PICTOU COUNTY: Premier Tim Houston says his government was “always upfront” that health care “would probably get a little worse before it got better,” but says the groundwork is being laid to remedy what’s a national problem and his top priority.
“It will be the number one focus next year and probably the year after,” the premier told Advocate Media in a year-end interview from Pictou County. “It’s easy to get impatient but I ask people to trust the health leadership team. There’s lots of good happening in health care.”
Among the encouraging signs, health care workers are starting to send “positive vibes” that “at least they feel supported and listened to,” Houston said.
The improvement is part of a multi-pronged approach that includes stepped up efforts to recruit doctors, nurses and other health-care workers, adding hospital capacity, and opening up opportunities for pharmacists, nurse practitioners and continuing care assistances to do more.
The effort will take time and money, Houston said.
“We’ve had massive investments in Cape Breton and other parts of the province as well. We’re not shy to invest in health care.”
He declined to offer a price tag for his government’s recently announced plan to overhaul Halifax’s health facilities with a major infrastructure expansion to add 423 hospital beds and more surgery and emergency department capacity.
“It will be expensive,” said Houston. “The reason we don’t have a full-costing estimate now is because we’re doing it in waves. Those waves will be put out for tender at the appropriate time.”
Going in phases could present an opportunity to save money as supply chain kinks get worked out, inflation is tamed and labour shortages ease up, he said.
“We think we can get it done more efficiently and more effectively, and ultimately that means at a better price.”
Still, the cost will be far more than the $2 billion the Liberal government had budgeted for a major revamp centred on the Halifax Infirmary in downtown Halifax to allow the transfer of services from the decrepit Victoria General Hospital blocks away in the south end.
“We looked at what was on the table in front of us,” Houston said. “We wanted to make sure that the plan that had been laid out really would fit the needs of Nova Scotia today and 10, 15, 20 years from now. These are generational investments. So we have to get it right.”
The old plan was premised on a declining population, he said.
“That’s not the reality for Nova Scotia right now. We’re growing at a really impressive pace.”
Rather than centring all the expansion on the infirmary and the Queen Elizabeth II Hospital, the new plan spreads upgrades out to Dartmouth General Hospital and the Cobequid Community Health Centre in Lower Sackville.
“These are places that tend to be a little more accessible to rural folks,” said Houston. “The reality is, Halifax is the centre for a lot of specialists, a lot of surgeries. There will be health-care conditions that people have to travel to Halifax. That’s always going to be the case. We’re trying to find a way to make it as seamless for people as we possibly can.”
The new plan also expects added capacity in five years, instead of 10.
“This exercise that we did is not about trying to find a cheaper way,” Houston said. “It was about trying to find the right way to do something and to save time.”
To help grapple with the province’s medical staff shortage, the government is easing the path for doctors who got their medical degrees in other countries, Houston said. Also, another 200 seats have been added for nurses and jobs are being offered to every graduate.
Health care wasn’t the only thing on Houston’s plate in 2022.
“It was quite a year. A massive storm, record high inflation, pandemic. There’s no shortage of challenges to deal with,” he said. “But we have the team in place and I’m really confident we’re moving forward on each as they get thrown at us.”
Houston reiterated that the best solution for Nova Scotia’s affordable housing crisis is to build more housing “across the spectrum.”
“The market has a role to play in this. Somebody moves out of an apartment to a more expensive home and somebody moves up to scale to that apartment they were in and ultimately it frees up an apartment somewhere else,” he said. “When you have more housing, you have more opportunities for people and the pricing adjusts.”
To help address the more immediate need, he said the province is continuing to invest in affordable housing, citing Coady’s Place in the old Tara Inn in New Glasgow as an example.
He said other investments, such as a program to help switch homes from oil heat, are being made as people struggle with rising costs for almost everything.
The pandemic and rampant inflation have put a spotlight on energy security and food security.
To help with the latter, Houston said his government has introduced supports to enable the agriculture sector produce more for Nova Scotians and a Nova Scotia Loyal program to encourage spending at home.
Houston said he’s committed to implementing regulations proposed in the already-passed Coastal Protection Act, which includes setbacks for people building along the shore.
“I don’t have an expectation that it’s written in stone as it is,” he said. “I do have an expectation that we will engage with Nova Scotians to get to a place that makes sense.”
He said his government is also serious about achieving climate goals and getting Nova Scotia Power off coal-fired plants.
The proposed Atlantic Loop that would bring more hydroelectric power from Quebec “would certainly make things easier,” he said.
But more power is set to flow from Newfoundland and Labrador’s so-far disappointing Muskrat Falls hydro project and other options include off-shore wind, solar, geothermal and burning biomass, he said.
“And maybe gas. Who knows? We have to look at what’s a realistic mix,” he said. “I’ve assigned that to the team: find out the mix and make sure it’s reasonable and doable. That’s the discussion right now.”
Green energy options don’t necessarily have to be created or developed here, he said.
“We have to find the best ways to do things and bring them to Nova Scotia.”
Houston said he hopes Nova Scotians see his Progressive Conservative government is governing for the long term, not “a four-year election cycle.”
“We’re making decisions that we think will have long-term impacts on this province,” he said. “These aren’t one- or two-year things. These are generational things and I’m proud of the work the government has done to set the stage.”