Fetal Alcohol Nova Scotia (FANS)
Lighting the way for awareness, education, support, and policy change.
What’s Happening…
The First Session of the 65th Assembly resumes on February 23, 2026.
On the list of Bills to be considered is Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder Act - Bill 107.
On February 24, 2026, MLA Lisa Lachance, NDP House Leader will be presenting a “Member’s Minute” to speak to FASD in the house. FANS will be there.
Contact your MLA to stress the importance and urgency for the government to address FASD in Nova Scotia.
To find the contact information for your MLA, click here…
FANS distributed an FASD “Roadmap To Excellence” to the MLAs of the 65th Legislative Assembly as a response to Bill 107
We are gearing up our training!
One of our main focuses is sector training. We are booked for workshops and presentations with:
-St. FX Faculty of Education
-Mount St. Vincent Faculty of Education
-NSCC Early Childhood Education Support, Kingstec campus
-Family Service Nova Scotia
-Federation of Foster Families of Nova Scotia
-Nova Scotia Community Living Organizations
…with more to come!
To book your training contact us at:
fetalalcoholnovascotia@gmail.com
We have a winner…!
FANS’ own Reinier deSmit (centre) won an award for his video entry in the CanFASD conference Film Festival. Great heartfelt video about getting diagnosed with FASD as an adult. Congratulations Reinier!
Let your voice be heard!
Tell the Houston government why FASD is a priority!
premier@novascotia.ca Phone: 902-424-6600
…Or meet with you local MLA to start the discussion! https://nslegislature.ca/members/profiles/contact
We need to talk about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD)
You know someone with FASD…
Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder (FASD) is a medical diagnosis for a lifelong, hidden disability that affects the brain and body of people who were prenatally exposed to alcohol.
Individuals with FASD will experience some degree of challenges with their daily living and executive functioning and need support with motor skills, physical health, learning, memory, attention, communication, emotional regulation, and social skills. Individuals with FASD have strengths and challenges and need support to reach their full potential.
FASD is recognized as one of the leading known causes of developmental disability in the western world. It affects conservatively 4% of the population, meaning about 40,000 of Nova Scotians live with FASD. The prevalence of FASD is greater than autism, Tourette’s Syndrome, Down Syndrome, and cerebral palsy combined. Canadian research indicates that FASD is 2.5 times more prevalent than autism alone. (CanFASD, 2018)
There is currently no annualized funding for services for families or individuals with FASD in Nova Scotia.
Want to know more? You have come to the right place. We can help.
Want to receive our informative newsletters? Email us, and we will put you on our mailing list.
fetalalcoholnovascotia@gmail.com
