Premier Tim Houston visited the CKBW studios this summer during his tour of the province. Photo: Government of Nova Scotia.
In a year-end interview with Premier Tim Houston, he feels progress was made on the healthcare and housing fronts but recognizes there is still lots to be done.
Houston names three big healthcare wins
When asked what Houston thought were the most significant strides forward in healthcare made in 2023 he listed 3, the implementation of the Patient to Care Act, the launching of the YourHealth app, and reaching labour agreements with multiple unions that represent healthcare workers.
“The Patient to Care Act, is a nationwide initiative that speeds up how medical professionals from other parts of the world can receive the necessary accreditation to work in our country, and it’s already paying off,” Houston said.
“When we passed it on May 1, we had 1,600 nursing vacancies across the province and since then we’ve received 19,000 applications from nurses around the world that now want to come to Nova Scotia and fill those vacancies,”.
As for the YourHealth app it helps Nova Scotians better navigate the healthcare system – it is a one-stop shop to book services, navigate care, and find information easier and faster. It was also implemented recently coming online for Nova Scotians in November, and Houston says they are already seeing the benefits.
Some of the features offered in the app include:
- the ability to book blood tests, X-rays, flu shots and COVID-19 vaccine appointments
- a search tool to find the nearest health services
- predicted emergency department wait times
- access to vaccination records
- access to free, same-day virtual care
- the option to chat with a care navigator to help find the best service or information needed and, if appropriate, direct people to a virtual care visit.
- a home screen that can be personalized with information most important to the individual
“People are using it, and they’re using it in a variety of ways which is what we wanted to see,” said Houston. “We’ve already seen 140,000 Nova Scotians sign up and we expect that number to keep growing as people become more familiar with it,”.
As for labor negotiations Houston says his government negotiated fairly, honestly, and toughly and was able to reach agreements with unions representing doctors, nurses, and paramedics.
While not technically a healthcare issue seniors and long-term care fall under the purview of the Department of Seniors and Long-term Care Premier Houston also believes the 2,200 new long-term care beds that will be built by 2032 will help alleviate some of the burden on the healthcare system.
Province gets back into public-housing business
For the first time since 1993 the province (with support from the federal government) announced their plans to build to create 222 new public housing units, including 80 that will be fully barrier-free.
The new housing will serve 522 families, individuals and low-income seniors in rural and urban communities across Nova Scotia.
The units will be built on provincially owned land close to existing public housing developments in:
- Bridgewater
- Kentville
- Truro
- Cape Breton (multiple locations)
- Halifax Regional Municipality (multiple locations)
“Housing is a nationwide issue right now, and my philosophy has always been that the solution to housing is more housing- and that’s not just public housing but private development, co-ops at affordable and market prices are all needed in order to help get us out of this,” said Houston.
“As the housing crisis worsened we can look back and think we should have built more housing as a province, but our government was the first to take action on that in three decades and it’s something we are very proud of.”
When asked if he envisioned the province having a more fulsome role in housing in the years to come Houston indicated it was likely but didn’t want to get into specifics at this time.
In spite of the housing crunch, Houston says he has no plans to change the province’s growth plans which would see the population rise to 2 million by 2060, “I never want to be a Premier overseeing our province shrink so we will continue to do work that allows us to continue to grow in a sustainable manner,”.
