N.S. news: Many shelters not open to residents [Video]

HALIFAX –

Less than half of the 200 self-contained shelters Nova Scotia bought for unhoused people are open almost a year after the plan was announced.

As of Tuesday, 80 of the insulated, 70-square-foot fibreglass shelters made by the U.S. company Pallet are ready for use.

When Nova Scotia announced on Oct. 11, 2023, it was putting $7.5 million toward Pallet shelter villages, the department said vulnerable residents would benefit from them by winter of that year, along with other supports.

A spokesperson with the Department of Community Services said Tuesday work to set up the remaining 120 shelters continues, with 85 of them destined for the Halifax region and 35 for the community of Whitney Pier in Cape Breton.

The 80 shelter units that have been erected in Halifax and Kentville, N.S., are either occupied or being moved into soon.

“Winter is quickly approaching, and we are working with service providers …