Today is International Women's Day, celebrating the social, economic, and cultural achievements of women everywhere. On this day, we can each reflect on the role we play in the pursuit of gender equality.
Our Liberal Caucus is incredibly fortunate to have strong female representation from across Nova Scotia. While much progress has been made, our government remains firmly committed to ensuring women and girls continue shaping the future of our communities, our province, and our society.
Our COVID-19 immunization rollout is on-track and is expanding to include pharmacy clinics and community health providers. Pharmacies in HRM, Shelburne, Port Hawkesbury, and Springhill will be prototype clinics, and will inform changes to vaccine delivery moving forward. Further pharmacy locations are also set to open in April.
In continuing our rollout, healthcare workers who have direct patient contact will soon receive invitations to schedule vaccination appointments. Community-based clinics will start immunizing on March 8. In addition, 13,000 doses of the AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine will also be administered starting the week of March 15th at 26 locations across the province.
For more information, visit: https://novascotia.ca/news/search/?dept=134
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:
Graduation 2019 !
Graduation time for all students across the province has arrived. This includes students leaving pre-primary to move into the primary to grade 12 public school system.
It also includes time for students leaving our public school system to pursue further studies, employment or other opportunities they wish to follow.
At this time, regardless of age or grade, students, parents and teachers celebrate the accomplishments achieved throughout the year. Support, excitement and celebration for all of our students is also very much a community effort.
COUNTERPOINT: Nova Scotia government provides just what doctor ordered
Op-Ed by Health Minister Randy Delory
The Chronicle Herald – June 4
Re: the May 21 opinion piece from Elmsdale family doctor George Burden, asking why government is investing in a provincial art gallery.
First, I want all Nova Scotians to know that I appreciate our health professionals who are willing to share their experiences and ideas in hopes of improving our health-care system. Healthy dialogue is important and can go a long way toward addressing challenges together.
It is important to note that there is a very distinct difference between capital and operational spending. The funding announced in April for a new art gallery is a single one-time provincial/federal capital investment. At the same time, we are spending more than $2 billion on health-care infrastructure with the redevelopment of the QEII Health Sciences Centre in Halifax and the redevelopment of health-care and long-term-care facilities in Cape Breton Regional Municipality. Other capital investments are being made in community health centres across the province as well.
Agencies, Boards and Commissions (ABCs)
Having an opportunity to serve your community is available to all Nova Scotia residents and I invite you to apply. There are over 100 Agencies, Boards and Commissions (ABCs) that require members to serve and provide government with advice. These ABCs include Health, Policing, Agriculture, Education, Culture, Environment, Transportation and more.
Some of these ABCs are advisory committees, councils, corporate boards and adjudicative bodies. Detailed information about ABCs including what they do, how often they meet, selection criteria and other information is available online at https://novascotia.ca/apps/abc/DeptABCList.aspx.
Serving on one of these ABCs provides an opportunity for residents to bring their personal and professional strengths together with others to help make a real impact on our communities.
2019 Budget - Capital Plan
One important part of the Nova Scotia Provincial Budget is the Capital Plan. This Plan supports infrastructure projects in communities across the province. The Capital Plan for 2019-20 is $691.3 million. The infrastructure projects include roads, schools, health care facilities and other Capital grants.
Each year the Department of Transportation & Infrastructure Renewal (TIR) prepares and publishes a 5 Year Capital Plan. This portion of the Plan is announced in November/December of each year and outlines the major Capital projects that will be completed over that 5 year period. Included in those projects are major construction for 100 series highways, improvements and asphalt projects for 100 series highways, routes and trunks and bridge replacements. This Capital Plan is announced early so that construction companies and the Nova Scotia Road Builders Association can prepare their business plans and their responses to tenders called by TIR. The Capital Plan for TIR for 2019/20 is $300 million.
The second major part of our Capital Plan is related to school construction. For the first time this year the Department of Education has also prepared and presented a 5 Year Capital Plan. This also allows for the next 5 years. That plan includes new school construction, school additions and alterations. The Capital for Education for 2019/20 is $63.1 million.
FINANCE/TREASURY BOARD--Budget 2019-20 Invests in Northern Nova Scotia
Communities in northern Nova Scotia will benefit from investments in health care, education, the economy and communities as part of Budget 2019-20.
Budget 2019-20, the government’s fourth consecutive balanced budget, estimates a surplus of $33.6 million with revenue of $11.01 billion and expenses, after consolidation adjustments, of $10.98 billion. It also projects balanced budgets in each of the following three years.
“This budget builds on our strong fiscal foundation,” said Karen Casey, Minister of Finance and Treasury Board. “Managing our finances well and balancing budgets has given us the ability to invest in new and existing programs and services for Nova Scotians, in areas most important to them.”
We offer no-charge energy assessments and home upgrades to income-qualified homeowners. Know someone we can help? 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.
|
|
 |
