Close X
Tuesday, November 26, 2024
ADVT 
National

Veterans Affairs To Rule On Whether To Admit Decorated Halifax Veteran To Care

The Canadian Press, 09 Jun, 2016 11:07 AM
    HALIFAX — A family's battle to gain entry to a veterans' hospital for a 94-year-old man decorated for his service in the Second World War could have a resolution today.
     
    The son of Petter Blindheim says he's expecting a decision as early as this afternoon on whether Ottawa will relent and let his father receive nursing home care in one of 13 empty beds at the federally funded Camp Hill Veterans' Memorial hospital in Halifax.
     
    Veterans Affairs initially refused to admit Blindheim because his service was as a member of the Royal Norwegian Navy, saying veterans of that force were "resistance" fighters rather than veterans of Allied forces.
     
    Peter Blendheim says the department retreated from that position and is now insisting his father, who has long lived in Canada, meet a fresh hurdle of showing he requires "special care" that isn't provided by a provincially funded nursing home.
     
    Blendheim, who spells his name differently from his father, joined his sister Karen Blendheim-Higgins and veterans' activist Peter Stoffer at a news conference today outside the hospital to urge the federal minister to admit Blindheim.
     
    The siblings said their father performed heroically after his ship was torpedoed and deserves the high quality care available at Veterans' Memorial.
     
    Stoffer, a former NDP veterans affairs critic, says Blindheim's struggle is the latest sign that Ottawa is trying to download the cost of veterans' care onto the provinces by creating bureaucratic entry to the federally funded care.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Former Canadian Teen Idol Bobby Curtola Dies, Family Says

    Former Canadian Teen Idol Bobby Curtola Dies, Family Says
    A teen idol in Canada during the early '60s, Curtola also made his mark internationally in 1962 with the singles "Fortune Teller" and "Aladdin."

    Former Canadian Teen Idol Bobby Curtola Dies, Family Says

    Boxing Legend To Be Remembered Today At Calgary Memorial

    Boxing Legend To Be Remembered Today At Calgary Memorial
    The boxing legend converted to Islam in the mid-1960s, changing his name from Cassius Clay.

    Boxing Legend To Be Remembered Today At Calgary Memorial

    Some Vancouver Companies Lure, Retain Workers With Jobs That Make A Difference

    Some Vancouver Companies Lure, Retain Workers With Jobs That Make A Difference
    VANCOUVER — As Michelle Reid watches Vancouver house prices soar while preparing for the arrival of her first baby, she sometimes kicks herself for not buying property 10 years ago

    Some Vancouver Companies Lure, Retain Workers With Jobs That Make A Difference

    No Escorted Temporary Absences For Man Convicted In Jane Creba Slaying

    No Escorted Temporary Absences For Man Convicted In Jane Creba Slaying
    Jorrell Simpson-Rowe was one of four people found guilty in Jane Creba's death.

    No Escorted Temporary Absences For Man Convicted In Jane Creba Slaying

    Inside The Vote: How The Liberals Convinced A Hesitant Caucus To Support C-14

    Inside The Vote: How The Liberals Convinced A Hesitant Caucus To Support C-14
    OTTAWA — Doug Eyolfson did not love the physician-assisted dying bill at first, but he ended up supporting it.

    Inside The Vote: How The Liberals Convinced A Hesitant Caucus To Support C-14

    Christian University Takes Fight Over Law School To Top Courts In Ontario, B.C.

    Christian University Takes Fight Over Law School To Top Courts In Ontario, B.C.
    TORONTO — A private Christian university that forbids sexual intimacy outside heterosexual marriage will be in Ontario's top court this week, seeking a green light for its proposed law school after the province's law society denied it accreditation.

    Christian University Takes Fight Over Law School To Top Courts In Ontario, B.C.