A Nova Scotia woman is calling on the provincial government to reverse a decision that has cut off people who live in tents from accessing enhanced income assistance.
Jackie Lowe said she’s determined to see her son’s work through.
“As Bradley’s mom, I wanted to carry on his fight and finish what he started,” she told reporters Wednesday at Province House.
Bradley Lowe died at a Halifax encampment site in 2023, amid his legal fight for improved income assistance for people living in tents.
The 30-year-old was receiving $380, the standard payment for someone without a home, to pay for “essentials” such as food and other necessities. But he had argued he was eligible for $950, the standard rate for people with disabilities who live in a household.
“He was fighting for change because he saw others around him experiencing the same things he was,” said Jackie.
On Aug. 5, the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal ruled a tent qualifies as “accommodation,” meaning people sleeping rough should be able to access enhanced income assistance support. However, the province updated its legislation weeks later to exclude tents, effectively cancelling out the ruling.
The province made additional changes to the income assistance disability supplement in early September to exclude people living with a disability, who are also living in tents, from accessing extra funds.
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Jackie said she hopes the province will reconsider its actions.
“I just think it’s really sad to give people hope and then to take it away so quickly,” she said.
The NDP introduced a bill Wednesday called Bradley’s Law, in honour of Jackie’s son. The bill would ensure financial support is given regardless of a person’s housing status.
“The bill does what I think the court decision intended, (and that) was to codify that any kind of dwelling is eligible for the income assistance amount and the disability supplement,” said NDP Leader Claudia Chender.
Human rights lawyer Vince Calderhead, who represented Bradley in the case, said he’s asked the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission to investigate what’s transpired.
“From a legal point of view, in my view, it’s a clear human rights violation,” he told Global News.
“When you think about how deep a poverty level people in that situation are living in, this is just inexcusable.”
In response to the criticism, Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said his government is making investments to support people sleeping rough, and that these particular supports weren’t necessarily applicable to people living in tents.
“We have the income assistance program, we’re indexing that for the first time ever,” Houston said.
“I think the specific program was the enhancements to income assistance, that enhancement is for people who have additional expenses like rent, like the cost of an apartment, so it’s not really appropriate in all situations.”
But advocates say taking money away from people who are struggling won’t help them get ahead.
“Limiting someone’s income when they have found themselves, in what is often the most difficult and desperate times of their life, to then also reduce their income just sets them so much further back from being able to ultimately, eventually, not be on income assistance,” said Emma Halpern, executive director of the Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia.
For Jackie, she says more help is needed for people experiencing circumstances similar to those her son faced before he died.
“We need to look at them as people,” she said.
— with a file from The Canadian Press
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