Forrest Building, Halifax, Nova Scotia, 1887. (Courtesy of the Medical History Society of Nova Scotia. Copyright © 2002. Used with Permission.)

Thank you for visiting our site on the history of Occupational Therapy in Atlantic Canada.  In these pages, you will find a number of interesting accounts of how the profession of occupational therapy has evolved since its early beginnings in

Nova Scotia - Access to occupational therapy in Nova Scotia before the School was established at Dalhousie started in a timeline that flows from the reconstruction work after World War I

New Brunswick - Prior to the opening of the School of Occupational Therapy at Dalhousie, New Brunswick occupational therapy unfolded over a timeline starting with World War I

Prince Edward Island - Occupational therapy services were first introduced after World War I in a timeline that accelerates quikly toward the opening of the School at Dalhousie in 1982.

Newfoundland and Labrador - In Newfoundland and Labrador, occupational therapy unfolded in a timeline from the time of Jessie Luther in the late 19th century. 

This website was created as an outcome of a funded project titled "Occupational Therapy's Medical Roots in Atlantic Canada".  With contributions from regional working groups, we focused on identifying early occupational therapists in our region and the environments in which they worked.  We feel strongly that a reflection into our past is not only inspiring but informative for the growth and development of our wonderful profession. 

Please use the menu on the left to navigate through this site.  If you or someone you know is a practicing or retired occupational therapist who worked in any of the Atlantic provinces, or played a role in supporting or working with the profession in some way, please feel free to contact us to learn more about how you can submit photos or stories to our website.

What Can You Do?

Click here to get some ideas on how you can take part in preserving the history of occupational therapy in your place of work, city, region or province.

Click here for more information on how you can contribute to this project.

 Recent Events

25th Anniversary Events!  On March 7th, 2007, we launched the Celebration of the School of Occupational Therapy's 25th Anniversary!  For more information on the events which took place, please see our flyer here (Note: To view this "pdf" file, you will need Adobe Reader installed on your computer. To download the Adobe Reader, please visit the Adobe website here).