• N.S. mother vows to finish late son’s fight for improved income support for tent residents

  Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
  Date: 2026-09-09 20:16:42.0
  Tags: [Nova Scotia, Housing, Social Services, Justice, Governance]

  Following an August 5, 2026 Nova Scotia Court of Appeal ruling establishing that a tent qualifies as accommodation for income assistance, the Nova Scotia provincial government updated its legislation and disability supplement regulations to exclude people living in tents from accessing enhanced financial support. In response, the provincial NDP introduced a private member's bill titled Bradley’s Law—named after Bradley Lowe, a 30-year-old who died at a Halifax encampment in 2023 during a legal challenge over income assistance rates—to mandate that financial support be provided regardless of housing status. Human rights lawyer Vince Calderhead has petitioned the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission to investigate the provincial policy change as a human rights violation.

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• N.S. government changes income assistance rules to exclude people living in tents

  Source: Nova Scotia - Halifax & Regional News
  Date: 2026-08-27 12:01:07.0
  Tags: [Nova Scotia, Housing, Social Services, Affordability, Governance]

  The Nova Scotia provincial government, acting on the recommendation of Susan Corkum-Greek, Minister of Opportunities and Social Development, introduced regulatory changes via an order-in-council to exclude unhoused individuals living in tents from receiving enhanced income assistance rates. The regulatory amendments replace the term "accommodation" with "lives in a home" and narrow the definition of "home" to self-employed units, rented spaces, lodging houses, or single-occupancy rooms. This policy change directly overturns an August 5, 2026 Nova Scotia Court of Appeal ruling in favour of the late Bradley Lowe, which had established that individuals living in tents were eligible for enhanced disability and income support. Human rights lawyer Vince Calderhead criticized the policy as forcing vulnerable individuals deeper into poverty, while the department stated the changes provide clearer administrative direction.

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