MMC Legal Services: Michelle Morgan-Coole

01/29/2026

Inclusion NS welcomes the Disability Support Program’s decision to stop new admissions to group homes and developmental residences as of January 1, 2026, and to move forward with a planned transition over the next two and a half years so people do not have to move right away.

People currently living in these homes will stay where they are while government staff meet with organizations and share more information with residents and staff, which reflects Inclusion NS’s belief that people with disabilities should have real choices and stability in their lives.

Inclusion NS is also pleased to share information that the yearly bus and ferry pass now available to DSP participants in HRM and CBRM is another positive step that helps people travel, work, study, and take part in community life on an equal basis with others, which is at the heart of Inclusion NS’s vision of full inclusion.

01/20/2026

Nova Scotians with disabilities will soon have more choices for supported living in community with the launch of the new HomeShare program, a commitment under the Nova Scotia Human Rights Remedy.

Through the program, which launches today, January 20, participants in Nova Scotia’s Disability Support Program who choose to live in a shared home are matched with a provider in their community. Providers are paid for the support and for room and board from the participant’s individualized funding.

Every match is based on individual needs, interests, routines and expectations. Providers may help participants prepare meals, get to and from work or keep track of appointments. In some cases, participants live quite independently; in others, support is a more integrated part of daily life.

The program is delivered by established disability support service providers who co-ordinate locally with support from the government and Nova Scotia Community Living Organizations. Local co-ordinating organizations are responsible for screening providers, facilitating matches and providing ongoing support to the provider and the participant.

Recruitment is now underway for potential HomeShare providers. More information is available at: www.HomeShareNS.ca

12/01/2025

Inclusion Nova Scotia stands in solidarity with the Quebec Society for Intellectual Disabilities (SQDI) and their class action lawsuit against the Government of Quebec regarding “sheltered workshops.”

The Quebec Intellectual Disability Society (QIDS), alongside people with intellectual disabilities and family members, has launched a class action lawsuit calling for recognition of the injustices experienced by people with intellectual or other disabilities in certain work-experience programs. These include sheltered workshops and long-term internships where people work for years without pay and without opportunities to move into inclusive, paid employment.

We stand with SQDI in their efforts to advance inclusion and ensure that everyone has the opportunity to contribute and thrive through inclusive, meaningful employment.

For more information: www.sqdi.ca/en/class-action

You can also listen to the CBC segment featuring Lex Gill, a TJL lawyer representing the collective action, as she explains the situation and its goals:
https://www.sqdi.ca/.../on-parle-de-laction-collective.../

10/30/2025

As many people are well aware, the issue of Guardianship —now Supported Decision-Making —was important to my mom. This came via email the other day.

"The Nova Scotia Government is exploring options for recognizing a supported decision-making model that allows adults to make important decisions while also getting help from someone they trust. The help could include finding and understanding information, thinking through options, and sharing decisions with others.

You can provide your input in two ways:

At an in-person or virtual session between November 4 and December 12, 2025. To find a date and time that works for you, please register here (https://calendly.com/d/cspq-hkm-6w2)
By sending us your thoughts in writing, video or audio by completing this form (https://rpi.hostedincanadasurveys.ca/191254?lang=en) and uploading a file with your feedback.

We are hoping to hear from as many Nova Scotians as possible. Please share this opportunity widely with your contacts, including colleagues, partners, clients, participants, and patients. If you know an adult and their representative with a representation plan under the Adult Capacity and Decision-making Act, please encourage them to share their ideas and perspectives.

In-person and virtual sessions are being led by an external consultant, Research Power Inc., and are available to:

Adults who use or may use supported decision-making
Families, caregivers, and appointed representatives
Government representatives and service providers for government programs (e.g., Disability Support Program, Continuing Care)
Healthcare professionals, associations, and organizations
Lawyers and legal experts
Other organizations that work with people who may benefit from supported decision-making (e.g., community-based service providers, advocacy organizations)


For more information on this opportunity to have your say please visit: https://novascotia.ca/supported-decision-making-engagement/



For additional support to participate or questions, please reach out to: 1-800-961-1779 or [email protected]."

The work is never done! :)- KitKat

The Government of Nova Scotia is working to strengthen the rights of Nova Scotians through supported decision-making.

10/30/2025

The Nova Scotia Barristers' Society and the Coole family would like to let Michelle's clients know that Kelly Mittelstadt has been appointed the Custodian for the law practice for Michelle Morgan-Coole pursuant to section 53(1) of the Legal Profession Act. Michelle's clients or any other interested parties looking for information concerning client files or other matters should contact the Custodian appointed by Nova Scotia's Barristers' Society:
Kelly Mittelstadt
710 Prince Street, PO Box 1128
Truro, NS B2N 5H1
Telephone: 1-902-895-561
Fax: 1-902-895-7709
Email: [email protected]
Website: https://www.burchellmacdougall.com

08/15/2025

It is with a heavy heart I share that Michelle has passed on. We, her family want to let her clients know that more news should be incoming as we go to close her files as things came about pretty suddenly.

Michelle went into the practice of disability law because she saw a need in this province, an important one. My hope as her daughter is that someone just as dedicated can help with reforming our system in the coming years, the work is never done.

With all the love,
The Coole family

06/17/2025

It appears that the rumours are correct. The applications forms for the new Canada Disability Benefit will be available on June 20.

"Individuals who have been approved for the disability tax credit and who meet most of the eligibility criteria as listed on the do you qualify page, will receive a letter starting in June. The letter will include a unique application code and instructions on how to apply. "

The Canada Disability Benefit is a monthly payment for working-age persons with disabilities who have low income

06/12/2025

Our CEO Krista Carr, took the floor at the United Nations General Assembly and delivered an incredibly strong message

She spoke directly to *all* countries, including Canada's delegation.

This wasn't just a speech; it was a stand.

For too long, Canada has heard the UN's directives:

➡️ Repeal MAiD Track 2
➡️ Close institutions
➡️ End segregation in ALL its forms
➡️ Deliver a REAL disability benefit

These are not suggestions. They are human rights obligations.

Krista's message was clear & unwavering: Ableism rebrands, but our resolve only strengthens. Every broken promise, every new label for old exclusion, fuels our fight.

To families in Canada: We see you. Your fight matters. To governments: We see through the new labels. Rights are NOT negotiable.

"We have courage. We have the Convention. We have each other. And we are NOT going anywhere."
- Krista Carr

The world heard. Now Canada must act.

Watch her full speech below:
https://youtu.be/VilxLJew9nU

06/01/2025

A lot to unpack and a lot of mixed feelings here for me. From a professional (and also mostly personal point of view), the closure makes me very happy. My older sisters spent their lives in an institution out West and from the history of such places I know that to some degree at least, they must have been abused over the years.

I know how this must sound to some but I felt a certain degree of relief when my sister passed while awaiting her move to the community (they were closing the Training Centre). I had participated in the discussion of what was to come next, but with great trepidation given the degree of challenges she faced and the fact that the Centre and its staff was the only life she had ever known. I was really worried about how this transition would affect her and (despite how I strongly I feel about the right to community living) whether we would be doing more harm than good. Would/could this ultimately be a good thing or would it only be nothing more than cruel and unusual punishment in her mind? So yes, I can completely understand and empathize with the strong feelings of those families who don’t want their loved ones forcibly removed from their homes and lives they have ever known.

As far as the name change, see my previous post responding to the Department of Community Services’ name change. Just as with Braemore’s name change several years ago, a new name can’t and won’t ever change what’s happened there.

We have some exciting news to share!

05/31/2025

I only very recently (as in this evening) learned that there’s supposed an application form coming out for the Canada Disability Benefit. It’s the first I (and I’m sure many others) have heard a word about this, but I will keep you updated as I learn more.