The Employment Support and Income Assistance Regulations have been amended through N.S. Reg. 193/2026 under section 21 of the Employment Support and Income Assistance Act. The changes are intended to update assistance rates, expand income exemptions, revise definitions, and modernize the language used throughout the regulations.

A significant part of the amendment introduces and revises terminology governing employment assistance and housing. The regulations now define an “approved education plan” as an education plan included in an employment plan that identifies educational interventions intended to improve labour-market attachment and is approved by the Department or a designated entity. They also introduce “approved high-demand-sector wages,” referring to wages from high-demand jobs and sectors approved by the Minister to address regional or provincial labour-market needs. A “designated entity” may develop, administer or oversee employment plans or employment-related services.

The amendments substantially broaden the income that does not count when determining assistance eligibility. Exempt income now expressly includes Canada and Nova Scotia child benefits, child support subject to an existing exception, foster and adoption-related payments, the Canada groceries and essentials benefit, Canada Workers Benefit payments, poverty reduction and affordable living tax credits, income tax refunds, fuel and heating assistance, caregiver benefits, provincial board and commission honorariums, qualifying bursaries and scholarships, approved student loans, registered disability savings plan withdrawals, the Canada disability benefit, qualifying RESP withdrawals, dependent-child wages, rent supplements and several other specified benefits.

The regulation also creates a specific exemption for employment income in high-demand sectors. Up to $3,000 per fiscal year in combined approved high-demand-sector wages earned by a recipient and their spouse is excluded from chargeable income. This provides an explicit incentive for recipients to take employment in sectors identified as having regional or provincial labour-market needs.

Assistance rates are reorganized around household composition and accommodation circumstances. Recipients living in a home or boarding are entitled to the standard household rate, while separate enhanced and essential rates apply in specified circumstances. The new schedule establishes, among other amounts, a standard rate of $738 for one recipient with no dependent children living at home, $1,035 for one recipient with one dependent child, and $1,442 for two recipients without dependent children. The enhanced rate for one recipient is $1,022, while the essentials rate is $410 for one recipient and $820 for two. Other amounts include a $410 dependent-child allowance, a $216 barrier-free access allowance and a $324 disability supplement.

Nova Scotia (193/2026) September 8, 2026
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