Murray Wood: Who's hot... and who's not
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NEW GLASGOW — The operator of a Nova Scotia emergency shelter says the provincial government owes local residents an explanation about why it is cutting off its funding.
The Northstar shelter made the comment after the Nova Scotia government announced that within 90 days it would stop funding the facility in New Glasgow, a small community on the province’s north shore, about 150 kilometres northeast of Halifax.
“This decision places the future of our organization — and the safety of the hundreds of people who rely on us — in serious jeopardy,” reads the organization’s statement, posted Thursday night on social media.
Less than 10,000 people live in New Glasgow, according to Statistics Canada data collected for the 2021 census.
Income data from the previous year, the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic, say more than 4,200 households in New Glasgow had a total income below $40,000. More than 1,700 of these households had a total income of less than $20,000 in 2020, which is the most recent figures available.
Premier Tim Houston’s Progressive Conservative government said this week it is seeking expressions of interest for new supportive housing projects in the area, and it will work with the shelter’s residents to identify alternative options for housing and other support.
The shelter is asking the province how the unhoused residents will survive this winter and who will be there to administer Naloxone, a drug that reverses the effects of an opioid overdose, when needed.
“Who will provide over 1,000 meals a month to those experiencing poverty? Where will the next person experiencing homelessness turn when every supportive housing unit is occupied?” reads the statement.
A spokesperson for the Department of Social Development said detailed transition planning will happen this week.
The Town of New Glasgow passed a unanimous motion last month asking the province to shut down the emergency shelter, saying the facility was not addressing the needs of people experiencing homelessness and addiction.
New Glasgow Mayor Nancy Dicks said last week it is “no secret” the town is dealing with serious safety issues.
“We’re not going to hide behind that and we’re not going to ignore it,” Dicks told reporters after a news conference in Halifax announcing the province’s plans to use federal money to establish safety projects aimed at preventing crime in three communities.
Dicks said challenges related to the 20-bed shelter were behind the town’s decision to take part in the public safety pilot project organized by the province.
Multiple media reports say New Glasgow residents have complained about public drug use, vandalism, assaults, property damage and thefts near the downtown shelter.
The council’s motion in August said a health-focused approach was needed to provide people with a chance to “stabilize” and receive treatment. The council also said it wanted the province to develop a residential rehabilitation centre.
Dicks said people from across Pictou County go to New Glasgow for health care, housing and other support, which “gives us a close view” of how challenges involving mental health, addictions, housing and poverty affect residents.
“The nature of these challenges has changed significantly in recent years,” the mayor said last week. “They are becoming more complex. And the solutions often extend beyond what police or municipal government can provide on their own.”
Erica Parrill, a spokesperson with the Department of Social Development, said in an email Friday that work to strengthen housing support in Pictou County has been underway for “some time.”
“The decision to end the relationship with Northstar reflects that broader work and our goal of making sure people have the right supports for their needs, while helping more people move from homelessness toward stable housing,” she said in an emailed statement.
Northstar said it agrees the community needs additional support to help residents facing complex challenges, but that doesn’t mean the shelter should be shut down.
“Supportive housing is a critical part of the solution — but (an) emergency shelter remains the place people turn when every other option has failed,” the organization said.
Northstar said it will not quietly accept a plan that allows people to fall through gaps created by the provincial government.
“Nor will we stand by and watch this government continue to fail the very people it was elected to serve.” This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 25, 2026.
— By Lyndsay Armstrong in Halifax.
The Canadian Press
