Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia

What Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia does

Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia (HSNS) is a publicly funded, non-profit provincial healthcare organization headquartered in Halifax, Nova Scotia, that delivers audiology and speech-language pathology services to the province's residents. Established in 1963, HSNS operates 35 or more clinical sites across 25 Nova Scotia communities, including hospital co-locations at QEII Health Sciences Centre, IWK Health Centre, Dartmouth General, Yarmouth Regional, Valley Regional, South Shore Regional, and other regional hospitals, as well as standalone clinics and community health centers. The organization is licensed under the Nova Scotia College of Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists (NSCASLP) and most recently earned Accreditation Canada Exemplary Standing in 2025. Its sole counterparty for funding is the Nova Scotia provincial government; HSNS does not raise private capital and operates without shareholders or PE/VC sponsors.

HSNS delivers five core service lines: Hearing Services (prevention, testing, diagnosis, treatment, pediatric and newborn hearing); Speech & Language Services (for adults, preschoolers, and infants/toddlers); Specialized Services (balance and vestibular testing, swallowing/dysphagia therapy, autism services, hearing implant support); Industrial and Community Audiology Services (occupational noise assessments, hearing protection); and Community Services and Supports (broader care navigation, patient/family education, trauma-informed and culturally safe care). Technology under service delivery consists of clinical Electronic Medical Records (EMR), HSNS SharePoint for internal policies, and HSNS PowerPay for payroll; there is no public-facing API or commercial software product.

The business model is publicly funded healthcare delivery: services are free at the point of care to Nova Scotia residents holding a valid provincial health card, with cost-based pricing only applied to non-cardholders. HSNS operates a hybrid go-to-market motion combining self-referral (residents contact HSNS directly via a central 1-888-780-3330 line or online forms including ASL and non-English pathways) and professional referrals from physicians, ENTs, neurologists, educators, and allied health professionals. Outreach channels include a WCAG 2.1 AA-conformant website (hearingandspeech.ca), Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, and an active community engagement and patient advisory program. Affiliations with Dalhousie University's School of Communication Sciences & Disorders, the Balsam Indigenous Reconciliation Education and Advisory, Nova Scotia Health Authority, and the YourHealthNS provincial team anchor HSNS in the provincial training, Indigenous health, system-wide clinical, and technology integration ecosystems, respectively.

Name

Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia

Legal name

Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia

Website

https://hearingandspeech.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1963

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia (HSNS) is a publicly funded, non-profit provincial healthcare organization that delivers audiology and speech-language pathology services across Nova Scotia through 35+ clinical sites in 25 communities, serving health card holders at no cost.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Audiology and Speech-Language Pathology Services

NAICS

Offices of Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapists, and Audiologists (621340)

SIC

Services-Health Services (8000)

akta.pro primary industry

Audiology & Hearing Diagnostic Centers (HLAFAKAH)

akta.pro secondary industries

Audiology & Hearing Services (ENT-Affiliated) (HLAKAMAI), Laryngology & Voice/Airway Disorders (HLAKAMAE)

Keywords

• Audiology services
• Speech language pathology
• Hearing healthcare
• Communication disorder therapy
• Vestibular assessment services

Headquarters

HQ city

Halifax

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices24 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Publicly Funded Healthcare Services: As a publicly funded organization, HSNS delivers free services to Nova Scotia residents with valid health cards, funded through public/government healthcare budgets. Services include hearing tests, speech-language therapy, and specialized programs for autism, balance, and swallowing disorders.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia is a publicly funded provincial healthcare organization that delivers audiology and speech-language pathology services to Nova Scotia residents. Its core offerings include hearing testing and treatment, speech and language therapy for adults and children, specialized services (autism, balance/vestibular, swallowing, hearing implants), industrial and community audiology, and community support programs. Services are delivered at no charge to provincial health card holders across 35+ clinical sites in 25 communities by provincially licensed audiologists and speech-language pathologists.

Product overview

Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia (HSNS) is a publicly funded provincial healthcare organization, not a software product company. It operates as an integrated network of clinical services rather than a platform or software product. The organization delivers five core service lines: Hearing Services (prevention, testing, diagnosis, treatment, and pediatric hearing care), Speech & Language Services (for adults, preschoolers, and toddlers), Specialized Services (autism, balance/vestibular, swallowing, hearing implants), Industrial & Community Audiology Services, and Community Services and Supports. Services are provided free of charge to Nova Scotia residents with valid health cards across 35 clinical sites in 25 communities, delivered by licensed audiologists and speech-language pathologists. The organization does not sell products or software; it provides direct patient care services.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Hearing Services Comprehensive hearing care including hearing loss prevention, hearing testing and diagnosis, hearing treatment options, and specialized services for children and newborns. Delivered by HSNS audiologists to Nova Scotia residents.
• Speech & Language Services Speech-language pathology services for adults, preschool children, and babies and toddlers. Addresses speech, language, communication, and swallowing disorders through assessment, treatment, therapy, and support delivered by provincially licensed speech-language pathologists.
• Specialized Services Specialized hearing services (including balance and vestibular testing) and specialized speech and language services. Addresses conditions such as autism, balance and dizziness challenges, swallowing difficulties, and hearing implants.

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Dalhousie University School of Communication Sciences & DisorderscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSNS is affiliated with Dalhousie University's School of Communication Sciences & Disorders (SCSD) and provides the majority of practicum placements for SCSD students. This partnership supports training the next generation of speech-language pathologists and audiologists in Nova Scotia.
• Balsam Indigenous Reconciliation Education and AdvisorycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerHSNS has engaged Balsam Indigenous Reconciliation Education and Advisory to guide reconciliation efforts, providing expert guidance from a First Nations community in Nova Scotia. This supports the organization's Reconciliation Action Plan and EDIRA framework implementation.
• Nova Scotia Health AuthoritycoreOthersHSNS operates within the Nova Scotia health system, with many clinical sites co-located at Nova Scotia Health facilities including QEII, Dartmouth General Hospital, IWK Health Centre, and various regional hospitals. Services include inpatient speech-language pathology services at hospitals.
• Public Works (Government of Nova Scotia)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Public Works to address ongoing facility needs and space coordination. Collaboration on facility repairs and accessibility improvements at shared clinical locations.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Connect Hearing: One of the largest private audiology and hearing-aid clinic networks in Canada, offering hearing assessments, fittings, and follow-up services direct to consumers — the principal private-sector substitute for HSNS's audiology services in Nova Scotia and elsewhere.
• HearingLife Canada: National chain of audiology clinics (formerly ListenUP!) delivering hearing tests, hearing-aid dispensing, and rehabilitation services; competes directly for patients who can pay out of pocket or via private insurance rather than wait for the public system.

Regional players

• Saskatchewan Health Authority — Hearing Aid Plan: The analogous publicly funded provincial program in Saskatchewan providing audiology and hearing-aid services to residents — the closest structural analog to HSNS as a publicly funded, province-wide SLP/audiology delivery model, though in a different province.

Others

• Nova Scotia Health Authority: Provincial health-system operator that co-locates many HSNS sites and contracts HSNS for inpatient SLP and shared clinical services; closely intertwined system partner and downstream-referral counterparty rather than a competing provider.
• Speech-Language & Audiology Canada (SAC): National professional association supporting audiologists and speech-language pathologists in Canada; relevant to HSNS as the regulator-adjacent body shaping scope of practice, licensure standards, and advocacy for the clinicians HSNS employs.
• IWK Health Centre: Pediatric tertiary hospital in Halifax where HSNS runs pediatric hearing, speech, and newborn screening services; functions as a host site and a partner for pediatric referrals rather than an internal competitor.

Emerging players

• Calgary Hearing and Balance Centre: Independent audiology and vestibular specialty clinic in Alberta combining diagnostic audiology with balance/dizzy assessments, mirroring HSNS's specialist service lines (cochlear implants, vestibular testing) outside the public-system context.
• Costco Hearing Aid Centre: Retail-channel audiology service inside Costco warehouses offering discounted hearing aids and basic hearing assessments; relevant alternative-channel competitor for HSNS's hearing-aid dispensing services.

Broad incumbents

• Amplifon Canada: Global hearing-care retailer with Canadian clinics providing hearing assessments, hearing-aid fittings, and ongoing audiology care; comparable patient-facing service model and product category to HSNS's hearing services.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/HSNSofficial
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/hearing-and-speech-nova-scotia
• Instagraminstagram.com/hsnsofficial
• Xx.com/hsnsofficial

Compliance6 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles25 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Hearing and Speech Nova Scotia