BILL NO. 147
(as introduced)
1st Session, 65th General Assembly
Nova Scotia
4 Charles III, 2025
Private Member's Public Bill
Shavonne’s Law
Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin
Cumberland North
First Reading: September 25, 2025
Second Reading:
Third Reading:
An Act Respecting Minimum
Nurse-to-patient Ratios
Be it enacted by the Governor and Assembly as follows:
1 This Act may be cited as Shavonne's Law.
2 In this Act, "health authority" has the same meaning as in the Health Authorities Act.
3 (1) A health authority shall ensure that in each hospital emergency department
(a) there is a one-to-one patient ratio for patients who are triaged at level one or two at all times; and
(b) there are minimum nurse-to-patient ratios for each area of the emergency department at all times as follows:
Medical/Surgical Short-stay 1:4
(2) A health authority shall ensure that in each hospital there are minimum nurse-to-patient ratios for certain areas of the hospital at all times, except as otherwise indicated, as follows:
General Medical/Surgical Inpatient (Adult/Pediatric) 1:4
Rehabilitation 1:5 Day/Evening 1:7 Night
Focused (Special) Care (Adult/Child) 1:3
High Acuity/Step Down (Adult/Child) 1:3
Intensive Care (Adult/Child) 1:1
4 Subject to Section 6, the Government shall provide sufficient funding to each health authority to increase the number of nurses staffed in each hospital emergency department to achieve the minimum nurse-to-patient ratios required under Section 3.
5 Each health authority shall ensure that the minimum nurse-to-patient ratios required under this Act are achieved by December 31, 2025.
6 The money required for the purpose of this Act must be paid out of money appropriated for that purpose by the Legislature.
This page and its contents published by the Office of the Legislative Counsel, Nova Scotia House of Assembly, and © 2025 Crown in right of Nova Scotia. Created September 25, 2025. Send comments to legc.office@novascotia.ca.
