The Nova Scotia provincial government has announced millions of dollars in new spending that will be dedicated to provincial healthcare, seniors and early childhood development, despite a rash of spending over the past three weeks.
In addition to the $10 million previously allocated to the Council to Improve Classroom Conditions, the government is spending on the following programs:
- $3.7 million will add 30 pre-primary early learning sites (for a total of 38). The sites have not been identified. It is expected this will create another 750 spaces for four-year-olds.
- $1.8 million for employment support programs for youth at risk
- $1 million to double the investment in coding and computer skills initiatives for P-12 students
- $1.1 million to expand breakfast programs to all schools. This will mean $5.5 million breakfasts this year.
- $1.8 million for community and mental health support through SchoolsPlus program.
- $1.4 million more for school psychologists and speech language mythologists
- $1.1 million to expand Reading Recovery to 73 additional schools
The McNeil Liberals have been subject to criticism over this file during the protracted labour dispute with the province’s public school teachers. The NSTU has accused government of failing to invest in classrooms.
Premier Stephen McNeil said his government has continuously put classrooms as a priority.
“When other governments chose to cut funding to classrooms, we chose that there was a better way that you can do an balanced approach to increasing salaries and benefits and investing in schools and classrooms,” McNeil said.
Nova Scotia Teachers Union president Liette Doucet said the investments made are the type the union has been looking for, but claims there’s a surplus in the education budget of over $5 million.
“I’m wondering why that money hasn’t been spent yet,” said Doucet. “We’ve been asking for these things for several years. Teachers have been disappointed, they’ve been waiting and nothing has changed for them in the classrooms.”
While there were no funds dedicated to increasing nursing home beds and emergency rooms, the province plans to dedicate spending to the following healthcare programs:
- $6 million for collaborative care centre
- $2.4 million more to support recruitment and retention of doctors
- $3.2 million to advance mental health programs
- $3.9 million for people with disabilities to live independently
- $1.1 million to address sexual violence
But provincial NDP Leader Gary Burrill said the province has committed “a failure of major proportions” to make the necessary healthcare investments, citing the government’s previous $8.5 million cut to nursing home operating budgets.
“Here we see $3.2 million to improve diet and recreational programing,” Burrill said. “Well, you don’t have to put $3.2 million into something if there wasn’t something wrong with it.”
The Nova Scotia Health Coalition said the budget has been balanced on the backs of many delivering homecare and staying in hospitals.
“We’re seeing the catastrophic effects,” said Chris Parsons of the coalition. “We’re seeing overcrowding, we’re seeing 10 per cent of Nova Scotians without a doctor, and we’re not seeing a solution.”
With files from CTV Atlantic's Sarah Ritchie and Graeme Benjamin.
