Nova Scotia spending spree touted as indication of potential spring election

A Nova Scotia government spending spree - more than $40 million has come in a flurry of recent daily announcements is heightening speculation Premier Stephen McNeil will call an election this spring.

Erin Crandall, a political scientist at Acadia University, said the spending stands in stark contrast to the Liberal government’s tough line when it imposed a contract on more than 9,000 unionized public school teachers in February. “This spring you are seeing a lot of spending from a government that for the last few years has been saying there is no money to spend,” said Crandall.

“This is probably a good indication that if it’s not a spring election, then they are certainly thinking about an election that is coming soon.”

Nova Scotia is the only province without a fixed election date; the government will reach the four-year mark in October. Government spending in March included $7.1 million over two years to put the electronic public health information system online; $4.45 million for a Transportation Department maintenance garage near Bridgewater; $2.25 million for a community centre for Jordantown, Acaciaville and Conway; and $13.6 million over three years for an action plan for seniors. Millions more were also announced as part of a federal-provincial program for affordable housing. Among spending so far this month is $3.2 million for a project to convert the Holy Angels Convent in Sydney into a centre for the arts.

Although she drew no conclusions, Crandall said it generally helps to pay attention to where the announcements are being made in order to decipher the government’s intentions.

She said governments typically make announcements in ridings that are perceived to be competitive.