News/Canada/Nova Scotia

The wife of a lung transplant recipient who died in May says her family's attempt to save her husband's life has cost her their family home in Springhill, N.S.Donald Goguen, a Canadian navy veteran, died in May of complications from two lung transplants last year.Not only is Verbena Brenton-Goguen grieving her husband, but she's grappling with the financial fallout of living in Toronto for 15 months while he received treatment."I can't afford to live here," she said of their house in Cumberland County. "I will be selling it. There's no way that I'm going to retire at 60. Absolutely no way."Brenton-Goguen is one of three Nova Scotian families who have spoken to CBC News about the financial strain of accessing the life-saving surgery. While the procedure is covered by the province, all of th...

A new study that found a daily dose of information which helps men cope with the physical and mental distress of prostate cancer is also saving Nova Scotia's health system money."This is one of those rare interventions that improves outcomes and reduces costs," wrote Gabriela Ilie, a co-author who is a research psychologist and professor at Dalhousie University's medical faculty, in a recent email about the "patient empowerment program," or PEP.The program created in 2019 by Ilie and radiation oncologist Dr. Rob Rutledge includes pelvic exercises to improve bladder control, aerobic and strength exercise routines, and instruction on how to maintain intimacy despite lost sexual capacity.The six months of videos — delivered by email — also teaches meditation methods and provides "mostly plant...

Nova ScotiaWhile campaigning, Premier Tim Houston said he would look into adding air conditioners to a list of special needs covered by the social assistance program.Premier Tim Houston said during election campaign he would look into covering cost of air conditionersThe Canadian Press · Posted: Jun 25, 2025 12:40 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 hours agoJulie Leggett poses for a selfie with her air conditioning unit in her New Glasgow, N.S., home. (Julie Leggett/The Canadian Press)A Nova Scotia woman on income assistance who succeeded in forcing the province to pay for her air conditioner says she's sad other low-income people won't get the same relief.Last October, Julie Leggett from New Glasgow, N.S., won an appeal to receive provincial funding for an air conditioner because of a chronic heal...

A Nova Scotia mother says her son was denied his right to an education when he was told to stay home from school for two weeks due to behavioural challenges related to his autism spectrum disorder.Sara Mullins is a working mom of three. Her youngest son is Nash Daye, a Grade 3 student at Millwood Elementary School in Middle Sackville, N.S.Nash, 10, is on the autism spectrum, has ADHD, a learning delay and kidney disease, all of which contribute to a series of developmental and behavioural concerns, according to his doctors and specialists. Mullins said he receives one-on-one support at school but has a habit of eloping — a common instinct among autistic kids to wander away from secure locations — when he gets overwhelmed or overstimulated. That behaviour ultimately led to Nash being told t...

Diana Moser has, to the best of her knowledge, not contracted Lyme disease, a welcome status quo that might be credited to the tick-repellant clothing she wears in the yard of her East LaHave, N.S., home, or to the insect spray she squirts on herself, or to just plain-old luck.Or, it's possible the good fortune is due to what some are hoping is a "game changer" in the fight against the disease, which is caused by tick-borne bacteria and, if left untreated, can lead to severe heart, joint and nervous system symptoms.Moser is one of dozens of people in Nova Scotia, and more than 9,000 in the eastern United States, Eastern Canada and parts of Europe, who are taking part in clinical trials for a vaccine against Lyme infection."I think it's incredibly important to have," she said of a vaccine, ...

For the first time since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of Nova Scotians dying from influenza exceeds the number of COVID deaths.According to the province's latest respiratory watch report, 124 Nova Scotians have died from influenza during the 2024-25 respiratory season, which runs from Aug. 25, 2024, and will go up until Aug. 29, 2025. There have been 108 COVID deaths so far this season.Dr. Lisa Barrett, an infectious diseases doctor, said the fact there are fewer deaths due to COVID than influenza isn't any kind of positive development for the general population."Some people have said, 'Oh, thank goodness, we're back to normal,'" she said. "And I'm like, 'Well, now we've got two viruses — not just one — that are still in the really important category for hospitalizations,...

Ottawa has paid Nova Scotia several million dollars in health transfers that were previously withheld because of people paying out of pocket for private MRIs and ultrasounds.According to the federal government, no one in Canada should pay for medically necessary diagnostic imaging services, and it's been clawing back money from Nova Scotia and other provinces for allowing it to happen.However, Nova Scotia and Ottawa have come to an agreement that recently resulted in a reimbursement of $3.79 million — the total amount clawed back over the past three years. The payment was finalized in March."It's been a long time coming," said Katherine Fierlbeck, a professor of political science at Dalhousie University who studies health policy. She noted many other provinces have already made arrangement...

England will soon begin administering a vaccine to high-risk individuals that may reduce their chances of contracting gonorrhea, but a similar program is not yet in the cards for Canada.According to studies cited by England's National Health Service, the 4CMenB vaccine, which is presently used in Canada for immunization against meningitis B, has an effectiveness of 32.7 to 42 per cent against gonorrhea.To combat rising infection rates, the health service said last month it will begin administering the vaccine free of charge in August for those deemed to be at high risk of contracting gonorrhea, including gay and bisexual men who have a history of sexually transmitted infection or multiple sex partners.But the vaccine has not been authorized for this use in Canada, even as cases of gonorrhe...

In Nova Scotia, where there's a significant proportion of people living with disabilities, work is underway to measure whether the province is making progress on improving their lives.In January, the Quality of Life Index for Persons with Disabilities was released by an advocacy organization called the Nova Scotia League for Equal Opportunities (NSLEO). The index is a set of 82 indicators measuring more than a dozen areas of well-being and accessibility.The indicators will be used by the Nova Scotia government, disability organizations and others to monitor the well-being of those in the disability community and the implementation of Nova Scotia's Accessibility Act. The Act, passed in 2017, sets a goal of achieving an accessible province by 2030."We are focusing in specifically on the live...

For decades, Sherri Topple's world was overshadowed by the crushing weight of depression that no medication or therapy seemed to fix.It wasn't until she tried ketamine therapy that she finally felt a sense of relief. At her worst, the Nova Scotia woman says she could barely muster up the energy to take a shower. "You look at the shampoo bottle and think, 'It's just too far. I can't reach,'" said Topple. "So you stand there with the water running and cry and think, 'What the heck is wrong with me?'" But after completing a clinical trial through Dalhousie University and receiving five doses of ketamine back in January, she said everything changed."I have a life back. I have a better life back than what I've ever had," said Topple, who now enjoys painting, gardening and writing — hobbies she ...