HRM will soon begin collecting information for a voluntary vulnerable persons registry — a decision voted on unanimously by councillors at Tuesday’s meeting.
“Year after year we’re having more scenarios where it’s needed,” councillor Becky Kent told council earlier this week. “This is a very strong reactive approach to it and proactive approach to it.”
The registry would be used during emergency events in the region, such as the Tantallon wildfires and Hurricane Fiona.
“At the end of the day it will be a knock on the door saying, ‘Are you OK?’ And that’s the biggest thing,” said HRM Director of Emergency Management Erica Fleck.
She says the objective of the registry is to take the anxiety away from people who feel that they have no help and no way to get out if there is an emergency.
For accessibility advocate Gerry Post, he’s elated by the quick response by HRM on the suggestion of a vulnerable persons registry.
“Knowing that, you know, there is a way out if something happens,” Post said. “Otherwise, where do I go?”
Post has called for a registry at the provincial level for years.
“Storms, especially, don’t restrict themselves to administrative boundaries,” he said. “The concern that I would have — we have 49 municipalities, do we want 49 separate, independent registries? In case we have a disaster that includes multiple municipalities, as happened during Fiona.”
Post uses a wheelchair himself and says there’s no doubt that he will be submitting his name to this emergency management list.
When asked whether the province is considering a Nova Scotia-wide approach to registries of this kind, Heather Fairbairn of Nova Scotia’s Emergency Management Office said, “We are pleased that Halifax Regional Municipality has announced plans for a vulnerable person registry. Like other jurisdictions across the country, Kings County already maintains a voluntary registry for residents. In Canada, all vulnerable persons registries are administered at the municipal level.”
The municipal program will be based on self-referral, focusing broadly on persons with disabilities as well as seniors.
Residents receiving care or assistance from a long-term care home or supportive housing facility are not eligible, alongside residents receiving 24-hour support from a caregiver or home care aide and residents under the age of 18 that receive parent/guardian support — although exceptions may apply.
“There’s a lot of elderly people in their nineties that live alone, you know, and they’re quite capable of living alone,” said Fleck. “But during an emergency, they may not be able to get out of their hosue quickly, they might need assistance.”
For disability advocate Victoria Levack, the key word for this registry is ‘voluntary.’
She says she’s choosing not to be on the list, but trusts everyone to make the decision that is best for them.
“As long as it’s voluntary I guess it’s fine, but I do have some concerns,” Levack said. “Because, although this list could be used for good things right now as it is intended to be, any time a government puts minorities on a list my hackles go up.”
Fleck says only three people in the office would ever have access to the registry’s information and that all access and privacy laws are being followed.
Once ready, residents wishing to join the registry will be able to give their information online or by phone.
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