Ann Terry Project in Sydney to continue after deal struck with employment group

A women's employmentsupport agency in Cape Breton that had been threatened with closure has found a way to survive a change in government policy.

The Ann Terry Project, named after renowned broadcaster Ann Terry MacLellan, was set to lose its funding on July 1 after the Nova Scotia government decided it would no longer fund specialized services targeted specifically at groups such as women or people who are disabled.

That would have forced the closure of the Ann Terry Project, which has existed for 30 years.

Ann McPhee, the executive director of the Sydney-based group, said the deputy minister of Labour and Advanced Education helped broker a deal between her agency and the Employability Association of Cape Breton which works exclusively with people with disabilities.

That deal will enable the Ann Terry Project to carry on, she said.

McPhee said the Ann Terry Project and the Employability Association of Cape Breton will probably be moving into new, larger premises together, although "we'll have our own space, our own entrance."

"It'll be a women-only space and the women's services will still be managed or governed by the Ann Terry Society," she said.

McPhee credits public support for the project with helping save the agency.

"The community really spoke up," she said. "I was overwhelmed by the response and the support that we got."

As a result of the deal, the Ann Terry Project has cancelled a march of concern scheduled for March 8 which is International Women's Day.