Federal foul-up leaves students hanging

Krista Desmond is a mother from Brier Island now living in Digby. By the time you read this report, she might be on the street due to a federal funding shortage.

Desmond is one of a number of area women who sought career retraining as part of a program funded by Service Canada and other partners. The continuing care assistant program delivered by Nova Scotia Community College is intended to rapidly ready healthcare workers in critical need throughout the world.

The problem is that a change in the program's start date has unveiled what is being described as mismanagement by Service Canada.

The students began applying for the program as late as June and expected to begin classes in September. But for Desmond and many of the other women, they never received the funding they were promised, and many started class with tuition still owing. "They put us on the back burner," said Desmond in an interview. "When it came time for school to start in September, it was delayed because Service Canada was busy doing other things at the time."

Desmond received notices of approval, so she made the move to Digby on Sept. 15, anticipating a Sept. 24 start to the program. Well over a month later, she's facing eviction because she has no money to pay rent. "The Friday before school was supposed to start, we still didn't know until 2 p.m. that afternoon," said Desmond. "I got a call and I was told my tuition had been paid, books had been paid, I asked about living expenses and they said they didn't know yet. I told her up front, if I didn't get a living expense I'll have to withdraw from the program. I can't live on $303 a month family allowance. My rent is $500."

Although Desmond credits aid from Southwest Nova MP Robert Thibault for receiving some of the promised funds, the story is different for the other women. For those that did receive funding, like Desmond, it was only partial funding. Some received Service Canada Funding, some received Employment Assistance funding, some received both and some received nothing, not even a phone call. "They haven't even told me yes or no if they're going to fund me," says Jennie Deveau. "All I want is an answer. If they’re in such demand for health care workers, why won't they help us?"

Deveau has been displaced from a seasonal tourism job, beginning her employment assistance claim this past April. She and the others have to pay for criminal record checks, a first aid course, and $200 for needles. Deveau is concerned that with pressure from NSCC to drop their seats in the program that many of the women will have to leave the course after everything they've put in. That's just stress on top of completing a nine-month course that's been compressed into seven months. "I'm a seasonal worker, they don't want me on unemployment every winter," said Deveau. "They must want me on unemployment. If I had stayed home, I could have drawn unemployment until April."

The Courier called Service Canada caseworkers in Digby and supervisors in Bridgewater Oct. 26 before receiving a call from a spokesperson that afternoon. He said the women were being contacted, but didn't say what message they would receive. "The demand is so great, they want our instructor to get us ready as fast as they can so we can go on placement in December," said Desmond. "We're in a rush to get done so we can go and help people, yet we have this stress from Service Canada. We can't even live in poverty unless we live in a ditch."