N.S. government includes record-high health-care spending in 2023-24 budget
Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston's Progressive Conservative government remains firm in its promise to fix the health-care system by spending more taxpayer money on health than any previous governments.
The PCs will spend $6.5 billion on health care this year -- an increase of more than $1.2 billion over last year's budget.
The numbers were released Thursday, during a budget briefing, when Finance Minister Allan MacMaster tabled what the Nova Scotia Tories are calling the "More Healthcare. Faster" budget.
“Budget 2023-24 is built with all Nova Scotians in mind," said MacMaster in a press release. "It reflects where we are today and where we are headed.”
This is the PC’s second budget since coming to power, and their mission all along has been to fix the province's health-care system.
The PCs campaigned on an election promise that they would fix the health-care system, which helped them win a majority government in 2021.
The budget predicts revenues to the tune of $14.2 billion, but planned for $14.4 billion in expenses, creating a deficit of $278 million.
The province says it plans to increase the deficit annually during its first four years in office before reducing the deficit in the 2026-27 budget.
MacMaster says Nova Scotia's economy proved more resilient and has rebounded stronger than anticipated during the pandemic.
"This has meant increased revenues for the provincial government, giving us the capacity to make the significant investments we are making to fix health care," said MacMaster.
The PCs have broken the budget down into three key spending areas: "Action for Healthcare," "Healthy Economy,' and "Healthy Communities."
Health-care spending highlights include:
- $110 million for the second year of retention incentives for nurses who commit to staying in the publicly-funded system and sign a two-year return of service agreement
- $46.6 million more to perform more surgeries and continue to address the backlog, including increasing hours for operating rooms
- $22.2 million for new health-care workforce strategy initiatives under "Action for Healthcare," the government’s plan to improve the health-care system
- $66.3 million in ongoing funding for increased wages for continuing care assistants
- $34 million for patient movement initiatives to help improve access to care
Health-care department expenses are up $1.4 billion, or 11.5 per cent over last year's budget.
When it comes to capital projects the budget has allocated $1.6 billion in spending -- the largest single-year spending on capital projects in the province's history.
The bulk of capital spending includes $498.5 million, which will go toward building and fixing roads, highways and bridges.
The province will spend an additional $60 million on secondary highways, and $15 million on gravel roads.
There's been a lot of debate around affordability, housing and inflation during the spring sitting at Province House already and in previous sessions of the government.
The opposition Liberals and NDP have been pressing the Houston government to do more, to assist everyday Nova Scotians who they say are struggling to deal with inflation and the rising costs of living.
The PCs said they will spend $21.6 million to create new rental support supplements while spending $2.5 million for initiatives to accelerate housing developments in the Halifax Regional Municipality.
As for education, the province has committed to spending $40 million to pay early childhood educators more and to help grow the workforce.
Growing enrollment in schools means more teachers are needed to meet the population growth, so an additional $47.1 million will go toward recruiting and hiring more teachers.
The province will spend $240.8 million to build and renovate schools, to create more learning space for the growing student population.
As for the environment, the PCs will put $41.4 million into Nova Scotia's Climate Change Plan for Growth, which includes:
- more energy efficiency and clean energy projects with a focus on energy poverty and equity
- further efforts to reduce our greenhouse gas emissions and move from coal to renewable energy and green hydrogen
- community-based climate change projects
The province says Hurricane Fiona cost Nova Scotia $117.4 million, with costs absorbed across several departments.
It will also spend $1.5 million this year to introduce the Nova Scotia Loyal program, another campaign promise made by the PCs to create an incentive program that would award Nova Scotians for their support in buying local.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING Trudeau promises $1B in loans for child-care providers to expand care centres
The federal government is launching a new loan program to help child-care providers in Canada expand their spaces, and will be extending further student loan forgiveness and training options for early childhood educators, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced Thursday.
Spring allergy season has begun. Where is it worse in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
Several flight attendants from Pakistan have gone missing after landing in Canada
Multiple flight attendants from Pakistan International Airlines have abandoned their jobs and are believed to have sought asylum in Canada in the past year and a half, a spokesperson for the government-owned airline says.
N.B. man wins $64 million from Lotto 6/49
A New Brunswicker will go to bed Thursday night much richer than he was Wednesday after collecting on a winning lottery ticket he let sit on his bedroom dresser for nearly a year.
'Nonsense:' Doug Ford slams lawsuits filed by Ontario school boards against social media platforms
Premier Doug Ford says that lawsuits launched by four Ontario school boards against a trio of social media platforms are “nonsense” and risk becoming a distraction to the work that really matters.
Why some Christians are angry about Trump's 'God Bless the USA' Bible
Former U.S. President Donald Trump is officially selling a copy of the Bible themed to Lee Greenwood’s famous song, 'God Bless the USA.' But the concept of a Bible covered in the American flag has raised concern among religious circles.
Multiple bridges in Calgary shut down for police incident
Calgary police have shut down a number of bridges into and out of the downtown core as officers deal with a distraught individual.
King Charles calls for acts of friendship in first public remarks since Kate's cancer diagnosis
King Charles III gave public remarks for Maundy Thursday, addressing the importance of acts of friendship, following his and Catherine, Princess of Wales’ cancer diagnoses.