Nova Scotia Shelter Refuses Provincial Request to Remove Resident Ahead of Funding Cut
Northstar Shelter in New Glasgow refused a provincial request to immediately remove a male resident on September 17. Less than 24 hours later, the province announced it would end the shelter's funding in 90 days.
Northstar Shelter and Support Services in New Glasgow, Nova Scotia, refused a request from the provincial Department of Opportunities and Social Development to immediately remove a specific male resident on September 17. The refusal occurred less than 24 hours before the province announced it would end the 20-bed facility's funding in 90 days.
Lisa Deyoung, executive director of Northstar Shelter, said she received calls from the department starting September 17 regarding a person who had recently arrived at the facility. According to Deyoung, the man had recently completed a jail sentence for relatively minor offences and had not violated any shelter policies. The shelter declined the removal request.
Deyoung noted that this was the first time such an inquiry had been made to Northstar. Operators of three other provincially funded shelters told CBC News they have never received a request from the province to remove someone from their facility.
The Nova Scotia government maintains that it reserves the right to ask provincially funded shelters to remove specific people from their facilities under certain circumstances, such as serious safety or conduct concerns. However, in a written statement, the department said it cannot comment on specific situations relating to people accessing shelters and declined to confirm whether a request was made in this instance or provide details about the individual. The department also stated that its funding decision was not related to any one individual or incident.
Dwayne Wright, Northstar’s board chair, stated that the province does not have grounds to tell shelters who they can and cannot serve. Unanswered questions remain for the shelter regarding the basis of the removal request.
The dispute follows action by local officials earlier this year. In August, the New Glasgow council voted to ask the province to close Northstar, citing years of complaints including open drug use in the area. Following the funding decision, the shelter is now facing a crisis alone.