HALIFAX – Nova Scotia’s health minister says his department will review a funding cut for a program provided to 13,000 Nova Scotians by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind.
Leo Glavine says his department will also take over responsibility from the Department of Community Services, which formerly administered the funding, and will be assessing what’s needed to provide sustainable funding in the next fiscal year.
The change followed a protest at the legislature Thursday by advocates for the vision rehabilitation therapy program.
Pamela Gow-Boyd, the CNIB’s regional vice-president, says the program needs nearly $500,000 in immediate funding and about $1 million in annual sustainable funding to meet the needs of blind and partially sighted Nova Scotians.
“Because of a lack of funding for vision rehabilitation therapy, the health and safety of 13,000 blind and partially-sighted Nova Scotians is in jeopardy,” she said at a news conference Thursday morning.
The CNIB says the only province that currently provides sustainable funding as part of its health care services is Quebec.
Gow-Boyd met with Glavine and emerged to say she was encouraged by what she was told and will meet with the minister again later this month.
– With a file from Rebecca Lau
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