Province leaves workers in the lurch

Firing without notice is technically legal

by Antonia Zwissler

Forty-two workers at homeless shelters in Dartmouth and Halifax were fired without notice while homelessness is rising.

Up until Tuesday, July 8, Out of the Cold (OOTC) managed two shelters for Haligonians without a home. In a 30 minute whirlwind of afternoon firings, workers at both sites were kicked out of their workplaces. Those who weren’t working will have their stuff couriered to them.

Unless your workplace is on fire, it’s hard to imagine this kind of evacuation. The most recent point in time count done by the Affordable Housing Association of Nova Scotia showed that homelessness almost doubled between 2022 and 2024 to over 1,100 people.

OOTC was operating under a contract with the provincial Department of Opportunities and Social Development. Employees of OOTC expected to have the same rights as every other working person in Nova Scotia, including notice of at least a week if their employment was going to be terminated.