Article content April Hubbard holds a sign as she attends a Disability Rights Coalition rally outside Province House in 2021. Photo by Ryan Taplin /The Chronicle HeraldArticle contentIn an updated review of all 90 remedy requirements for the first year, 25 were in exact compliance by March 21, 2025, he said, and 59 had attained some level of “substantial progress,” and the 43 requirements that had gained only slight progress as of his last annual report had been reduced to six this time around.Article content“Belated effectiveness, undoubtedly, incomplete compliance, certainly,” he said. “A degree of progress, nonetheless, that indicates the province is gaining traction.”Article contentGaining traction “is apparent in Year 2 performance such as key leadership roles being filled; training courses for staff development starting to be delivered; new governance structures and roles for first voice beginning to take shape; growing awareness and acceptance of the remedy by self-advocates, families, service providers, and public servants,” Prince said.Article contentArticle contentOf the 28 requirements for Year 2, Prince assessed that the province was in exact compliance on 12 of them, showing substantial progress on 10 of them and only slight progress on six.Article contentOf the 10 showing substantial progress, Prince said two fell into the significant progress category and the other eight under the sufficient progress heading.Article content‘Signs of some progress’Article content“At the end of Year 2, there are signs of some progress, though the momentum is not as rapid as the province suggests,” Prince said. “Nor are all the ‘critical conditions’ for success in place.”Article contentThe remedy sets out a five-year timeframe to implement a broad range of significant changes in provincial and local services, positive shifts in community networks and public attitudes, and in enhanced personal possibilities for individuals living with disabilities and their families. Article contentArticle contentPrince pointed to several barriers in realizing those significant changes.Article content“Worryingly, the province did not make any discernable progress over the course of Year 2 in de-institutionalizing adults under 65 from long-term care facilities,” he said.Article content“Indeed, by the end of Year 2 there was a significant increase in the number of adults under 65 living in long-term care over the baseline figures used as a benchmark for tracking remedy progress.Article content“The increase amounted to 52 more young people admitted to long-term care facilities, or 12 per cent growth. It is hard to square these results with the province’s assessment of this requirement as complete.”Article contentPrince said that appears to be unnecessary institutionalization, “imposing disadvantages” on the individuals concerned. Article content“To ensure that formal policy can guide actual practice, I recommend the province develop an explicit policy on admissions to long term care facilities for adults under 65 that is consistent with the human rights remedy and human rights principles more generally.”
Nova Scotia ‘gaining traction’ in disabled rights remedy but notable delays persist, expert says
