Mental health advocates say Nova Scotia is continuing to fall short on access to care

The Nova Scotia government says it’s making progress on improving mental health care access, but advocates say the province is falling short.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston promised universal mental health care in his 2021 campaign platform.

Houston had pledged that registered psychologists, social workers and counselling therapists would be able to directly bill the province for anyone seeking treatment, at an estimated cost of $100 million a year.

Brian Comer, minister of mental health and addictions, says the government’s goal of creating universal access to mental health care has remain unchanged.

But Isaac Wright, a social worker who works with young Nova Scotians navigating the mental health systems, says the province is nowhere near hitting its target.

Alec Stratford, registra