After spate of intimate partner violence, N.S. announces $24M for transition houses

Facing increasing pressure to do more to address intimate-partner violence in Nova Scotia, the provincial government on Friday announced $23.7 million for transition houses.

The money is destined for the province's 10 transition houses, which last year provided temporary shelter and services for 3,500 women and children fleeing violence. Premier Tim Houston said the new funding is the direct result of a meeting he attended in January with a coalition of support groups that were pushing for more resources and direction from government.

"It was a frank discussion and it was a necessary discussion," Houston told reporters Friday. "It made an impact on me personally but also on government."

There have been seven women killed in Nova Scotia since Oct. 18, 2024, whose deaths are connected to their male partners. In five of those cases, the perpetrator killed himself.

The bulk of the funding, which was not included in last month's provincial budget, provides $17.9 million over four years to stabilize operations at transition houses. The remaining $5.8 million is existing money shifted from various government departments.

When the 2025-26 budget was tabled, government officials said it included $7 million more for transition houses and women's centres as part of more than $100 million in "continued support" that had been previously announced. Women's groups had criticized the budget for lacking "core" funding, which they describe as money for long-term operations.

On Friday, the premier said his government had recognized it needed to do more. "The need of the moment is significant so we are doing what we can to meet some of that need," he said.

The funding announcement came a day after the Elizabeth Fry Society of Mainland Nova Scotia held a vigil in Halifax in honour of the victims of intimate partner violence.

Anne de Ste Croix, executive director of the Transition House Association of Nova Scotia, welcomed the new funding, saying that it would enable the organization to look at more longer-term solutions to prevent violence.

"I think this is a significant step in the right direction and the government has indicated to us as well that this relationship doesn't end here, that we will continue to work with them and they will continue to assess our needs," she said.

Susan Leblanc, the Opposition NDP critic on the status of women, said the money announced on Friday was a long time coming.

"The funding has been requested for several years now by the organizations that are working on the ground to combat gender-based violence, and it's good to finally see it," Leblanc said.

Meanwhile, the New Democrats tabled legislation Friday to strengthen protections for domestic violence victims who rent their homes.

The bill covers situations when a lease must be broken to protect a victim of domestic abuse. Landlords would be required to offer the victim a new lease on the same terms and change apartment locks. The bill would also extend provincial housing benefits to survivors who stay in their home after an abuser moves out.