It was a decision Millie King said she was expecting.
On Wednesday, the P.E.I. Court of Appeal issued a unanimous decision upholding a human rights panel ruling that found the province’s disability support program was discriminatory.
Millie King filed the complaint on behalf of her daughter, Laura King, who has been diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia but was told she was ineligible for the disability support program.
“I think that it was inevitable,” Millie said.
A P.E.I. Human Rights Commission panel held a hearing on the matter and issued its decision in April 2016 that found the program was discriminatory because it didn’t included people with mental illness.
Related: Appeal court restores finding that P.E.I. discriminates against mentally ill
The panel ordered the government to include people with mental illness in the program.
It also ordered the government to pay Laura $15,000 in damages and $16,000 in costs.
The government sought a judicial review of that decision, and P.E.I. Supreme Court Justice Nancy Key sent the matter back to the panel.
Key’s decision also came about a month after the province announced it was expanding the disability support program to include people with mental illness.
Millie appealed the judicial review decision, and the court of appeal heard arguments on the matter in December.
Writing for the court of appeal, Chief Justice David Jenkins said the panel followed the law regarding discrimination and made findings and conclusions that were reasonable.
With the successful appeal, the court ordered the government to pay $12,000 in costs.
Millie said it felt like a David versus Goliath battle.
“We’re just ecstatic,” she said.
