September 3, 2026
Nova Scotia Liberals are calling on the Houston government to explain why it has quietly shortened the application window for the Seniors Care Grant, giving seniors just three months to apply for a $750 benefit they have come to rely on to help cover rising household costs.
Applications for the 2026-27 Seniors Care Grant opened this week. While the program previously allowed seniors to apply from September through March 31, the government has now moved the deadline forward to December 1 – cutting the application period by four months.
“For seniors living on fixed incomes, $750 can make a real difference when the cost of everything from heating to groceries keeps going up,” said Interim Liberal Leader Iain Rankin. “Government should be making it easier for Nova Scotians to access this support, not giving them a shorter window and hoping everyone gets the message in time. Seniors have enough to worry about without having to keep track of government deadlines that have suddenly changed.”
The Liberals are calling on the province to clearly explain the rationale for shortening the application period and ensure seniors have ample opportunity to access the support for which they are eligible.
“At a time when seniors are already feeling the squeeze from higher prices, there is no good reason to put another hurdle in front of them,” said Rankin. “The Houston government needs to immediately explain why it made this change and whether it has considered how many seniors could miss out as a result.”