HALIFAX — A family's bid to gain entry to a veterans' hospital for a 94-year-old man decorated for his service in the Second World War has been rejected.
The son of Petter Blindheim said in an email statement Monday night that his father's application to receive nursing home care in one of 13 empty beds at the federally funded Camp Hill Veterans' Memorial hospital in Halifax has been turned down.
Veterans Affairs initially refused to admit Blindheim because his service was as a member of the Royal Norwegian Navy, saying veterans of that force were "resistance" fighters rather than veterans of Allied forces.
His son Peter Blendheim says Ottawa has since stated that Blindheim could only be admitted to Camp Hill if he required specialized care that can't be provided in a provincial long-term care facility.
Blendheim says their fight does not stop here.
"My family is shocked. We thought we made a strong case for Camp Hill and thought our father does have a specialized need," said Blendheim in the email. "My family will keep fighting. We will not give up hope."
Blendheim says an appeal is in the works, but the process could take months.
Petter Blindheim was commended by the Royal Norwegian Navy for his courage when a torpedo sank a vessel he was serving on in November 1942.
After torpedoes struck the Montbretia, Blindheim ran to the deck and removed a primer from the depth charges he oversaw to help ensure they wouldn't go off and kill sailors in the water as the ship sank.
After the war, he emigrated to Canada.
