Nova Scotia·NewEighty-five Nova Scotia families have received a baby gate — a vital piece of safety equipment — through a provincially funded program launched last year.Pilot launched last year meant to ease financial burden on families and keep young children out of ERsCarolyn Ray · CBC News · Posted: Sep 04, 2025 5:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 30 minutes agoParents spend on average approximately $293,000 to raise a child from the time they are born to the age of 17, or more than $17,000 a year, according to a 2023 study by Statistics Canada, (Africa Studio/Shutterstock)In the 11 years since John Johnston’s first child was born, the Nova Scotia father of six has been shocked by the rising cost of raising a family and baby-proofing a home.”Everything became so expensive,” said Johnston, who lives in New Waterford. “It’s a dog-eat-dog world out there with the price of food, cost of diapers, formula, clothing, everything.”Johnston is not alone.He and his partner, Julie Rizzo, are among 85 Nova Scotia families who’ve received a baby gate — a vital piece of safety equipment — through a provincially funded program intended to ease the financial burden on parents and keep children out of emergency rooms due to falls.The two-year pilot was launched last year through the IWK Health Centre’s Child Safety Link, an injury prevention program that has given car seats and other safety items to families in need for years. The Nova Scotia government provided $500,000 to help expand the program.So far, 171 baby gates have been handed out to parents at family resources centres and First Nations health centres across the province, a response that program organizers say proves the need is real.WATCH | IWK pilot program eases financial burden of baby proofing a home IWK pilot program eases financial burden of baby proofing a homeThe provincially funded program launched last year has so far provided 171 baby gates to 85 families in need. The CBC’s Carolyn Ray has more. The cheapest baby gates start around $50 each and can range well above $100 depending on what a family needs in their home.JoAnna LaTulippe-Rochon, executive director of Cape Breton’s Family Place Resource Centre, said she’s seeing families choose between food, paying the power bill and covering rent.Baby safety equipment, she said, is what’s being left out of shopping carts.”Certainly it is the thing that keeps me awake at night, is how difficult it is for families right now,” said LaTulippe-Rochon, who has been head of the non-profit centre for more than 30 years.It’s a concern for Sarah Mavrak as well. She’s running the program at Child Safety Link, and she said without the proper precautions at home, children can be at risk.Sarah Mavrak, a health promotion specialist with the IWK’s Child Safety Link, says falls are a serious problem, especially with young children who spend so much time at home. (Jeorge Sadi/CBC)The IWK’s last set of complete data comes from 2018. That year, the children’s emergency department had about 20,000 emergency room visits because of falls. Of those, 350 were hospitalized.Mavrak said her team realized they needed to focus more on prevention, especially when it came to stairs.”When we think about falls, we think about those scrapes or bruises which is a normal part of childhood development. But here we’re trying to prevent those serious, life-altering falls,” she said.”Baby gates are one of the most effective ways to reduce the risk of a serious fall from a staircase.”The IWK’s Child Safety Link program is also teaching families and resource centres about the differences between types of baby gates and how to safely install them. (Jeorge Sadi/CBC)A year into the program, Mavrak already sees the need to expand it throughout the Atlantic provinces so more families are equipped with baby gates.”It’s been so fantastic to see the response that we’ve had,” she said.LaTulippe-Rochon said she wants more families to know they can turn to family resource centres for help.”We are really trying to do all that we can to ensure that we can do our part to be part of the solution,” she said.ABOUT THE AUTHORCarolyn Ray is a videojournalist who has reported out of three provinces and two territories, and is now based in Halifax. You can reach her at Carolyn.Ray@cbc.caWith files from Anna Rak
171 baby gates and counting given to N.S. families in need through IWK program
