No shortage of topics for discussion
When you first elected me as your MLA in 2009, I said I felt I owed it to you to report regularly on my activities to support our communities of Truro, Bible Hill, Millbrook, and Salmon River.
Too often, you elect a politician and never hear from them again until the next election. I intended to be a different kind of politician! So I attend countless events in our community not just for a “photo op,” but to get to know you – and I’ve enjoyed every opportunity, including meeting our newest community members, our refugee families.
During the recent House of Assembly session, I spent countless hours supporting our hard working teachers by holding the McNeil government accountable during Question Periods and Debates on the contentious Bill 75, and speaking at many rallies organized by parents, students and NSTU. Contrary to what the Premier has said, teachers were not asking for more money, but are desperate to improve classroom conditions since they are dealing with more challenges on an over-full workload which limits teachers’ abilities to do what they do best: Teach!
Meanwhile, I was recently approached by Cobequid Educational Centre students asking if I could help keep Truro’s musical theatre tradition going since their musical was canceled this year. After checking with their drama teacher Mr. Lutz and the NSTU, I received the thumbs up to help the kids “put on a show.” So we will be presenting “ROCK of AGES” on June 9, 10, and 11 at the Dalhousie Alumni Theatre on College Rodd in Bible Hill. A rock and roll love story set in a music club on the famed Sunset Strip in Hollywood, it features many 1980s hits, great characters, and a live teenage rock band. It is sure to please all ages!
My office on Commercial Street is where I meet with residents to discuss personal concerns. The Mental Health & Addictions crisis is very serious and my personal experience helps. But I am particularly grateful to my dedicated Constituency assistants Stephanie MacNeil and Darlene Blair who are professional, organized, kind, and compassionate. Together we form a great team.
From my frequent talks with many of you around town, I know that health care is a major concern. So let me remind you of a service that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and you can call from anywhere in Nova Scotia. It’s our 811 phone health service. If you ever have a health question or problem, phone 811 and a registered nurse will answer and help you.
Other concerns constituents often raise are the lack of a family physician, wait times for knee and hip surgery (Nova Scotia has the longest wait times in the country), general anger at the recent cuts to nursing homes ($8.5 million), and the need for more long-term care facilities in our community so our loved ones don’t have to be “shipped off” to a facility across the province, but can stay here close to family and friends. Perhaps we could build a new retirement/long-term care facility in place of the old Colchester hospital. Imagine a rooftop garden, terrace, landscaped grounds and a cafeteria with a view. In short, a place that houses our seniors in dignity and grace, comfort and beauty right downtown where it’s easy to visit them.
In the past six months I have introduced six new Bills addressing concerns important to many Nova Scotians: “Safer University and Colleges Act”; “Employment Support and Income Assistance Act”; “Film Industry Incentives Restoration Act”; “Truth and Reconciliation Commitment Act”; “Environmental Racism Prevention Act”; and “An Act to Limit Class Sizes for Nova Scotia’s Schools.”
Nov. 21, I was also honoured to be the only politician invited to speak to 2,000 people at the Halifax Women’s March on Washington. The topic: Women’s Rights and Civil Rights in the age of Trump.
When I watch the news these days I thank God my family and I, and you, dear friends and constituents, live in Canada with its relative sanity. Although major improvements are still needed in this province, we are blessed to live in a rather quiet little oasis in an often tempestuous world. And I still believe that kindness and compassion go a long way. I know you do too.