Up on the third floor of The Law Courts building in Halifax, down a long corridor from the elevator, is Room 314. It’s an unremarkable space, across the hall from one of the courtrooms. There are a couple of cheap office desks, a few mismatched chairs and an old green filing cabinet in the corner. […]
King’s Investigative Workshop
Posted inNews + Opinion
Why foreclosure happens in Nova Scotia
Foreclosure is perhaps the most dramatic manifestation of a huge problem facing Canadians: Skyrocketing debt. And the picture is particularly dire in the Atlantic region. According the Canadian Payroll Association, 45 percent of Atlantic Canadians say they are overwhelmed by debt, compared to the national average of 40 percent. And when it comes to mortgages, […]
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Solving the failures of mental health care
The woman in charge of the revamp of Nova Scotia’s mental health system says there is “absolutely no doubt” more money is going to be needed to fix it, but she’s not preparing a bill just yet. Linda Courey says a lot of other problems have to be solved first. Courey is senior director of […]
Posted inLifestyle
Political party leaders make mental health an election issue
Progressive Conservative Leader Jamie Baillie is promising to open mental health crisis centres in rural communities to divert patients from hospital emergency departments. And not to be outdone, the NDP under Gary Burrill has a similar plan. They differ, however on the shuttered mental health unit at the Aberdeen Hospital in New Glasgow, with Baillie […]
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The quiet crisis of mental health care in Nova Scotia
Sherry Blinkhorn has experienced the effects of mental illness most of her life. From the time she was placed in foster care at age five because her mother and grandmother had severe schizophrenia, she knew of the devastating effects it could have on families and relationships. By 12, she was absorbing issues of Psychology Today, […]
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Falling through the cracks
Few people know Nova Scotia’s mental health system as well as Truro’s Twyla Wilband. “It’s been a long road to say the least,” Wilband said, who was first diagnosed with anxiety and depression at the age of 14. Living in New Brunswick, Wilband received some counselling at school but the illness became increasingly severe, leading […]
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From a fellow warrior
A small painting hangs on the wall of the Antigonish Public Library. Its edges are a somber mix of grey, black and white, which become a brilliant array of colourful brushstrokes. At the centre of the canvas is a grey door. “‘Nothing can keep you from shining.’ A collaboration between Jordon Myles and Taryn Langille,” […]
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What help looks like
As with physical ailments, the treatment you get for mental illness depends on its seriousness. Some illness is treated in the offices of family doctors, often with drugs such as antidepressants. For those needing more intensive help, specialized services are provided by community-based clinics and programs. Patients can be referred to these clinics by their […]
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By the numbers
So much of health care is about numbers, and mental health care is no exception. Numbers of patients. Wait times. Expenditures. Here are a few of the numbers about mental health care in Nova Scotia and PEI. Money matters 2016-17 budget for community-based counseling and outpatient programs in Prince Edward Island: $10.8 million Budget for […]
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The making of Overburdened
Overburdened is the work of students in the investigative reporting workshop at the University of King’s College in Halifax, Nova Scotia. During February and March, a team of students interviewed more than 50 people in Nova Scotia and PEI, including many users of the mental health system, doctors, experts and others. A few of the […]
Posted inNews + Opinion
Terminal disease
Brenda Hurlbert left her father’s funeral in New Brunswick with a few of his most prized possessions. Hurlbert sat down at a video lottery terminal on the Digby ferry headed back to her home just outside Yarmouth. It wasn’t long before she’d blown through all of her money—all but a coin collection willed to her […]