Housing crunch: Nova Scotia opens rental units for health-care workers in South Shore

CITYnews halifax / By The Canadian Press

LUNENBURG — Nova Scotia’s government says it has opened the first phase of a housing project dedicated to help health-care workers find homes in the South Shore.

Susan Corkum-Greek, member of legislature for Lunenburg, N.S., says the project will allow the province to recruit health staff who wouldn’t have otherwise come to the area because of the difficulty in finding homes.

The project at the former Wheelhouse Motel in Lunenburg has 13 rental units that are a mix of studio apartments and units with one, two and three bedrooms.

The province says it has so far spent $4.1 million on the project, and expects another three apartment units to be opened this fall at the site.

The Housing Trust of Nova Scotia is overseeing the rental units and managing applicants.

As part of Nova Scotia’s housing for health-care initiative, renters must have at least one member of their household on a list of eligible health professions.

The housing trust says all its units are rented at market rate, but tenants may qualify for a small return if the rent is more than 30 per cent of their combined household income.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2025.

The Canadian Press