 2024, but as of April 1 this year, there was a 49 per cent increase to 146 people. This contrasts with the plan's target of reducing the number of people in temporary housing by 40. Singh said Breton Ability is gradually closing down its larger facility with 68 residents but has been asked to increase temporary shelter arrangements. Some of the arrangements are lasting for years, she added. Story continues below advertisement The lack of permanent solutions isn't working well, as it makes it difficult to attract staff or to spend money needed to ensure the housing arrangements are suitable, she said. For example, Singh said in one case her agency has been housing a person in a temporary apartment since 2021, but it has been unable to invest in much-needed upgrades due to uncertainty about whether they are expected to stay there permanently. If the arrangement were permanent, 'we could look at long-term renovations to the house, seek grants from different departments and we would look to raise funds to make the backyard more suitable … we would look at all these different factors and make it better,' said Singh. Data released to The Canadian Press through the Freedom of Information Act from January 2024 to last month show the majority of temporary shelter arrangements were provided by five private-sector agencies for 94 people. They received $34 million in 2024, and $20 million for half of 2025, according to the documents. Some people in TSAs cost about $150,000 to up to about $500,000 annually, the records say. However, a separate freedom of information response from the Department of Social Development to The Canadian Press for the same period says there were no records of 'audits or reports on safety and quality of care' done on these private agencies. They also said they wouldn't provide estimates of how long people are remaining in the TSAs. Story continues below advertisement In its recent annual report on the plan, the province said it wasn't meeting deadlines for decreasing the numbers because there had been delays in hiring and training staff to oversee the conversion of the system. The department said in an email Friday that so far 24 of the 146 people in the temporary shelter arrangements — about 16 per cent of the total — have been assigned staff to plan their future care and placements in the community. Maria Medioli, director of the provincial disability support program, said in an interview Thursday that the five-year plan — which has committed over $200 million in spending over the first two years — is the first major effort to deal with the TSA issue. Medioli said some of the growth in TSA numbers has been the result of people with 'deeply complex issues' being discharged by a care home or a hospital without any destination, and the alternative is homelessness. Asked about oversight of service providers, Medioli said the department receives financial statements from the private-sector service providers but doesn't 'generally audit providers unless there is a reason.' She added there has been one complaint of financial irregularities by a private-sector provider that is being investigated, but no complaints of safety or quality problems. 'I don't like them (TSAs). They are temporary. … It was done in an emergency and we didn't have the infrastructure to make it anything but temporary. Through the (plan) we're building that infrastructure,' she said. Story continues below advertisement However, Kim Long, vice chair of the Disability Rights Coalition, said in an interview Thursday that her group is concerned by the growing numbers. 'I'd like to know where (the government) is in the process of establishing a baseline of health and safety. … The thing that we're most concerned about is what is that experience (of living in a temporary shelter arrangement) like?' Long said her advocacy organization wants to hear directly from families and people in temporary shelter arrangements, to learn how the arrangements work and 'what they are experiencing.' 'We need to hear in order to get the full story behind the numbers,' she said. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 28, 2025.
Toronto Star
4 days ago
- Health
- Toronto Star
N.S. reform of care of people with disabilities behind in housing ‘complex' cases
HALIFAX - There's been a surge in the number of Nova Scotians with complex disabilities stuck in temporary housing, according to recent figures released by the province. This rise in what are called 'temporary shelter arrangements,' or TSAs, operated by for-profit and non-profit agencies has occurred despite a plan by the province to decrease their use over the past two years.
