Norwegian Petter Blindheim, 94, gets Allied veteran status, but still no Canadian care

A 94-year-old Norwegian veteran living in Canada has been classified as an Allied veteran, but that doesn't mean he will automatically be allowed entry into a Halifax veterans' facility for care, his son says.

The case of Petter Blindheim, a decorated war hero who received six medals while serving with the Royal Norwegian Navy, has sparked outrage in Canada and in Norway because of the Canadian government's initial refusal to classify him as an Allied veteran. That classification has prevented him from being allowed into the Camp Hill Veterans' Memorial hospital, which is where he would like to be cared for.

Allied veterans are entitled to benefits under the War Veterans Allowance (WVA).

Blindheim was turned down for care, because he enlisted during the German occupation of Norway during the Second World War and fought as part of the "resistance" effort, Veterans Affairs Canada ruled.

Blindheim's son, Peter Blendheim, says he received a call recently from Veterans Affairs Canada stating his dad would now be recognized as an Allied veteran.

"Here's the catch — Camp Hill [is] specifically for three groups of people, I've been told: Canadian vets, Allied vets who meet special requirements, Korean vets who meet special requirements. So, now we're going further down the rabbit hole," Blendheim told CBC's Information Morning on Tuesday. 

"What's special requirements? It turns out special requirements are specialized care that cannot be provided by the community facilities that exist."

'We would never have made a stink'

Blendheim says the Veterans Affairs person told him that an example would be something like a contagious disease.

"If they were going to make it so difficult for an Allied veteran to get admitted to Camp Hill, they should just say point blank, 'We're not taking Allied veterans in Camp Hill. There's no application form for you,'" said Blendheim. "We would never have made a stink. We would never have complained."

He says the family first applied about a year ago to have his father admitted for care at Camp Hill.

In Canada, the case has generated an outpouring of support for Blindheim.

'They didn't surrender'

In Norway, the case is attracting lots of media attention, but the focus is more on the Canadian government's view that Norway surrendered to Germany in the Second World War, says Blendheim.

"What is this business about surrender? They were occupied, they didn't surrender. They don't see it as a surrender," he said.

Blindheim is one of the only Norwegian Second World War veterans living in Canada.

During one particular battle in 1942 aboard the Montbretia, a Norwegian corvette, he was honoured for saving the lives of his fellow crewmen in between torpedo attacks when he removed the primer of a depth charge at his battle station.