Canadian Mental Health Association

Each year, one in four Nova Scotians experience a mental health problem or illness. But despite how common it is, mental illness continues to be met with widespread stigma: in workplaces, hospitals, schools; and especially within the justice system.

At Valent Legal we see firsthand structural stigma and discrimination play a significant role in the way certain clients are perceived within the justice system. We have a keen understanding of how mental health struggles can impair an individual’s ability to access the justice system.

Believing that respect and dignity is a basic human right for all people, including those living with a mental illness, Valent Legal has a funding partnership with the Canadian Mental Health Association Nova Scotia Division to support and enhance programming and awareness initiatives that challenge the stigma that surrounds mental illness.