NDP promises more doctor clinics, Liberals vow to protect renters on N.S. campaign trail

NDP Leader Claudia Chender makes a campaign announcement in Halifax on Nov. 6, 2024. (Jesse Thomas/CTV Atlantic)

Nova Scotia’s NDP and Liberal parties made announcements Wednesday as the provincial election campaign continues.

The NDP promised health-care improvements focused on primary care while the Liberals campaigned on greater protections for Nova Scotia renters.

The Progressive Conservative Party of Nova Scotia did not make an announcement, but continues to campaign through Wednesday.

NDP promising greater access to primary care

NDP Leader Claudia Chender said her government will open 15 doctor clinics across the province in their first year to clear the backlog of Nova Scotians on the waitlist for a family doctor.

“The number of Nova Scotians on the waitlist for steady, reliable primary care has doubled over the last three years that Tim Houston has been in government. There are now over 145,000 people waiting for the care they deserve — that’s more than the population of all of Cape Breton,” said Chender. “The Nova Scotians I speak with tell me that they have had enough of the patchwork health-care system, the temporary Band-Aid solutions and the apps. What they need is health care they can rely on.”

Chender said the NDP would add 15 additional clinics over three years.

"New Democrats know that the key to improving the system isn’t private partnerships with tech companies and shady backroom infrastructure deals,” said Chender. “That’s why we will ensure that Nova Scotians can get the health care they need, when they need it. We pioneered collaborative emergency care and with doctor clinics we’re committed to making primary care available to everyone who needs it, now.”

Liberal Party promises relief for renters

Liberal Leader Zach Churchill announced his party’s policies to help renters on Wednesday. He said Tim Houston’s “short-sighted” policies are leaving behind Nova Scotians who rent – approximately one third of the province’s population.

“Current rent protections are hurting those they’re supposed to help,” said Churchill. “Our plan will deliver a better deal for renters that is more fair for everyone and based on facts.”

Churchill said “A Better Deal for Renters” is based on five factors:

1. Establish better rent control to protect renters: A Nova Scotia Liberal government will implement a fairer system where the cap is based on inflation, market conditions, and vacancy rates on a regional basis until adequate housing supply is reached and there is a healthy vacancy rate of three per cent.
2. Close fixed-term lease loophole: A Nova Scotia Liberal government would end fixed-term lease abuse by ensuring landlords cannot offer tenants fixed term leases longer than one year. Extensions beyond the fixed term would automatically transition the lease to month-to-month.
3. Establish a provincial rent bank: A Nova Scotia Liberal government will establish a low-cost, high-value program to provide quick turnaround, zero-interest loans to renters who find themselves stuck.
4. Reverse the cuts to the rental supplement: In 2023, Tim Houston raised the cut-off for rental supplements from the 30 per cent it was under the previous Liberal government to 50 per cent. A Nova Scotia Liberal government would reverse that.
5. Establish a Residential Tenancies Enforcement Unit: A Nova Scotia Liberal government will implement a Residential Tenancies Enforcement Unit to deal with tenancy disputes.

“As the party’s housing critic, I’ve had many important conversations with both tenants and landlords,” said Bedford South candidate Braedon Clark. “I’m confident that our plan will fill the gaps that are needed in this volatile housing market, and I’m excited for Nova Scotians to see it.”

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