Family, friends and supporters of the victims of the mass killings in rural Nova Scotia in 2020 gather following the release of the Mass Casualty Commission inquiry's final report, in Truro, N.S., on March 30.Darren Calabrese/The Canadian Press
A month after the Mass Casualty Commission described a public-health emergency in the northern part of Nova Scotia, the provincial and federal governments announced $18-million for more mental-health and grief supports.
“The impacts in the community have been devastating,” said Brian Comer, the minister responsible for Nova Scotia’s Office of Addictions and Mental Health and also a registered nurse. “Today’s commitment offers immediate supports and a long-term strategic path to work alongside communities and support them.”
Last month, the commission released its final report into the police and government response to the April, 2020, mass killing that began in Portapique, N.S., calling for more than 100 changes, some of which include re-evaluating the structure of policing in Canada, overhauling RCMP training and immediately establishing a joint provincial-federal program to address mental-health services in Colchester, Cumberland and Hants counties.
On Friday, the province announced new mental-health outreach staff based in the town of Truro in Colchester County, starting next week. A mobile unit offering health services and mental wellness support will be stationed on Saturdays at the local firehall in Bass River, near Portapique. Starting May 6, a second team will run the mobile unit and focus on community engagement.
The investment is for a two-year period, with the provincial and federal governments each contributing $9-million. “The public is demanding change and for very good reason,” federal Minister of Mental Health and Addictions Carolyn Bennett said during the funding announcement, in reference to the commission’s findings. “It is clear there were failures.”
The commission found that governmental support after the killings was inadequate, leading to a healing deficit and broken trust. The report also said the long-term implications of the lack of government support include “the potential to lead to further cycles of violence and trauma.”
Darcy Dobson, the daughter of victim Heather O’Brien, told the inquiry she did not get the help she needed. Last year, a Portapique man who was one of the few people to survive in the subdivision where the killings started struggled with mental-health issues and died suddenly. In a recent interview, Colchester County Mayor Christine Blair said family violence had worsened in the area in the wake of the mass shooting.
Critics pointed out that the announcement stopped short of unveiling a long-term strategy, which the commission recommended. The province also did not provide a clear plan on how it would address the challenge of recruiting and hiring additional mental-health professionals at a time of countrywide shortages.
Alec Stratford, executive director of the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers, said that he’s pleased to see government acting on the commission’s report, but that the announcement failed to set goals and only results in one extra staff person.
“One of the challenges we know right now is that there have been staff, clinicians, family doctors … who have been trying to meet the needs in the community for the last three years who are beyond burnt out at this point,” said Mr. Stratford, adding that using existing staff will only deepen the human resources issue. He said many of the mental-health care challenges the community is facing are a result of the inadequate government resources and response, and significantly more investment is needed – an additional $43-million to meet long-term needs based on Canadian Mental Health Association recommendations.
Mr. Comer said that he’s dedicated to meeting recruitment challenges and that the province has started looking for front-line staff to deliver community-based care, including a clinical grief lead who will be responsible for providing expertise across the health care system.
Cumberland North independent MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin welcomed the additional support, but pointed to existing disparities in obtaining mental-health care in the area compared with elsewhere in the province. She said there are no in-patient mental-health beds in the regional health care centre, and a mental-health crisis team is only available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on weekdays.
“Several times each week in my role as MLA, I am contacted by individuals, family members, and/or community stakeholders asking for help accessing health care for persons with mental illness,” she said in a statement. “It is always a challenge.”
The province said discussions are under way to identify community-based partners to help design and implement long-term programs and services.