A Q & A with Premier Tim Houston
TRURO - Saltwire/truro News caught up with Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston last week as he spent some in Truro.
The following are five questions asked and answered with Nova Scotia’s Premier.
Q: What are the plans for the grounds that used to be home to the Colchester Regional Hospital on Willow Street in Truro?
Houston: So we just stopped by there. The demolition is progressing. It's a beautiful piece of property; over 11 acres, there is a lot of potential for that property. I think, in the fullness of time, (could provide) good use for some housing - affordable housing, a good use for potential provincial services - whether it's health care or some other department. It's a great location … it's a good piece of property. We'll make sure that it's properly used.
Q: A couple of events recently hosted in the community and participated in by your government include the signing of a memorandum of understanding (MOU) between the 13 Mi’kmaq First Nation Chiefs and the Federal Minister of Indigenous Affairs and Nova Scotia Minister of Health, April 21 in Millbrook First Nation, and the Nova Scotia Nurses Union annual convention which took place April 25 at the Best Western Glengarry in Truro; with those in mind, how does healthcare remain a priority for your government?
Houston: We were elected to fix health care and we're committed to do that, for sure. We're probably even more committed today than we ever were. We're making significant investments through the budget. People have seen that through the budget process, capital investments, investing in technology, and the people that are delivering health care. The nurse's bonus was significant. It’s important to recognize their contributions and it's also important for retention. You have to retain before you can recruit, right? So there's lots of work to do but I would hope Nova Scotians would see ‘A’, we're very focused on it, and ‘B’, I hope they start to see the needle is moving a little bit.
There are way more access points. We were just at a pharmacy clinic now, they're helping a lot of people every day. There are mobile clinics, virtual care … we're opening up ways to access care because that's what it's all about - patient care.
And on the MOU with First Nations? It's important. It's just like all of these things; we're focused on the patient and making sure the patient gets the care they need when they need it, and where they need it.
So any time we can cooperate with anyone, the federal government or other groups and organizations to help deliver care, we're interested in those discussions.”
Q: The second half of April will always be a time of sadness and remembrance in this part of the province as we remember those lost during the mass casualty tragedy of 2020. What do you feel your government has done in reaction to the events of April 18 and 19, 2020?
Houston: It’s certainly a tough time for Nova Scotians, and for Canadians, in many ways.
Everything that we've done, certainly as a government and that I've always focused on, is for the families - supporting the families, supporting the survivors, supporting the communities.
We have the commission's report; 3,000 pages with a lot of recommendations - good stuff in there that will help improve public safety. So we're focused on that, but as a province, we didn't wait for a report either. We moved on a lot of things, the alert system, all these types of things.
We know there's a lot to be done. We know what can be done through the recommendations and we're focused on that (planned actions based on the recommendations came out after Houston’s comments here)
I was, obviously, there that day when the report was tabled. I had a chance to speak with the Prime Minister and a couple of the Federal Ministers that day because it's going to take cooperation between the federal government and the provincial government. Their commitment is there, as is ours.
Q: Last spring, you were at Masstown Market to help launch the Nova Scotia Loyal program to help support local growers, producers and sellers. Is it back for the tourism season this year?
Houston: That's a program we're committed to. We're doing market research to make sure we get it right.
But, really, at its core, Nova Scotia Loyal is about supporting local producers. It's about buying local and adding a little bit of government juice behind what is often just the words. “Often, we just say ‘buy local.’
This is about supporting those who do buy local through an incentive program. We realize we need to be conscious of some of the trade deals and bigger issues but, again, at its core it's about supporting local producers and we're committed to doing that.”
Q: Did anything specific bring you to Truro this afternoon, along with Truro-bible Hill-millbrook-salmon River MLA Dave Ritcey?
Houston: We're out visiting some businesses and we'll just visit some people on their doorsteps, at their homes, to just talk about the province. We’ll hear some of the challenges for sure but also talk about some of the opportunities.
This is an incredible province, and this (Truro/colchester) is an incredible part of the province. There are a lot of good things happening. We have work to do as a government on some of the challenges we face, but the opportunities for this province and this community are significant.”