July 17, 2015 – Halifax – Veterans Affairs Canada
The Honourable Erin O’Toole, Minister of Veterans Affairs, today reinforced Veterans Affairs Canada’s (VAC) commitment to providing more mental health support and service excellence for Military Veterans and former RCMP members.
Minister O’Toole announced a Memorandum of Understanding has already been signed in May 2015 with the Nova Scotia Health Authority to establish and operate an operational stress injury (OSI) clinic in the Halifax area. The new OSI clinic will be part of a network of clinics across Canada which provides full assessment, diagnosis and treatment services for Military Veterans, members of the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF), current and former members of the RCMP, and their families, who are living with operational stress injuries. The recruitment process of the clinic mental health specialists has already begun and training is to begin immediately after hires are complete. This clinic will initially be established at 40 Alderney Drive, Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, in October and will be open as soon as training is completed.
The Minister also announced a total of 146 new hires by the end of March 2016 in Atlantic Canada including 34 case managers and 52 disability benefits staff. These new hires will reduce VAC’s case manager ratio to no more than 30 individuals for every case manager. This will give case managers more time to address the complex needs of Military Veterans’ and former RCMP members.
Martin Magnan
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Veterans of Affairs
613-996-4649
Media Relations
Veterans Affairs Canada
613-992-7468
Media Relations
Nova Scotia Health Authority
1-844-483-3344
