HANSARD

 

NOVA SCOTIA HOUSE OF ASSEMBLY

 

 

 

STANDING COMMITTEE

 

ON

 

COMMUNITY SERVICES

 

 

 

Tuesday, November 4, 2025

 

 

 

Committee Room

 

 

Supporting Healthy Families

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Printed and Published by Nova Scotia Hansard Reporting Services

 

 

 

COMMUNITY SERVICES COMMITTEE

Hon. Susan Corkum-Greek (Chair)

Brad McGowan (Vice-Chair)

Damian Stoilov

Dianne Timmins

Kyle MacQuarrie

Suzy Hansen

Lina Hamid

Hon. Iain Rankin

Hon. Derek Mombourquette

 

[Brad McGowan was replaced by Tim Outhit.]

 

 

 

In Attendance:

 

Erin Fowler

Legislative Counsel

 

Tamer Nusseibeh

Legislative Committee Clerk

 

 

 

WITNESSES

 

Department of Opportunities and Social Development

Nicole Johnson-Morrison, Associate Deputy Minister

Shelley James, Associate Deputy Minister

Jill Barkhouse, Acting Executive Director, Child and Family Wellbeing

Jennifer Griffiths, Executive Director, Employment Support and Income Assistance

 

Maggie’s Place: A Resource Centre for Families

Sarah MacMaster, Executive Director

Alicia McInnis, Parenting Journey Home Visitor

 

 

 

 

HALIFAX, TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 4, 2025

 

STANDING COMMITTEE ON COMMUNITY SERVICES

 

10:00 A.M.

 

CHAIR

Hon. Susan Corkum-Greek

 

VICE-CHAIR

Brad McGowan

 

 

THE CHAIR: Good morning. Order. I call this meeting to order. This is the Standing Committee on Community Services. I am Susan Corkum-Greek, Chair, and MLA for Lunenburg. Today, we’re going to hear from presenters on the topic of Supporting Healthy Families. I would ask everyone to please either turn off their phones or place them on silent, and remind you that in the case of an emergency, please use the Granville Street exit and walk up to the Grand Parade.

 

I’ll now ask the committee members to please introduce themselves for the record by stating their name and constituency. I will begin on my left.

 

[The committee members introduced themselves.]

 

THE CHAIR: I would also like to note the presence and support of Legislative Counsel Erin Fowler and our Committee Clerk Tamer Nusseibeh.

 

I had a quick moment to personally welcome all of our witnesses, as a number of the members of the committee have. I will give each of you an opportunity to introduce yourselves, and following that, we’ll offer an opportunity for opening comments. Perhaps again we’ll begin - I’m left-handed, so we’ll begin on my left with introductions.

 

[The witnesses introduced themselves.]

 

THE CHAIR: We all are, in our own lives, members of families, and families are defined as we define them. We’ll begin with opening remarks with Shelley.

 

SHELLEY JAMES: As mentioned, I am an associate deputy minister, and I am joined here with three of my esteemed colleagues. We’re happy to talk about the support that we provide in supporting healthy families in the province, the topic that is central to the work that we do every single day.

 

We know that many families in Nova Scotia are experiencing significant challenges. That is why our department is focused on delivering practical, long-term supports that help families build stability and thrive. This includes:

 

·       financial supports like income assistance, the Nova Scotia Child Benefit, and financial stabilization payments;

·       housing supports, including The Rose, which provides supportive housing to families with children, and our master lease program through Adsum for Women and Children and other partners;

·       our prevention and early intervention programs, delivered in community by partners like Maggie’s Place that support and strengthen families; and

·       the work that our service delivery team does day after day, from caseworkers, care coordinators, social workers, youth support workers, and many more.

 

We are not doing this work in a vacuum. We have many partners in communities across the province who support Nova Scotia families every single day, and of course, the work of our colleagues across the provincial government where we have seen historic actions and investments to build more public housing, create affordable community housing, provide lunches to more than 100,000 students every day in schools, increasing the minimum wage, decreasing taxes, and much, much more.

 

Another important step forward for us is the development of our new Child and Family Wellbeing Practice Framework. The framework is grounded in the belief that children and families do best when they are together and that they are supported in their communities with services that are culturally responsive, trauma informed, and where we focus on prevention. It reflects our commitment to doing work differently in partnership with families, communities, and service providers to improve the outcomes for children and youth. We know that there’s more to do, and we’re committed to continuing this work in collaboration with our partners to ensure every family in Nova Scotia has the opportunity to be healthy, supported, and secure.

 

Thank you again for the opportunity to be here. We look forward to hearing your questions.

 

THE CHAIR: Thank you, ADM James. Next we will hear from Sarah MacMaster, please.

 

SARAH MACMASTER: Thank you and good morning. My name is Sarah MacMaster, and I am the executive director at Maggie’s Place: A Resource Centre for Families serving Cumberland and Colchester counties. Today, I’m here with my colleague Alicia McInnis, who you’ll hear from in a moment.

 

Maggie’s Place: A Resource Centre for Families Association operates throughout Cumberland and Colchester counties, and our mission is to enhance the health and social development of families, youth, and children within their own communities. We offer a wide variety of programs, services, and supports that help families build strong foundations to thrive, not just in their moments of need, but across all stages of family life. Throughout our partnership with the Department of Opportunities and Social Development, we’ve been able to identify service gaps, share what we’re hearing from families on the ground, and advocate together for meaningful community-based solutions.

 

Family resource centres that operate all across the province, like Maggie’s Place, hold a unique position in our communities. For Maggie’s Place, with over 30 years of service in the community, we’ve built deep trust and long-standing relationships with community. These connections allow us to meet people where they are and respond to the needs that are quickly evolving for families. That ability to pivot has been especially important in the last several years as families face growing challenges around housing, food security, mental health, and access to child care and transportation.

 

Our approach focuses on building on families’ strengths, creating welcoming spaces where parents and caregivers feel supported, can gain confidence, and connect with others who understand their experiences. A strong example of this approach would be our recent focus on building relationships with African Nova Scotian families. Through our organization’s strategic plan, we recognize the need to create culturally safe and welcoming spaces within our programming. In partnership with the department, it’s led to a Cultural Connections Initiative which we are hosting in Cumberland County. This initiative has opened doors and new partnerships, strengthened community networks, and allowed us to support African Nova Scotian families in ways that feel respectful, inclusive, and empowering. Together, we’re not only addressing service gaps, but we’re fostering a sense of belonging and pride that strengthens the fabric of our communities.

 

At Maggie’s Place, we also work hard to reduce barriers to accessing services. Many across Cumberland and Colchester remain without reliable internet or cellular service which makes it difficult for families to connect with the resources and supports that they need. That’s why we take our programs directly into communities, offering services where families live, work, and gather. By integrating practical supports such as transportation, child care, and food within our programs, we’re able to reduce stress of parents and create opportunities for meaningful connection and learning. This work directly strengthens families. When families have access to support, education, and community, they feel more confident in their parenting, more connected to others, and better equipped to manage life’s challenges. When children grow up in families that feel supported, they are more likely to develop resilience and well-being that help them to succeed in life. When communities come together to care for families, everyone’s benefiting.

 

Our work may look different in each community that we serve. Sometimes it’s a parent group or a play-based program, a food workshop, or a simple conversation with a staff member who’s able to listen and connect the family to the right resources. But at its core, everything we do is about strengthening families, building community resilience, and helping families not just survive but truly thrive.

 

I’d like to thank you for your ongoing support and commitment to supporting the well-being of families across Nova Scotia.

 

THE CHAIR: Do we have anyone else with opening - Ms. McInnis, please.

 

ALICIA MCINNIS: I’m a parenting journey home visitor in Amherst, but I serve all of Cumberland County. The program that I have the pleasure of working for helps support families that face complex social, emotional, and economic challenges. The work I do is rooted in a simple truth: Children thrive when families thrive, and families thrive when they are supported by strong relationships, strong communities, and strong systems. We provide early in-home support that focuses on child development, parenting capacity, family well-being, and connections to community resources. Our approach is holistic, trauma informed, and grounded in dignity and respect. We walk alongside caregivers, helping them build confidence, strengthen attachment with their children, and increase problem-solving skills and access to practical supports in times of stress and crisis.

 

The results are clear. Families build resilience, children experience healthier development, and communities benefit through reduced child-protection involvement, stronger mental health outcomes, and improved school readiness. When we invest early in families, we don’t just help a household; we strengthen the fabric of our communities. At Maggie’s Place, our Parenting Journey program is uniquely positioned within a hub of support that families need the most. Under one roof, parents can access quality early childhood programming, pre- and postnatal supports, and food-security resources. This model reduces the time that families spend searching for help and increases the time that they can spend building capacity, confidence, and connection.

 

In my work, I have witnessed remarkable transformations. Families arrive to us during some of the hardest moments of their lives, and over time, they walk out standing a lot taller. One parent had come to us surviving trauma and abuse and with a great fear of losing their children. Through coordinated support, advocacy, and collaboration across community services, that parent has rebuilt their life. Today, they are thriving - not because of one single program, but because of the wraparound supports that met them where they were with dignity and hope.

 

This is something that we have the pleasure of seeing every day at Maggie’s Place: parents and families that are strengthened by the environment that we provide. We are able to connect with them providing all of the supports that they need under one roof that provides no judgment, just meeting them where they’re at. Maggie’s Place becomes a launching pad for resilience. Many families meet us in prenatal class and continue on through infancy, early childhood, and adolescence, building confidence, community, and capacity along the way.

 

We see people arrive overwhelmed and unsure of where to turn. With continued engagement and support, those families leave stronger, supported, and steady.

 

When you walk through Maggie’s Place, you don’t just find a program; you find a community that’s rooting for you. Those of us who work in this field do it because we believe in prevention, in community, and in the incredible strength that families have. Every day we see the impact in stronger parents, healthier children, and a brighter future for our province.

 

THE CHAIR: Thank you all very much. Now as we enter the important question-and-answer segment, I will just remind everyone to wait until I acknowledge you by name and the red light on your microphone is on so that we can have a complete recording for posterity. No pressure.

 

We will have three rounds of questioning, the first by the NDP caucus. They’ll have 20 minutes, followed by 10 minutes for the Liberal caucus, and 30 minutes for the PC caucus. We’ll then take any remaining time and divide that up.

 

We will start with MLA Hamid with the first question.

 

LINA HAMID: Thank you all for being here and for your time today. This is a very important topic. We have, unfortunately, been seeing some very concerning trends in our province. One-third of all food bank visits this year have been for children. We’ve also seen families struggling with access to child care - affordable and accessible child care. We’ve talked a lot in our province about gender-based violence, and children are often witnesses and experience complex disruptions to their lives as a result.

 

[10:15 a.m.]

 

My first question will be to the department. Over the span of four years, we’ve had four Ministers of Community Services and the Department of Opportunities and Social Development. They’ve all said they’re fully committed to establishing an office of child and youth advocate. Now we’re onto minister five and we still don’t have an office set up. Has the high turnover impacted your work on this important file, and did the work in the department have to slow down while each new minister was brought up to speed?

 

THE CHAIR: ADM James.

 

SHELLEY JAMES: Government remains committed in its work to establish an office of child and youth advocate in Nova Scotia, and work is well under way. Even with each new minister, there is a commitment to establishing the office and having it set up in order to deliver on the mandate for children, families, youth, and all Nova Scotians. When there’s more information to share - I know our previous minister was a strong advocate and communicated regularly - we will be happy to reach out. In the meantime, if there are children and youth who are in need of any type of advocacy, the Office of the Ombudsman is readily available.

 

LINA HAMID: I mean, the majority of the minister’s communications were that it’s coming. There wasn’t really much more communicated further than that. The outgoing minister had said that they were committed “to be the one that actually stands this up.” This is a direct quote. How close did the office of child and youth advocate get to opening under that minister’s watch?

 

SHELLEY JAMES: As has been stated previously, this is not something that we want to move quickly on. We want to ensure that we are getting things right and that we are having the appropriate regulations and legislation in place. Work continues, and we are hoping in the very near future that we will be announcing the office opening.

 

LINA HAMID: Other provinces have established such offices for children and youth to give young folks a political voice. When will Nova Scotia’s office of child and youth advocate be up and running? As it’s being delayed, we’re seeing these concerning trends continue to grow.

 

SHELLEY JAMES: As I stated, we remain committed to putting in all of the pieces that are needed in order to establish the office. I will say that our department is in constant communication, responding to inquiries that are raised through the Nova Scotia Office of the Ombudsman. That is always an avenue in the absence of a stand-alone office of child and youth advocate. The Office of the Ombudsman does contact us to discuss any concerns that may be raised with children or youth who are connected with our department.

 

LINA HAMID: My next question is for Maggie’s Place. Do you think that having an office of child and youth advocate would be beneficial in terms of ensuring that kids coming through your doors are getting what they need from the Province?

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. MacMaster.

 

SARAH MACMASTER: I definitely see that there would be a benefit to having such an office. For children and youth 12 and above, we do have in some communities - and I believe coming to all communities - the Integrated Youth Services, which do have a child advocacy group within them: a youth and parent caregiver. I can see something like that being able to feed information into such an advocacy group when it is established.

 

LINA HAMID: Going back to the department, children exposed to gender-based violence, either in their homes or in their community - like what happened during the mass casualty event - need specialized support and care. How is the department determining what these children need from the Province?

 

THE CHAIR: Associate Deputy Minister Johnson-Morrison.

 

NICOLE JOHNSON-MORRISON: I would start off by saying we recognize that gender-based violence is a scourge, and we are doing everything that is possible, both across all of government and also with community, to ensure that we are addressing it at its root. It’s one of the reasons why in the next couple of weeks we will have the very first Ministers’ Table on Gender Based Violence that will hear from community directly in terms of what might be gaps that exist in the system and what might be solutions coming from community that we can look at to ensure that we are really putting children at the forefront.

 

I think one of the other pieces that I would say is, while we are waiting for that table to be stood up, some of the things we’ve been doing collectively across all of government are the establishment of various types of programs that can support women who have experienced gender-based violence, or those who also identify as women who have experienced gender-based violence, and children who are also caught up in this really unfortunate issue. Some of that is the Survivors of Gender-based Violence Benefit rent supplement that is provided specifically to ensure that if someone is fleeing gender-based violence, that they’re able to access that fund.

 

We’ve also worked with partners like YWCA Halifax to establish the December 6th Fund, which also provides grants to women who are fleeing gender-based violence. We have a number of other solutions like diversion funding. If, for example, we know that someone is actually going to be losing their home because of gender-based violence, we can provide supplemental funding to bridge them into a new lease or to negotiate with their landlord or whatever is needed.

 

I think the final piece I would say as part of this is that a major part of this is also around legislation. Just in the last fall, our department would have worked with Service Nova Scotia to have a piece of legislation that allows for - if someone is actually part of a gender-based violence scenario and they’re losing their home, the landlord is now in a position to support extending the lease to that person so they’re not losing their home, which disrupts families. We know that we have a number of solutions like The Rose, that if for example, someone unfortunately happens to have a family that has faced gender-based violence, they can access The Rose, which provides housing specifically for families with children.

 

LINA HAMID: Those are definitely very important changes that were made, and we’re happy to have brought those ideas forward to the minister during the spring sitting. Regarding the newly released Child and Family Wellbeing Policy Manual, there are several concerns that have come up when going through that. First of all, guidelines around caseload standards have been removed. There’s also been obviously no mention of the child and youth advocate in there. I’m not sure where the progress is on that. Oversight and accountability are deficient. Where there used to be some direction to provide to complaints, now it only mentions the Office of the Ombudsman. On top of that, it doesn’t outline what steps should be taken to support children when family violence occurs. Can you tell us why the policy is so vague, particularly on the family violence issue?

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. Barkhouse.

 

JILL BARKHOUSE: We also are deeply concerned about the issue of family violence, impacts of gender-based violence, and recognize those issues as crucial issues in terms of supporting and strengthening families. We are very proud of the recent release of our policy manual. It has undergone a complete revision and lines up with a practice framework that’s also been developed over the course of the last two years. That practice framework really guides child and family well-being supports and services across the province, both delivered by staff within the Department of Opportunities and Social Development and with our community partners. It is based on the foundation that communities support safety and well-being of children. Our position, then, is about working in partnership with communities and service providers like Maggie’s Place to help support and strengthen families.

 

The Child and Family Wellbeing Practice Framework is also built on cultural awareness and sensitivity, specifically around Indigenous and Afrocentric voices. It also centres the principle around the child’s voice as a key tenet in terms of social work practice in the delivery of child and family services. Always in terms of supporting families, we’re recognizing the voice of children and youth as critical to the plans that impact them and that impact their safety and well-being, both in the moment and long-term.

 

Our policy, then, is built from that Practice Framework. The idea is that the Practice Framework is the guiding framework for practice and service delivery. The policy is a transparent and publicly available resource, a document that helps to be explicit around our responsibility and roles in terms of child and family services. We also have developed a comprehensive procedure piece that accompanies the policy that does guide staff in their decision-making. Pieces around caseloads and workloads for social workers within the department are included in the procedure piece. We also have built out further in that procedure a document - pieces around accountability for reviews: program reviews, responses to individual concerns and inquiries, a partnership with the Office of the Ombudsman . . .

 

THE CHAIR: Sorry. MLA Hamid.

 

LINA HAMID: I appreciate those details, but my question was about the vagueness of family violence in the policy manual.

 

JILL BARKHOUSE: Specifically around family violence, we’ve included in our policy responses around child safety all of the ways that the safety is impacted, including family violence. The specific responses aren’t included in policy, but do certainly show up in the support to staff in how we respond in terms of timeliness and partnership with community.

 

LINA HAMID: I’ll just quickly say you did mention the transparency, but it seems that things are not as transparent if we’re not seeing those in the policy manual and it’s in some guidelines somewhere that are not actually available to the public. That’s problematic. There are some great changes in there, obviously, with being culturally aware when providing the care, but the fact that caseloads are not publicly available - we don’t know what that is. As far as I understand from the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers, that’s been removed. There are no guidelines there about caseload standards. Not having anything about how the department’s going to respond to family violence in the policy manual - the public policy manual - is quite concerning.

 

I will give the rest of my time to my colleague.

 

THE CHAIR: MLA Hansen.

 

SUZY HANSEN: I’m going to touch on housing affordability, and this is for Maggie’s Place. The average Nova Scotian’s rent has gone up nearly $4,400 per year which is more than $360 a month, which is just really quite disturbing, relative to 2021 when this government first took office. Can you speak to how this is impacting families in your area specifically?

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. MacMaster.

 

SARAH MACMASTER: I certainly recognize the complexities that families are struggling with. A lot of that is due to affordability.

 

[10:30 a.m.]

 

I can speak to how it impacts our work, because we are in the business of offering family support. What it does impact is our ability to actually do the work that we’ve been tasked to do around supporting families. It’s really difficult to talk to a parent about how to create a bedtime routine or school readiness when they don’t know where the next meal is coming from or how they’re going to pay the rent.

 

The department has been helpful in supporting us with some funding so we’re able to meet as a management team and talk about how to use that to support our families, which has been really helpful. It’s not a long-term strategy by any stretch, but it has been helpful in our working with the families that do come to us and who are on caseloads if they need support with a power bill or a rent payment. We also do have food programming money to help support those things. But the complexity of families is increasing. The families that are coming, that we are seeing - many of them are outside of our scope of practice and skills. They need mental health support.

 

If you look at the Job Bank, there are many openings for mental health supports. I can’t help but take this opportunity to say that the Nova Scotia College of Counselling Therapists has a very narrow application process and there are many qualified professionals moving to Nova Scotia for quality of life who are unable to practise in Nova Scotia, who have many skills and knowledge but maybe didn’t take a Master’s in Social Work. They went somewhere else. If we look at Ontario and other provinces, they have a much wider scope and are able to get people into the workforce more quickly. We know professionals who have been working for seven months trying to figure out how to get to work in mental health. They’ve probably reached out to some of you on how to do that.

 

We do see the complexities, but without addressing some of those mental health needs, we absolutely can’t get to a place with families where we could even support them in stable housing - and they’re unmedicated and - I know your question is very broad. Lots of folks are struggling, and we’re seeing that every day.

 

SUZY HANSEN: I spoke to that for that reason. We know that it touches every level. When we think about housing and how important that is for folks - I mean, when we think about mental health supports, and we think about food insecurity, and we think about all of these things, but when your housing is insecure, everything else seems even more stressful.

 

I’m going to talk about child care spaces, because this may be something as well in your area that you’re experiencing. When parents aren’t able to find child care - they are faced with some of the highest fees in the country, and we know that child care spaces are limited. Can you speak to how this is impacting families that you work with in particular?

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. McInnis.

 

ALICIA MCINNIS: The last that I heard in our area of Cumberland County was that it’s at least two years - sometimes five, depending on the age of the child - to get in for a subsidized daycare spot, which is kind of the best option for a lot of our folks who work minimum-wage jobs and don’t have a great pay. If you work full time and you are trying to find child care and you have to go outside of our licensed daycare that has that lovely subsidy, you’re looking at upward of $40 per day per child, which really doesn’t make sense when you’re looking at your paycheque versus how much you’re paying for child care. It’s really keeping a lot of our folks out of the workforce and having to depend on other servicer providers who also are struggling to meet the needs of these families.

 

THE CHAIR: MLA Hansen with 20 seconds.

 

SUZY HANSEN: Thank you. I want to say, because your perspective is coming from that area of the province - I mean, my area is also experiencing similar things. I just kind of wanted to know what that looks like in other pockets, and what we’re hearing is very similar to everyone . . .

 

THE CHAIR: That is time for the NDP for this portion of questions.

 

We’ll move on to the Liberal caucus. MLA Mombourquette.

 

HON. DEREK MOMBOURQUETTE: Thank you all for being here today. I’m going to take the first few minutes, then I’ll pass it over to my colleague, so I’ll get right into it. Nova Scotians, as we all know, are suffering from the high cost of living. It was said in comments today; it’s been a big conversation around the committee. We can talk about power rates, rental increases, the cost of groceries, the list goes on. My first question is to the department: Was the department consulted on the government’s decision to cut the Heating Assistance Rebate Program?

 

THE CHAIR: ADM Johnson-Morrison.

 

NICOLE JOHNSON-MORRISON: What I can say is, what the department does is look for opportunities to work on a number of funds when it comes to supporting people. We know that the heating rebate is only one piece of the puzzle. There are many other pieces that we know are supporting Nova Scotian families. What we are really focused on is trying to figure out what those solutions might be that will have the most impact for the most people. We know that many families are experiencing various types of affordability challenges.

 

Some of the things that we have been working on in collaboration with other departments are things like the Nova Scotia Child Benefit, which we know has made a huge difference for a number of families, and working on things like the school lunches and also various types of funding opportunities with partners like Maggie’s Place and others across the entire province. We know that when we talk about things around affordability, heating is just one component of that. There are many other things that are being done within the department and in collaboration with other departments.

 

We also know that things like the reduction of the . . .

 

THE CHAIR: I’m going to . . . (interruption)

ADM Johnson-Morrison, please.

 

NICOLE JOHNSON-MORRISON: I was just going to say, to wrap up quickly, the reduction of the HST. We also know things like that are also making an impact on families. When we think about it, it’s an entire picture that we are looking at in terms of how we can support people.

 

DEREK MOMBOURQUETTE: Sorry about that. We only have 10 minutes, so I’m just trying to see how much time I have when I’m asking my questions. My question - similar topic - to Maggie’s Place: Have you seen the impact from families as a result of the reduction in the Heating Assistance Rebate Program?

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. MacMaster.

 

SARAH MACMASTER: For those who can benefit from the heating rebate, we have seen an impact, but not everyone can benefit from the heating rebate, depending on their living circumstances. It’s certainly not a broad program that everyone can access. While the families who have accessed it would miss it, we don’t have the ability to offer that to all of our families.

 

DEREK MOMBOURQUETTE: I appreciate that, because fewer families are accessing it. It’s something that we’re hearing across the province. Thousands of Nova Scotians who used to be able to access that program cannot. It’s something that we’re watching very closely, because it’s a program that really benefited people that has been reduced.

 

My next question is that budget consultations will be beginning soon, if they haven’t started already. Is your department looking at an increase to income assistance?

 

NICOLE JOHNSON-MORRISON: I think one thing I would say about income assistance: The department has supported a $10-million investment into income assistance. In fact, income assistance has risen twice since July 2024 - 3.5 - and again in January by 3.1 percent. It’s now indexed to inflation, which means that as inflation impacts Nova Scotians, we will see that adjusted. It really does represent a change in what income assistance actually looked like before.

 

The other piece I’d say is that we have about 25,639 households in the province that have actually benefited from income assistance, and about 38,650 beneficiaries. It really does make a difference when it’s indexed for those people who are actually utilizing income assistance.

 

THE CHAIR: MLA Rankin.

 

HON. IAIN RANKIN: Thank you for all your work on helping those most vulnerable in the province. There’s certainly nothing more important that government can do. On the same topic of income assistance, in June 2021, we made a change to allow for recipients to not have an address. You could come from a hotel, a shelter, et cetera. You referenced the total aggregate number of clients that you have on income assistance. How many are in temporary shelters, hotels, or not housed at all? Do you have that number?

 

THE CHAIR: ADM Johnson-Morrison.

 

NICOLE JOHNSON-MORRISON: What I would say on this one is that we keep a very close look in terms of the By Name List of who is actually going into any of our shelters, and we know how often we are supporting people who are on income assistance but who are also actually involved in homelessness. We are working with partners to ensure that there are diversion opportunities. If, for example, someone is unhoused, we can actually support them either through our shelter systems or supportive housing. We do have a good sense as it relates to who is actually part of the list. To say specifically how many might actually be on income assistance and also homeless, it would be something I would want to come back to give you some data on that. I don’t have that number right now.

 

What I would say is that we are working with partners and producing a number of things - a number of opportunities - like a master lease program to ensure that if, for example, someone has gone through - has been homeless, if we get them into supportive housing and once they are stabilized in supportive housing, we can then pathway them into permanent housing.

 

I think one piece I would say that I think is important is that we had a goal of 1,586 housing units to be built. We have 74 percent of that that’s already been completed. We have a total of 1,174 housing supports that have already been built, and there are a lot of families who are benefiting from that which keeps them out of the homeless population.

 

IAIN RANKIN: I think it’s an important metric to keep track of. Housing definitely relates to how people are supported and the supports through your department. Now the new Minister of Housing has said that his only interest is building more housing stock and doesn’t have an opinion when asked about policy around housing and keeping people in stable housing. My question is: Despite what the minister had to say, you’re referencing housing today from your department. What kind of coordination does exist between the Department of Opportunities and Social Development and Housing to ensure that families don’t fall into homelessness, especially those who are single parents?

 

NICOLE JOHNSON-MORRISON: We do have quite extensive collaboration that happens not just with Housing but also with the Department of Growth and Development, as well as other partners throughout the entire system of government to ensure that when we are talking about the needs for housing, we are also speaking about the needs for those who are experiencing gender-based violence, those who are, in some way, experiencing homelessness for whatever the scenario is. We know that the world has become a lot more challenging for people when it comes to affordability, so we are always looking for opportunities to partner with other departments.

 

One of the things we’re partnering on is with our engagements with the federal government when it comes to the Build Canada Homes. That takes a collaborative effort of not just our department but all other departments of government that have a stake in this.

 

THE CHAIR: MLA Rankin with about one minute.

 

IAIN RANKIN: Despite the minister’s comments, it sounds like some work is happening, but we’re hearing that families are falling behind. Do you have any metrics that show improvement on housing stability, employment outcomes, or anything to do with income assistance that helps people who need it most?

 

THE CHAIR: MLA Johnson-Morrison.

 

NICOLE JOHNSON-MORRISON: Thank you, Chair, and I appreciate getting upgraded to an MLA. (Laughter)

 

THE CHAIR: You have no idea; it’s a demotion. (Laughter)

 

NICOLE JOHNSON-MORRISON: There are a lot of options here when we think about how we support people from falling into homelessness. One of the things that we know is that any of us at any time could become homeless. We are always looking at solutions, whether it comes to providing diversion funding to keep people out of homelessness, or deciding if we can support partners like Maggie’s Place, or if there are opportunities to leverage some of the . . .

 

[10:45 a.m.]

 

THE CHAIR: Thank you. That is time for this portion of questions.

 

We move to questions from the PC caucus, beginning with MLA Stoilov.

 

DAMIAN STOILOV: My question is for Maggie’s Place. Maggie’s Place, as we all know, is home to Nova Scotia’s first Integrated Youth Services. Can you give us any feedback of how that’s going, what you’re hearing from youth or from families? What’s the feedback been?

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. MacMaster.

 

SARAH MACMASTER: Maggie’s Place is a collaborative partner in Integrated Youth Services. What I would like to say is that Cumberland County was not slated to have the first Integrated Youth Services. We were slated for Year 3. But because of the collaboration in our community, Maggie’s Place was already operating a youth centre in collaboration with the town, the police department, and many other services like the YMCA of Cumberland and Cumberland Restorative Justice Society. We were already doing something similar to what IYS is, but without the professional supports that come with the IYS.

 

This was our goal all along. We built it. Once we opened our doors, we realized that our service providers did not have the skills that youth needed. We were seeing - we then met the unhoused youth. Previously we were meeting youth from schools and other service providers, but then we were meeting kids living in cars. We knew quickly that we needed to provide something else, so when Integrated Youth Services came through the news, we knew that we were well positioned to roll with this program and already had the partnerships.

 

I believe that our Integrated Youth Services site was the only one that planned to house other organizations within it. Maggie’s Place youth staff actually work within the site. I think bridging the community services that existed from the department into the now-Anchor Youth Space Cumberland brought those kids along with the staff. It is a bright and beautiful space, but going to a new place is very intimidating. I do think some of that success is due to the partnerships that existed previously. We are hearing that there is great engagement with youth.

 

Being the first is hard, so I think what Integrated Youth Services looks like today is going to be very different from what it will probably look like in six months to a year. I think it’s really hard when you go from a manual to working on the ground.

 

I will say that I believe it’s a huge success. It’s what is needed in communities. I’ll just leave it at that.

 

DAMIAN STOILOV: On Maggie’s Place, I wonder if you could share - you provide services for children, families, young people, et cetera. Could you just share a bit about what type of service you would provide for the various levels, whether it’s a young six-year-old or a mom?

 

SARAH MACMASTER: Family resource centres are unique. They have a variety of different programming. We have federal programming, provincial programming - sorry, different funding - also United Way and local grants. We are very much a potluck of community services.

 

The department helps to support our prenatal services. Once someone’s expecting, they can come to a prenatal program. Our prenatal coordinator partners with all of the other programs that we offer. Each week families meet a new service provider, so that when we say, “Hey, would you like to go to a playgroup?” or “Would you like help installing your car seat?” or “Are you interesting in Parenting Journey home visiting?” the folks who’ve come to prenatal are already familiar with staff and programs, because those folks have a chance. We start right at the beginning.

 

Maggie’s Place also offers over a hundred different programs and services. I would say 80 percent of those are offered in partnership with other organizations. Everything we do, we marry with our partners, which increases our ability to serve families as they are able to connect with other resources through us.

 

We get them prenatally, and then we offer parenting programs and playgroups. Many of these are in outreach rural communities. We travel a lot. There are cars on the go everywhere across Cumberland and Colchester counties. We also offer youth services. It could be after-school programming, it could be - I know Alicia participated in a Wired Different program supporting parents who have children with ADHD and where to go for support.

 

Our ability to pivot to the needs of community is why we love doing this work. We can hear from community what’s missing, and we’re able to take that information and develop a program and offer it back to community. It’s really difficult to define in a few minutes. I could talk for an hour about the different things that we do, but we do community-based programming, in-home programming, one-on-one programming, and group programming. We do offer a lot of sidebar supports as well. We have grants that can help families with their dental and vision care, and help them buy a car seat or baby gate through the IWK Health Centre. We partner with several different organizations to offer a holistic approach to supporting families.

 

DAMIAN STOILOV: I’d like to pass it on to my colleague now.

 

THE CHAIR: MLA Outhit.

 

TIM OUTHIT: The other part of Bedford. My questions are going to be for Maggie’s Place. I do have some familiarity with your good work and good reputation, because I’ve spent some time in Cumberland County. I know you cover a lot of distance, a lot of territory. I know that you work closely with the department to deliver, I think you said, over 100 programs. I wanted to just focus a little bit more on strengthening families and Cultural Connections. Just tell us a little bit about those, if they’re being used well, how they’re being used, anything you can share about those for a couple minutes.

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. MacMaster.

 

SARAH MACMASTER: Strengthening families is the core of our programming. It’s what gives us the ability to do the work that we do. It’s been the most stable program funding that we have had. It’s the foundation of all the work that we do, and with other program funding, we’re able to build off that. Strengthening families is prenatal up to age 18. We can follow people through the life cycle of their child into youth. We do have other programs that can support youth beyond that, but it really is the foundation. It is well used, and we can always use more funding in that area, always.

 

It is very flexible to meet the needs of families. That’s why we really appreciate working with the department, because they understand that what a program looks like in Halifax is not what a program looks like in Advocate Harbour. Sometimes we’re the only support that comes into a community in Cumberland or Colchester County.

 

As far as the Cultural Connections initiative, I appreciate what Associate Deputy Minister James said about sometimes you just need to get it right and you don’t want to roll something out too quickly. I feel like the Cultural Connections program - I’m used to getting things done. This is a program I’ve really had to sit down and say, “We can’t even hire staff yet because our board and our staff might not be prepared. Let’s bring in someone to do some consultation, to do some anti-Black racism training with our board of directors and our staff.” We do have a staff person, and they are connecting in the community.

 

We have not yet established our round table because I don’t feel like we’ve done all the groundwork yet to get there. I do see the impact. We do see more families from the African Nova Scotian community connecting with us; we see them inviting us to events, to participate in community suppers and things like that. I really value having that program. Reaching the African Nova Scotian communities in Cumberland has been part of our strategic plan for a long time, but without those community members’ voices, we don’t know how to do it. We really value having that program. I don’t know how it’s going in other places, but we’re certainly seeing some success.

 

TIM OUTHIT: It’s certainly exciting, and I wish you great success. I mentioned in my comments, and so have you, the geographic size of Colchester and Cumberland. You’ve got some urban centres like Amherst and Truro, et cetera. You mentioned Advocate Harbour. I drove through there the other day on the way to a funeral in Parrsboro and I said, “Boy, this is big country.” Pretty good roads, I have to admit, but very big country. Tell us a little bit about how people are accessing you in the more rural areas of those two counties and where I would argue that the need is perhaps even higher because of isolation and lack of communities. Anything you want to share on how you’re accessing and any differences you see between rural and urban in your approach?

 

SARAH MACMASTER: I think, when you think about the rural communities, it really comes down to that collaboration. Folks are not going to see on our social media, on our Facebook, on our Instagram page that we’re offering an after-school program in Advocate. They’re not going to see that; they don’t have reliable internet. That’s not how they’re receiving support. In those communities, we often work with the schools. They’re our greatest ally. They know the families, they know the community members. Because we do have long-standing relationships in communities, principals will call us and say, “This is what our community needs.” That ability to then pivot to meet the needs.

 

Something that we have been seeing more of is kids are really struggling. “Can you just come and do something really fun and creative with them?” We’re getting that ask a lot. There’s not a lot for youth happening in our communities outside of maybe a sports team or something like that. Coming to meet those creative kids who just need a safe place for someone to talk to, and because we have been going to playgroups in these communities for 30 years, families know and trust us to have their youth come to a program. We’re not just a strange entity entering community and offering something.

 

TIM OUTHIT: I’ll just say thank you very much and best wishes, and I’m going to hand it over to MLA Timmins.

 

THE CHAIR: MLA Timmins.

 

DIANNE TIMMINS: Thank you, everyone, for coming. I really appreciate the information that you’re providing for us. It does take a community to raise a family throughout Nova Scotia, and every community is individual. We see that rural basis; urban as well. Having that unique flexibility to have community organizations to assist in the challenges that we face is really important. I see that in my own community as well.

 

I do want to speak about the homeless. The Province’s work on homeless and supportive housing has been led by a dedicated team in OSD. This includes supporting families with children who have experienced homelessness, but the pathways are different depending on family versus an individual. Can you talk about the program or how you would deal with that in the department? What route would you be taking?

 

THE CHAIR: ADM Johnson-Morrison.

 

NICOLE JOHNSON-MORRISON: I think your point is well taken. Families are unique and have different needs depending on their own circumstances. We also know that, to the point I was saying earlier, any of us at any time could find ourselves in a situation where we are homeless. One of the things we’ve been doing in the department is working with a number of providers like Adsum for Women and Children to ensure that we are creating scenarios for families that work with the unique needs of that family. For example, we have units at Adsum for Women and Children that are two bedrooms and four bedrooms, depending on the size of the families, that supports those who are at risk of homelessness to actually start to rebuild their lives.

 

Adsum for Women and Children’s The Rose that Adsum has is a beautiful location. They have playgrounds that are right nearby so that any of those children whose families are experiencing homelessness are able to live their lives as though they don’t even know that their family is experiencing homelessness. I think that’s what we want for any of our families, so that’s one of the initiatives that the department has on the way.

 

Another one that is also just as important is a master lease program working with a number of providers who are also helping to ensure that they are creating supportive housing opportunities for families that are specific to communities so that families - if we can work on the master lease in Cumberland or in Yarmouth, we can work on that master lease and ensure that the family can move into a community that they’re familiar with, so they don’t have to worry about changing schools and disrupting the lives of their children.

 

[11:00 a.m.]

 

There are a plethora of opportunities that we’ve been working on. We are constantly trying to deliver and develop more master-lease opportunities so that families are supported to live and thrive where they are already established with their kids in school and so forth. There are a number of those pieces around homelessness.

 

We are also ensuring that in the event that we do have someone who is potentially at risk of losing their home, we know we can support that family by providing diversion funding, which means that they could bridge their rent, and support them with tools and learning so that they can learn how to budget, so that it becomes more predictable and stable so that don’t actually become homeless. There are also the pieces around prevention that we see as very important, so when we do have someone who’s homeless, and it’s a family, we know we have a solution like the The Rose or the master-lease options. But if, for example, we can stop people from becoming homeless by providing those diversion opportunities, that is also a huge part of the solutions that we are crafting - and not just at our department, but across all of government.

 

DIANNE TIMMINS: The programs through the Nova Scotia housing authorities - it’s based on 30 percent of income, which would greatly assist. I’m assuming that you’re working with them as well in that, and with the rent subsidy program. Is that part of the diversion program or is that outside of it?

 

NICOLE JOHNSON-MORRISON: Yes, we are working with all the partners across government on these solutions. We know that it really isn’t a one-size-fits-all. It depends on what the circumstance is that someone might find themselves in. We know that when we can tailor unique solutions depending on the family - that’s part of diversion funding that we have already established. There are a number of other opportunities that we’re hearing from partners who are coming to us all the time to say, “Maybe this is a solution.” We have one in particular right now that a number of our folks are being trained on in Cape Breton with New Dawn Enterprises. Those are opportunities where we know this might be a solution that works in that community. It might not work in another. We want to try to use the opportunity to tailor solutions that meet the needs of Nova Scotians - to really meet them where they are and give them the solutions that are right for their families.

 

DIANNE TIMMINS: I’m going to move on to my next question. Your team has done tremendous work in developing a new social work practice framework. Can you tell us more about the framework, why it is important, and how it is different from before?

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. Barkhouse.

 

JILL BARKHOUSE: As I’ve mentioned, the Child and Family Wellbeing Practice Framework for delivery of services is something that we’ve worked hard to accomplish. We’ve collaborated with many partners in engaging around the development of the framework. Conversations with over 500 people led to valuable contributions in the development of the framework.

 

The framework is grounded in culturally informed responses. It really does highlight ways of being, in terms of Indigenous practices, in supporting and strengthening families, as well as African Nova Scotian histories, and impacts and recognition and acknowledgement of past harms.

 

It does guide practice in terms of supporting families. It does create a framework that has us be consistent and fair. It does position communities in our work together and with staff within the department as part of communities and not separate from the places where children live, where we live together with families that we serve.

 

With that framework, we’re really interested in the ways that we approach child safety, supporting families to be together, supporting children and youth who find themselves in the care of the minister, supporting families to adopt in all of the ways that we provide child and family services. We’re doing that work with honesty, with dignity, and with tremendous value in the ways that we relate to one another.

 

It is work that social workers have entered our department to do, are keen to do, strive to do each day, and have been doing for a very long time. It does support a continuation of good practice in serving people well. It also does support a highlight and a focus and enhancement in terms of prevention and early intervention, supporting families as soon as possible, as early as possible, and throughout their involvement in the journey of child and family services. Really, enhancing those opportunities to partner with community service providers like Maggie’s Place and others throughout the province to enhance those supportive ways of helping, and helping more so to make an impact for longer-term success for children, youth, and families.

 

Our belief with the framework is that with our partners, all together in terms of the approach to this work and the support, we can help more. We can support more, earlier. We can build more programs that really do address the issues like affordability, poverty, and concerns about housing and safety and long-term well-being. We’re doing well with investments in that area throughout the province.

 

DIANNE TIMMINS: I’m going to pass it on to my colleague. He has a few questions as well.

 

THE CHAIR: MLA MacQuarrie.

 

KYLE MACQUARRIE: I’d like to thank everyone for their time being here and your in-depth answers. I’d especially like to thank you for your hard work that is benefiting families across Nova Scotia.

 

Your department has introduced a couple of interesting funding programs that support child and family well-being clients. One of those is the Path Program, which I’m hoping you can share more about. The other is bridge funding for families working to reunite with their children. Can you talk a bit about that funding and the impact that you’ve seen from these two programs? That question is for the Department of Opportunities and Social Development.

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. Barkhouse.

 

JILL BARKHOUSE: We do have some wonderful stories from folks who have received supports through both of those programs, but I’ll hold the stories just to explain a little bit about them.

 

There are two programs that have really been impactful in terms of supporting families and youth in terms of their most vulnerable time. First off is our financial stabilization payment program. That was introduced in January 2023. There have been 541 families who have been able to receive the financial stabilization payment, and that’s a monthly payment that’s provided to families, like I said, at perhaps their most vulnerable time because it does come at a time when children, unfortunately, have come into care. Prior to that happening, of course, we were working with community partners and services in ways of helping to support and mitigate concerns, increase protection, and all of the ways that we do that in community and as close with families as possible.

 

When all of those things have been considered and exhausted, and children are coming into care, we recognize that there’s perhaps a further burden for many families at that time. We provide that financial stabilization payment each month to try to support families to maintain a relationship with their child, to maintain contact with their child, to maintain security and stability because we always want to support a reunification when that harm has happened. The stabilization payment has the goal of achieving that and supporting stability during that crucial time.

 

The Path Program has also been an exciting time for youth in this province. We have over 300 youth who have benefited from the Path Program since its implementation in January 2024. Those are youth or young adults who have been formerly in care, who were formerly in receipt of services voluntarily as young people. They’re supported financially and supported through contact with community partners.

 

Since that time, for those more than 300 youth, they have had almost 600 check-ins with youth outreach partners across the province. Those check-ins really do help, first to recognize that those young people are adults now with autonomy and choice and decision-making and sometimes need support at that stage of life, as we all do and all want for our own children. Those check-ins, those contacts, that regular touchpoint of care and concern and support and connection have been meaningful for those youth as they transition to independent adulthood.

 

KYLE MACQUARRIE: There is the standard household rate families receive each month through income assistance. My understanding is that the families can also access additional funding to meet their needs, in particular those with children. Can you talk a bit about what those other funding pieces are and how they support families receiving income assistance?

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. Griffiths.

 

JENNIFER GRIFFITHS: The standard household rate is just one way that we’re supporting families. The standard household rate is comprised based on a person’s family composition and their accommodation type. For example, a two-parent household with two children would be around $1,470 a month, but we also support in additional ways. There could be additional supports needed. Maybe it’s for medical transportation, or maybe it’s for doing daycare drop-off if someone is on their way to an appointment. It also could be for other medical-related needs - special diets, medical supplies, things like that - that all help to promote the health and financial well-being of the family.

 

In addition to those things, also for the moments that are maybe a little less planned, things like back-to-school preparation, we also have supports for back-to-school supplies. In 2024, there was a one-time increase to those supports. This year that was made permanent, so poor children under the age of 13 who are in school, that’s $100 to help the family prepare for back-to-school. For children who are over the age of 13, that’s $200. Also within that increase that was made permanent, it included children who would be four years old and attending the pre-Primary programs as well. All those supports are meant to help the family be prepared.

 

We also recognize that there are supports beyond ESIA, and we want to make sure that we’re connecting our clients to those supports where appropriate as well. It really is an all-department government approach to make sure that families are supported. We’ve heard us speak today about things like the rent supplement programs would be one referral. Also, public housing would be another one; HARP and home repair programs as well. We’re really trying to make sure that our caseworkers are aware of all of the supports and ways to help impact healthy families and provide those supports.

 

THE CHAIR: MLA MacQuarrie with under one minute left.

 

KYLE MACQUARRIE: We know that one of the biggest predictors of becoming a recipient of income assistance is having parents being in receipt of income assistance. You have some programs to help young people in that situation. One of those is the EDGE Pilot Program. There are other programs like that. I wonder if you could just take half a minute to describe some of those, please.

 

[11:15 a.m.]

 

JENNIFER GRIFFITHS: I wish I had longer for this one. EDGE has been a great success over the last seven years. We are across the province. I will quickly give you info from a recent evaluation. This provides wraparound supports for the participants. It is supports at the onset . . .

 

THE CHAIR: I’m sorry, I’ll have to interrupt you just as you’re building up. The good news is that we do have some additional time. It will be divided at seven minutes each for the NDP and Liberal caucuses and 14 minutes for the PC caucus.

 

Making the most of that, I recognize MLA Hansen.

 

SUZY HANSEN: I want to touch on the gender-based violence housing benefit. It was talked about earlier today, and how these are some programs that are helping women and other folks through gender-based violence. We recently heard from a mom who was approved for the Survivors of Gender-based Violence Benefit, but she was only approved for a one-bedroom unit. She has an 18-year-old daughter, who under these guidelines is considered too old to be a dependent, even though she’s still in high school and fleeing the same home that her mother is.

 

Given everything that we know about gender-based violence and what we talked about - it can sometimes be viewed through generations and experienced through the children and how it can have intergenerational impacts - should there be more flexibility with this benefit, especially when it comes to families that still have their children at home with them?

 

THE CHAIR: ADM Johnson-Morrison.

 

NICOLE JOHNSON-MORRISON: I think first of all, I would say that we know from transition houses and women’s shelters that there has been a good uptake of this program. People are finding it as a program that is supporting them to make choices - when they choose to leave a situation that is not safe for them. We want to encourage everyone who is in any way feeling threatened in a relationship to have the freedom to do so.

 

I would say as part of that, we expect that the transition houses, women’s shelters and partners that support this work would be allowed to work with the unique situations that come up when it comes to families. While this is a program that is run predominantly by one of our departments, if you do have a specific case like this that you’re raising, I would be happy to talk to you after this just to understand a little bit more about it and see if I can connect that person to the right supports within the department to really help to navigate that for them.

 

Thank you for bringing that forward. We can certainly try to see where we might be able to support whatever is required.

 

SUZY HANSEN: Thank you, ADM. Sometimes we have to adapt based on the needs of the client or based on the needs of the person. I think that’s wonderful, that we will have a conversation about that.

 

We have heard some positive remarks from stakeholders about this particular benefit. They think we are going in the right direction. There are just some things that obviously we need to look at when it comes to circumstances.

 

We’re also interested in a follow-up for MLA Rankin’s question on income assistance recipients who are unhoused and those income assistance amounts reduced due to their housing status. We know that there are numbers of those folks, but we also know that they don’t receive the full amount that income assistance would give if they were housed. We would love to be able to have that information as well when it’s available to give to us here at the committee. Is that okay, Chair?

 

THE CHAIR: We acknowledge that.

 

SUZY HANSEN: Thank you. I have one more question, and then I’ll pass it off to my colleague. I wanted to talk about community support mental health. I think this is really important, and I’m glad there is also the Anchor Youth Space in your location. We also know that community does for community. They pick up the pieces where government and other places don’t do so. That’s the nature of the community. I’m appreciative of the work that your folks are doing and that they’re continuing to do the work in community alongside supporters.

 

In Recommendation C.13 of the Mass Casualty Commission report, they made clear that communities in the Northern Zone need special attention. The grief and strain on folks’ overall mental health and well-being caused by the horrible events is considerable. We spoke about that earlier. Do folks in your area feel that they have enough access to the supports that they need? What would you recommend?

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. McInnis.

 

ALICIA MCINNIS: Actually, when I first started working for Maggie’s Place, I did work through their program in Wentworth. The answer - short answer - is we are getting there. Maggie’s Place is fortunate enough to have a space right in Wentworth where community goes. This is kind of their meeting spot. We have community dinners. We’re providing those kinds of wonderful programs with early childhood groups, mom groups. We have our community service navigator there once a week to help people build goals. There is still lots of work to be done in our zone, for sure, around that.

 

When we talk about our mental health supports, a lot of it is accessed online. Internet’s not great in Wentworth, and a lot of our more rural places in Cumberland County and through Colchester experience that as well. No matter what internet provider you have, the infrastructure isn’t in place at this time for people to reach out and get those supports that are in the majority offered online because there is a significant wait-list with that. Transportation is also an issue in our community for folks as well. It’s a work in progress and we’re fortunate enough to be able to do some of the work, but yes, much more in-depth work would be great.

 

THE CHAIR: MLA Hamid.

 

LINA HAMID: My question is for Maggie’s Place. Again, the Mass Casualty Commission Recommendation V.16 urged governments to ensure that women had enough income to keep themselves and their families safe. Obviously, it’s different in various regions, but a single parent living in Halifax receiving income assistance along with other federal and provincial transfers is receiving less than $300 more today than they were in 2017. With those numbers in mind and based on what you’re seeing on the ground, do you think that as a Province we are doing enough to implement this recommendation?

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. McInnis with 30 seconds.

 

ALICIA MCINNIS: Thank you for the question. It’s super important. I think that we really do need to address the fact that our province needs universal basic income at this point. Assistance is wonderful - a band-aid approach to all things for short-term. However, universal basic income would go a long way to really helping keep folks safe and helping them start a new journey in life that they need to.

 

THE CHAIR: That is time. We will move to the Liberal caucus and I recognize MLA Rankin.

 

IAIN RANKIN: I’m really interested in how you’re tracking outcomes with respect to the Income Assistance program. Are you looking at beyond just the payment delivery? Are you looking at child well-being? Are you looking at employment stability? Are you looking at housing stability? Because housing really underpins everything for people. My question really is: How is that all being tracked to assess the effectiveness of the program?

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. Griffiths.

 

JENNIFER GRIFFITHS: There are a variety of things that we are tracking related to outcomes for income assistance. Part of those would be connections for folks to employment and earnings that they’re able to bring into the household that impact monthly income. As ADM Johnson-Morrison mentioned earlier, as well, we do have information on the By Name List. We do have an understanding of who’s experiencing homelessness and who those folks are who are also receiving income assistance. We do have info to report on that as well.

 

IAIN RANKIN: Okay, great. So over the last year, how many Nova Scotians left the Income Assistance program and entered into stable employment? How many returned to assistance within 12 months, for example?

 

JENNIFER GRIFFITHS: I can say, with information that I have here today, that households that have been earning wages year-to-date - currently for 2025-26 - we have had for families with children, 895 families that have had employment earnings. Families without children for this year has been 1,990. I don’t have information today to say exactly how many of those have been able to move from the caseload and remain off the caseload for 12 months. I can say that on average, 23 percent of households offered income assistance have exited for employment.

 

IAIN RANKIN: Are you tracking that number to try to gauge continuous improvement beyond that 23 percent, or was there another baseline previous to that 23 percent? Is there improvement in this area to get people back into the workforce?

 

JENNIFER GRIFFITHS: It’s always important work that we are striving for: connecting more folks to employment opportunities. That is data that we are tracking. I do have for 2024-25 - I can say that we have had an increase. For example, families with children from 2024-25, the number was 795. Year-to-date, right now we’re at 895, so we are seeing an increase there in impact for families.

 

IAIN RANKIN: Do you have the average wait time for caseworkers on income assistant calls - the average wait time that people have to wait?

 

JENNIFER GRIFFITHS: I do not have information specifically for wait times for phone calls. Our caseworkers are always striving to return calls timely and be in connection with their clients on the regular.

 

IAIN RANKIN: Do you track clients who may have been denied? Do you have a number of clients who would have been denied in the past year? What kind of accountability exists to ensure that we have consistent decision-making on those?

 

JENNIFER GRIFFITHS: I don’t have numbers on that here today, but I can certainly follow up if that’s needed. We do track application information. Of course, we’re wanting to understand how many applicants we have applying yearly and how many of those we are making eligible or ineligible. I do not have the number today though.

 

IAIN RANKIN: What about social worker vacancies? Do you have vacancies? What’s the average caseload? What steps are being taken to address recruitment?

 

THE CHAIR: ADM James.

 

SHELLEY JAMES: We are very fortunate to have over 400 social workers working in the department. I think it’s fair to say that this is not easy work that social workers do day in and day out. They find themselves in some of the most trying situations, so like any other employer right now trying to recruit and retain employees, we’re no different than any other employer who would be facing this across the province.

 

As a department, we have made a number of changes over the last year. We introduced new pay scales for child protection social workers. We’ve increased after-hours duty compensation. A social worker being able to respond to an immediate need to keep a child safe - that compensation has increased. We have introduced paraprofessional roles to assist social workers so that social workers can actually work to their full scope of practice day in and day out, engaging with children and families.

 

In terms of caseloads, we work hard to respond immediately to any concern that is raised or referral that comes in that indicates a child is in need of protection from abuse or neglect. We take that very seriously. There’s no magic solution for this. I think there are a number of initiatives that we put in place. We have seen a decrease in the vacancies in the department. We’re also seeing more international social workers joining our department. We have been thrilled to see folks wanting to come and work in the department and do this extremely heavy lift every day.

 

THE CHAIR: Seven seconds, MLA Mombourquette.

 

DEREK MOMBOURQUETTE: I was just going on the record wanting to know when the department knew the HARP program was being cut . . .

 

THE CHAIR: Sorry, that is time. We will now move to the PC caucus. MLA MacQuarrie.

 

[11:30 a.m.]

 

KYLE MACQUARRIE: Well, you wanted more time to answer this question so I’m going to read the whole question and you can give the whole answer. Thank you.

 

We know that one of the biggest predictors of becoming a recipient of income assistance is having parents in receipt of income assistance which, of course, speaks to the generational nature of poverty. Your department has put specific programs in place to support young people living in income assistance households and for youth receiving income assistance themselves as individuals. One of those is EDGE, but there are others too. Are those programs available to youth outside of income assistance, and do you have any results that you can speak on for the programs?

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. Griffiths.

 

JENNIFER GRIFFITHS: Thank you for the opportunity to come back to this question. EDGE is just one of the many programs that we have available for low-income Nova Scotians and youth. It doesn’t have to be a recipient of ESIA or dependent of ESIA to be accessing some of these programs. EDGE is offered across the province. It’s been running now for seven years. We have locations across the province in Windsor, Kentville, we have some in Metro - in Halifax - we have New Glasgow, and we also have a virtual site now as well. Participants are able to log on in many different ways, which make sense for them.

 

The program really offers wraparound supports. It’s starting with that interaction at the beginning as the participant is entered into the program. It offers life skills. It offers mentorship, peer support. It also helps to address any barriers that the person may be experiencing to connect to employment. This might also mean connections for mental health supports as well. Through the program, the participants really formulate relationships, connections, and try to build that support system for themselves. We recognize that not all youth have a stable support system that they can lean back on, and really ask the questions of what employment means for them or what the further opportunities mean for them.

 

This program connects folks to work placements. It connects them to long-term employment opportunities as well. Some of the recent results we’ve seen from the recent survey: of the participants who participated in the survey, we had 69 percent fully complete the EDGE program. Of those, 40 percent were able to secure employment within six months of completion, and of those 40 percent, 60 percent were able to secure full-time employment.

 

One of the stories that was recently shared with me by a participant was someone who was entering the program. They described their situation of feeling physically and mentally unwell. They really didn’t know what that path forward was going to be or what their possibilities and opportunities were going to be. Through that mentorship - the peer support - they were able to identify healthy relationships in their own life, what was causing some barriers for them, and helped to overcome those things.

 

Through peer support, this person discovered that a hobby of theirs, which was artwork, really had positive feedback from their peers that: “You should be pursuing this. What can you do with this bringing you forward to employment?” This youth is now working at a storefront that produces and sells local artwork. They described that not only has it led to employment for them, but it has led to community connections, engaging with community in a way that they hadn’t in the past. They’re attending events and no longer feel that isolation that they did prior to attending the program. Just one of many great stories coming from EDGE program. But that’s not the only one.

 

We have, as well, Career Rising - another example of a program. That starts to engage lower-income youth at the age of 12 and progresses through the school years. The goal with that program is, again, mentorship, peer support. It’s about building a community and a connection for the youth who are participating. Another recent story shared with me was that of a single parent in receipt of income assistance who had three children who participated in that program. They stayed with the program for several years and all three children have gone on to connect to post-secondary education, which had led to employment opportunities for them. Circling back to the parent in that situation, they then recognized the achievements of their children and circled back with their caseworker to connect with employment opportunities themselves. They are now working at one of the daycares that one of their children is working at.

 

The program really does inspire and create those opportunities, and promotes the connection for those youths to circle back to when they might come to barriers in their new workplace and have someone to chat that through. Other examples are youth development initiatives, again relying on that mentorship and peer connection within community for youth and the great programs that the service providers are putting on through them.

 

KYLE MACQUARRIE: Thank you for your stories. They connect us in a way that policies and programs don’t. The stories really help us understand how your work is benefiting families and some of the ways we can improve them. I’d like to pass on the time to . . .

 

THE CHAIR: MLA Stoilov.

 

DAMIAN STOILOV: Could one of you enlighten us a bit better on the Strengthening Fathers program and the impact that you’ve seen on families who have gone through the program already?

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. MacMaster.

 

SARAH MACMASTER: Maggie’s Place actually doesn’t hold the Strengthening Fathers program. Other community service providers offer that in Cumberland and Colchester counties. However, we do partner with those community service groups. Oftentimes we’ll offer our space and our early childhood educators, who can provide child care during the program, making it more barrier-free. I have met folks who have gone through the program, but I can’t necessarily speak to the program itself, other than we’ve always been open to partnering with the folks who hold that funding.

 

DAMIAN STOILOV: Thank you very much for that response. I’d like to pass the floor on to MLA Timmins.

 

THE CHAIR: MLA Timmins.

 

DIANNE TIMMINS: I heard about a $2,000 bursary for income assistance recipients pursuing training. Can you talk about the tools and equipment that’s for meaningful support? How are families responding to the kind of targeted financial help regarding the bursary?

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. Griffiths.

 

JENNIFER GRIFFITHS: This is a new program. It’s the direct entry apprentice bursary. This is connecting ESIA recipients or their dependents who are entering into the trades through apprenticeship with a $2,000 bursary. This can be used towards tools, work-related clothing, or safety equipment that they might need to help them launch successfully into those roles and those jobs. It is a new program, so we don’t yet have numbers on uptake, but we’ll certainly be tracking those.

 

DIANNE TIMMINS: You’ll probably get a few phone calls because I’ve already been pushing it out into the communities. Thank you so much for that. It’s very important for further education within families. I’m going to pass it on to Tim.

 

THE CHAIR: MLA Outhit.

 

TIM OUTHIT: Maggie’s Place - roughly 30 years now? That’s exciting. Just tell me a little bit. Our world has changed so much during my time in the workforce, but even just since the pandemic. Tell me just a little bit how your program and challenges are changing and what you’re doing to try to keep up with that change. Good chance to sell yourself in here on how you have to keep moving quickly.

 

THE CHAIR: Ms. McInnis.

 

ALICIA MCINNIS: Through a lot of our work, we do hear from participants directly about what they’re looking for. We’re always communicating with them in a different number of ways, from home visiting programs to prenatal. We are in a unique space that we know directly what the community’s looking for. Speaking from my own experience, working pre-2020, it was a little bit different, a little bit more early childhood programming. We are able to provide a lot more things like loose parts programming for families so that they know how to engage in play with their kids without a cellphone or having to spend money or anything like that - using the things that in your home.

 

We are dealing with a very low-income population in Cumberland County and Colchester, so a lot of our programming goes around food security - just how to be a family and a parent in a time when it is so challenging financially, so when you’re struggling with all of that other stuff, you can, at the end of the day, know that you have some tools at home now. You can still sit on the floor and play with your kids and you don’t need to spend that money to do that. That’s a lot of what we’re doing.

 

THE CHAIR: MLA Outhit.

 

TIM OUTHIT: I think MLA MacQuarrie?

 

THE CHAIR: MLA MacQuarrie.

 

KYLE MACQUARRIE: The department has specific funding and support available for families with children with disabilities. Direct Family Support for Children is one long-standing program that many Nova Scotians have been able to access. Another newer one is the School Leavers Program, and there seems to be a lot of excitement around that. Can you run through that support, how it’s facilitated, and what eligibility requirements look like? Can you talk a bit more about support available for these families? That’s for the department.

 

THE CHAIR: ADM James.

 

SHELLEY JAMES: Our department is one of many organizations and government departments that are providing support to families with children living at home with disabilities. As you mentioned, one of the long-standing programs is Direct Family Support for Children, which helps families offset costs associated with medical transportation, medication, and respite for parents, family members, or caregivers.

 

The program considers not only income - there are eligibility requirements to meet the program - we also use family size to determine eligibility. We have had a couple of important changes to this program in the last several years. Earlier this year, we increased the amount of funding available to families. We also increased summer respite funding for families. We’ve heard stories where this has actually enabled children who are living with disabilities to participate in more than one summer day camp program. That increased support helps offset the costs families are experiencing, ensuring that their children have the availability of inclusion in all aspects of their life like any other child in the province.

 

We’ve also updated eligibility guidelines to account for cost-of-living increases. I’m sure folks have heard of the Nova Scotia Human Rights Remedy, which is also being delivered through OSD for adults who fall under the Disability Support Program. We recognize that there are a number of opportunities now and in the future to ensure that families are receiving the support they need, whether it is to care for an adult child who may have a disability or a younger child who is at home with a disability.

 

The School Leavers Program is a unique program that we recently launched in September. We’re quite excited about that. I think we all can remember being a Grade 12 student and graduation is around the corner and you’re filled with fear and anxiety on what is to happen next. Imagine if you are with a disability - that anxiety would be driven even higher. So in partnership with our colleagues in the Department of Education and Early Childhood Development, we have introduced this program that focuses on Grade 12 students who are transitioning from school to roles and opportunities in their community - giving them a sense of purpose, some excitement to know that . . .

 

THE CHAIR: That is time for - I feel like a big meanie sometimes. (Laughter) That does end the question portion of this morning’s meeting. We will have an opportunity for final comments.

 

[11:45 a.m.]

 

I will just mention that earlier I misspoke in introducing ADM Johnson-Morrison, which led me to a glib comment about whether it was a promotion or a demotion. Certainly, being an MLA - and I suspect colleagues will agree - is the greatest privilege, but equally, I think we’d all agree that the work you do every day is heavy, is absolutely important, and is potentially transformative to the lives you touch.

 

With that, we will start at this end of the table. ADM James.

 

SHELLEY JAMES: Thank you all for the opportunity to come here and speak with you today. We could have regaled you with stories upon stories of what our staff experience everyday - in some cases, very heavy, very hard, very trying and emotional experiences. There are also experiences that lift one another up. We say that it fills our cup to know that the work we are doing day in and day out is supporting healthy families.

 

I was hoping to answer a question earlier on so I’m going to weave it into my closing remarks and say that families are not just defined by blood. Family is who is in your circle. In many cases, it’s our frontline staff who become like family to our clients. They are the people who are called on the highest of high days and, honestly, on the lowest of low days. We feel - I’m speaking on behalf of all of us - extremely fortunate to work in a department that has an impact on so many lives across the province.

 

As we continue down the path to supporting healthy families in the province, we know that there is more work to do. We are excited and invigorated knowing that we are making an impact on families. We are making an impact on individuals. More importantly, we are making an impact on children in this province and giving them an opportunity to be successful. I thank you all. Thank you for your questions. Thank you to our partners at Maggie’s Place and so many other service providers across the province who walk with us every day and ensure that children and families are receiving the support that they need, when and where they need it.

 

THE CHAIR: Thank you. Additional closing remarks? Ms. MacMaster.

 

SARAH MACMASTER: Thank you for the opportunity. We take any opportunity to share the great work that’s happening in communities through family resource centres as we do have that unique position. As we talk about impacts, one thing I would like to just remind people in the room about is that sometimes I have to remind staff that they aren’t always going to see the impact of their work. Sometimes it’s years later when you run into someone.

 

I had the opportunity to be in Halifax for a family resource centre meeting last week, and I ran into a young woman in a drugstore. I looked at her and I thought, oh my goodness, “Are you from Amherst?” She said, “Yes, I am.” I said, “I knew you when you were a kid. Your parents always came to the family resource centre, and they wanted to raise you in a way that they weren’t raised. They were always fighting with each other, but they always put you first,” and she laughed. I asked, “What are you up to?” She said, “Oh, I’m going to this university and I’m taking this program. I’m taking my doctorate.” I just thought, I know that family resource centres are not responsible for that, but we were there to support that family in a time from prenatal right up until that child was into school. She even asked about some of the staff by name from the reading program that her parents took her to and I just - we don’t always see the impact of our work. I just wanted to remind people of that. Sometimes we’re asking for stats and things; it’s hard to measure. It’s really hard to measure.

 

THE CHAIR: Thank you so much. We’ll take a five-minute recess to allow you time to collect your belongings.

 

[11:49 a.m. The committee recessed.]

 

[11:53 a.m. The committee reconvened.]

 

THE CHAIR: Order. I bring this meeting back to order, please. Is there any other business today? There’s none of which I’m aware. MLA Hansen.

 

SUZY HANSEN: My colleague has put forward a motion based on what we’ve heard today.

 

Be it resolved that the Standing Committee on Community Services affirms its support for the immediate establishment of the office of child and youth advocate and recommends that the government ensures that any funding required for that office is included in the upcoming 2026-2027 budget.

 

It was distributed to each and every member.

 

THE CHAIR: Is there discussion on the motion? I’m not sure my eyes didn’t move in two directions. MLA Rankin.

 

IAIN RANKIN: I think it’s a reasonable motion, especially since it gives time for the upcoming budget. This government has a pattern of spending outside of the budget process, so I think they could stand it up before the budget. This is, I think, a very reasonable ask for the committee to simply affirm their support, because any more delay could mean that more children are underserved and could potentially experience more harm. I think that’s why the government took this as a priority to create the office. Time is always of the essence to do important things like this, so we’ll be in support.

 

THE CHAIR: MLA Stoilov.

 

DAMIAN STOILOV: The department here today said that they are committed to this office, which requires real work and consideration. This government is doing exactly that and is committed to establishing this office, which was not a priority for previous governments. We are on a timeline that will ensure that the work in this office is thorough and serves Nova Scotians well. The budget will be made for this by the Minister of Finance and Treasury Board and debated in the Legislature. It will not be built on a series of committee motions, so we will not be supporting this motion.

 

LINA HAMID: Nova Scotia is one of only two provinces without an independent child and youth advocate. The Nova Scotia NDP first tabled this legislation in 2018. The current government promised that a child and youth advocate would be in place in 2021, introduced legislation to create the office in 2024, and have yet to commit to a timeline, budget, or advocate appointment. According to the 2024 Auditor General report, there are major failures in the child welfare system. Children are some of our most vulnerable citizens and they deserve a voice that will represent them and their interests. Without a dedicated child and youth advocate, there’s no one whose sole job it is to make sure children are being truly heard. Protecting children can’t wait any longer.

 

Again, offices have been, by previous governments, put up in no time. The Office of Equity and Anti-Racism was put up immediately. It did not need five years to be put into place because it was a priority. This just, unfortunately, speaks to the priorities of the current government. I’d like to call the question for the vote.

 

THE CHAIR: Is there further debate?

 

All those in favour? Contrary minded? Thank you.

 

The motion is defeated.

 

Can everyone perhaps more clearly express?

 

All those in favour? Contrary minded? Thank you.

 

The motion is defeated.

 

There being no further business, the committee will next meet on December 2nd for the topic of Guaranteed Basic Income with witnesses from the Department of Opportunities and Social Development and Basic Income Guarantee Nova Scotia group.

 

This meeting is now adjourned.

 

[The committee adjourned at 11:58 a.m.]