Budget Talks 2020-21
We want Nova Scotians to help shape government’s budget for the 2020-2021 fiscal year and future budgets. Send us your ideas by Tuesday, 31 December.
NS Trails - Grants
Working with the Nova Scotia Trails Federation and other partners, a host of volunteers, municipalities and not-for-profit organizations has translated into our province launching the first Trails Strategy in the province. As announced by Minister of Lands and Forestry, Honourable Iain Rankin, the chair of the Trails Federation agreed that “this shared strategy is a testament to the value of our trails and the dedicated volunteers who build and maintain them”. In fact, Beth Patillo said the trails community was “ecstatic” over the announcement.
The SANE Program
More services will soon be provided for Nova Scotians who have experienced sexual assault or abuse. I am pleased to report that those expanded services will be available here in Colchester County. The SANE (Sexual Assault Nurse Examiner) program supports survivors of sexual assault, and a contract to provide those services has been awarded to VON (Victorian Order of Nurses). VON will work with the NSHA (Nova Scotia Health Authority) to train nurses to deliver the program. These are registered nurses who will have advanced training and expertise so they can provide specialized medical and forensic response.
Colchester Community Workshop
There is something special about the Colchester Community Workshop on Arthur Street in Truro. It is true, they have a great Board of Directors who have guided decision making over the years, and who continue to move the Workshop into the future. Those decisions support and enhance the lives of adults with intellectual disabilities.
The Workshop also has a great network of business leaders and caring individuals throughout Colchester County who provide financial support through charitable donations. These contributions help maintain, enhance and expand the services and opportunities for clients. There is a great network of staff and volunteers who give tirelessly of themselves each and every day to ensure the clients are cared for and supported while at the Workshop or out in the community.
Doctors - 2019 (from Shoreline Journal)
As we continue our investments in Health Care, and in particular in doctor recruitment, there are some facts and some information that it is important for my constituents and all Shoreline readers to know.
Nova Scotia, like all other provinces in Canada, is faced with a shortage of doctors, in particular, in Family Medicine practices. Looking at our province in comparison to all other Canadian provinces, the Canadian Institute for Health Information reports that Nova Scotia has the highest number of doctors per capita in Canada. We are fortunate to be in this position. However, many of those doctors are in specialist areas, in research or in teaching at the Dalhousie Medical School. We need those doctors to be practicing in Family Medicine in our own communities. Our focus continues to be finding a family practice doctor to take over the patient roster when an older doctor retires.
NS Tourism
As the MLA for Colchester North, and in my duties as a provincial cabinet minister, I have been incredibly fortunate to represent my constituents in the legislative assembly.
A recent article by CNN placed Nova Scotia on their list of most desirable places to visit this summe (See CNN List). We know that our province is brimming with unique sights and attractions, scenic trails, plentiful historic sites, and incredible beauty from one corner to the other. However, it is nice to be recognized for something we already know, and the province has worked hard to move Nova Scotia from a vacation haven to a prominent tourism destination. With our population at an all-time high at 966,858, our unemployment rate nearing the lowest rate on record at 6.6 per cent, and more Nova Scotians working full-time than ever before, it instills pride in all of us to say we are Nova Scotians.
Ticks & Lyme Disease
As the temperature rises, many of us will be spending more time enjoying the outdoors in Northern Nova Scotia. It is important to take steps to reduce the risk of being bitten by a tick.
Nova Scotia is a suitable climate for many types of ticks. The black-legged tick (also called the deer tick) can carry and transmit the bacterial infection that causes Lyme disease. This infection initially appears as a rash near the tick bite. It may look like a bulls-eye target, and it usually appears 7 to 10 days after the bite. It can show up approximately 3 to 30 days afterward. Infected individuals also can experience flu-like symptoms such as fever, headaches, tiredness, stiff neck, joint and muscle pain. If identified early by a health care professional, it can be treated with antibiotics.
Here are some things you can do to help prevent tick bites and Lyme disease:
No Child Should Ever Go Hungry
Through Nourish NS, your Nova Scotia Liberal government is expanding the school breakfast program to provide a healthy breakfast to every single student in the province, five days a week.
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