A group of residents with disabilities in Stellarton, Nova Scotia, moved into local neighbourhoods on February 4, 2026, as part of a province-wide effort to close large care facilities. The transition moves people from large-scale institutional care into community-based Small Option Homes and supported independent living so they can live more independently in ordinary houses within the community.
The move marks a major milestone for the Riverview Home Corporation, the Stellarton-based institution, which is shifting from operating a large facility toward supporting people in smaller residential settings. These smaller homes are intended to fit into local streets like other houses while providing the daily supports residents need.
This change is part of the Province of Nova Scotias five-year Human Rights Remedy, which aims to end the use of large institutions for people with disabilities by March 31, 2028. That commitment followed a 2021 Nova Scotia Court of Appeal finding of systemic discrimination; in 2023 the Province and the Disability Rights Coalition agreed to an Interim Consent Agreement (the Remedy), which the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission approved and which set the transformation timeline and targets.
Advocacy groups such as the Disability Rights Coalition of Nova Scotia have pressed for these changes for years to expand peoples choice and control over their lives. The province allocated $120 million in the 2025–26 budget toward the Disability Support Program transformation to help pay for specialized housing, staffing and other supports to move more people into neighbourhood homes.
