N.S. election: Those on income assistance need air conditioners, advocate argues

As Nova Scotia politicians make their fall election promises, Julie Leggett is urging them to commit to helping people on income assistance stay cool during heat waves.

As Nova Scotia politicians make their fall election promises, Julie Leggett is urging them to commit to helping people on income assistance stay cool during heat waves.

The resident of New Glasgow, N.S., recently won an appeal board decision granting her a $450 reimbursement for an air conditioner, and she’s hoping the victory will become a wider policy in the Department of Community Services.

The 44-year-old bought the air conditioner with a loan from a friend this summer because she couldn’t face another stretch of weeks during which the heat increased her chronic pain and added complications to her multiple sclerosis.

However, the Department of Community Services refused to pay for the unit, leading her to make her case before the Assistance Appeal Board.

In an Oct. 22 ruling, board member Wanda MacDonald agreed with Leggett that the medical conditions she experiences are made worse by the blasts of high heat that can sweep across the province in July and August.

Air conditioners are not explicitly on a list of “special needs” that people on income assistance in the province are eligible for, according to an email from the department.

However, MacDonald noted in her written ruling that Leggett had provided medical information showing how heat could worsen her chronic pain and other health conditions. The adjudicator concluded Leggett met the regulation’s criteria that the item requested — the air conditioner — “is essential for health.”

“The appeal is granted,” wrote the board member. “The department will provide funding to reimburse the appellant for the portable air conditioner as a one-time special need.”