The mother of a man who was murdered nearly six years ago is speaking out about a huge cash payment to the person whose information brought the killer to justice.

Ryan White was shot and killed in July 2010. Nearly six years after his murder, a man has been given a $150,000 reward for coming forward with information that led to the arrest and conviction of his killer.

“It was helpful, it brought some peace to the entire family,” says Theresa White, Ryan’s mother.

It took three years for that person to come forward and only after the case was added to Nova Scotia's rewards for major unsolved crimes program.

While White is happy the program exists, she says it has also been upsetting because of who the recipient is.

“(He) is close to Ryan, so to take money versus genuine feelings, to want to get closure for families, for himself even, it seems a little selfish,” says White.

Police say the information provided by the informant was information they would not otherwise have.

“The information was around who the person involved with the shooting was, provided some eye witness testimony,” says Deputy Chief Bill Moore, with the Halifax Regional Police.

There are currently 81 other cases on the list, eligible for that $150,000. The program has been in place for 10 years and this is just the second time the reward has been handed out.

The first time was for the Melissa Peacock murder. She went missing in 2011 and, eight months later, her remains were found in a shallow grave in Colchester County, N.S. Brothers Dustin and Joshua Preeper are now serving life sentences.

Nova Scotia’s justice minister, Diana Whalen, says the program does what it was intended to do.

“I think the program is really good as it is,” says Whalen. “It has a high level of requirements. As I said, you would only get a payment if there is a conviction. That doesn't happen that easily.”

“I would say the fact that we've used it at least twice already, and I believe it's been accessed in other cases as well, but maybe not all the way through, shows that there's value,” says Moore.

White agrees, but says some of the money should be donated to her son's children.

“They still have to live and grow up and have a good life without a dad,” says White.

White says she’s grateful for closure, but says no amount of money will bring her son back.

With files from CTV's Kayla Hounsell