The Liberal Party
At as stop in Halifax Monday, Liberal Leader Iain Rankin promised $69 million, over four years, for the NSCC.
Rankin said it will add 400 seats in healthcare training, including 270 in the licensed practical nursing program, and 400 more in construction trades.
“The lack of an adequate supply of housing to meet demand is an issue impacting housing affordability,” he said. “This initiative will lead to more construction trades graduates who are in high demand.”
He said they will also add 6000 new seats in career-enhancing short courses, micro-credential programs, and certification programs, as well as adding 500 seats to the college’s upgrading programs.
Rankin said they will also start charging by-course, rather than by-program as they do now.
The New Democratic Party
Gary Burrill and the NDP are promising to save a pair of hospitals which were to be closed by the provincial government.
In Sydney Monday, Burrill announced they would keep the New Waterford Consolidated Hospital and Northside General Hospital open.
“Emergency rooms that can’t stay open, cuts to long-term care, closing local hospitals, a waitlist for family doctors that keeps growing and long wait times for surgery and mental health: this is the Liberal record in Cape Breton,” he said. “The choices made by the Liberal government over the last eight years have left real people behind, especially here.”
Burrill also made significant commitments to Cape Breton; to build 400 long-term care beds, open two same-day, next-day mental health clinics, create a mobile mental health crisis team and make $150-million in direct stimulus to CBRM.
The Progressive Conservative Party
Tory Leader Tim Houston is also in Halifax Monday, he’s expanding on the PC’s publicly-funded universal mental healthcare plan, first announced October 2020.
“Timely mental health care should not be restricted to Nova Scotians with insurance,” said Houston. “Under our plan, everyone will get the care they need, when they need it.”
Houston said the plan includes a separate government department dedicated to mental health and addictions, opening billing codes to allow private practitioners to deliver their service to everyone, a 24/7 mental-telehealth service, a 9-8-8 mental health crisis line, a strategy to attract new mental health professionals, and increased training options for health professionals and educators.
