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Nova Scotia’s education minister says he’s confident the Halifax Regional Centre for Education follows appropriate procedures to support employees in times of need, following complaints from an administrative assistant who was stabbed while on the job.
Following a provincial cabinet meeting Thursday, Brendan Maguire was asked about the case of Angela Light, one of two employees stabbed by a student at Charles P. Allen High School in 2023.
Light spoke out for the first time in an exclusive interview with CBC News earlier this week, detailing how she alleges the school authority has failed to support her since the attack.
The school authority has stopped contributing to her pension and has withheld wage increases since she’s been off work due to complex post-traumatic stress disorder. Light also alleges her employer has refused to accommodate her return to work.
Maguire said he could not speak to individual human resources matters, but acknowledged that Light was “a victim of a horrendous crime.”
“I have a lot of confidence in the regional centres and their ability to support their [employees] …they’ve done an incredible job,” said Maguire. “This case is horrendous, it really is. But when it comes to the RCEs, I have full faith in them.”
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Light also has concerns with how the province’s Workers’ Compensation Board has handled her file. She is currently entitled to about half her salary through WCB payments and says she is struggling to make ends meet.
The WCB has yet to approve coverage for massage and chiropractic therapy. In addition, the board has not approved coverage for a therapist recommended by Light’s family doctor because that provider is not on its approved list.
Nolan Young, minister of labour, skills and immigration, was also asked about the situation following the cabinet meeting on Thursday.
He also could not speak to the specifics of Light’s case, but said “this was a very traumatic incident. Violence is completely unacceptable anywhere. Everyone deserves to have a safe workplace.”
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Asked if he is satisfied with the WCB process more broadly, Young said the WCB administers claims independently under the Workers’ Compensation Act, for which his department is responsible.
He pointed to legislative changes to the act, such as indexing benefits to 100 per cent of inflation starting in 2027, as an example of how his department is working to improve support for workers.
“We’re working very aggressively at … expanding the benefits for workers, expanding coverage and stuff,” Young said. “I think we’ve illustrated that. But … we’ll continue to listen. We’ll continue to work with our partners. We’ll continue to do things that we can to help workers.”
Since her story was published Tuesday, Light says she has heard from dozens of community members offering empathy. CBC News has also received messages from people across the country concerned about Light’s treatment and offering support.
Light confirmed Friday she has not heard from anyone within Maguire or Young’s departments, HRCE, WCB or her union, the Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union.
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