On the N.S. campaign trail: Liberals pledge money for fire halls, PCs and NDPs focus on health, housing
There were more promises and more door-knocking Sunday, as party leaders work to drum up support ahead of the upcoming Nova Scotia election.
Iain Rankin is pledging to boost funding for rural fire departments if the Liberals are re-elected in the upcoming provincial election.
"A re-elected Liberal government will support the federal government initiative to include fire stations in the Canada Community Building funding program," Rankin said on the campaign tral in Mount Uniake Sunday.
The program will allow municipalities to funnel funding to rural fire departments to cover the costs of basic infrastructure maintenance.
"Fire halls, especially in rural communities, are hubs for so many activities, and our volunteer firefighters protect us every day. By supporting this change, fire halls will be able to qualify from this program which was previously the gas tax program," Rankin said.
Progressive Conservative leader Tim Houston started the day off by knocking on doors in the Sherbrooke with area candidate Greg Morrow.
Houston said the number one thing he's hearing from voters is concerns over the province's health care system.
"It's access in general. People are anxious that they won't be able to get the care they need when they need it, so if they don't have a doctor or whether they're afraid they're going to have a medical emergency response time," said Houston.
"This election is a referendum on health care and if you're happy with the status quo, vote for the Liberals. If you think we need changes we have a plan to go forward and we're ready to put that plan into action," said Morrow, the PC candidate for Guysborough-Tracadie.
NDP leader Gary Burrill also spent the day canvassing and meeting with candidates in Truro, New Glasgow, Antigonish, and St. Peter's.
"This campaign is about getting a government in Nova Scotia that is going to address the real needs of real people and their real lives," he said.
Burrill said mental health and affordable housing are issues he's hearing on the campaign trail.
"No matter where you go in Nova Scotia, affordable housing, the lack of control, permanent control on rents, and the lack of available affordable housing - this is a concern for people across the province. That's why we're so focused on the need for permanent rent control."
Election day is Tuesday, August 17, but early voting is already underway at returning offices across the province.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
OPP responds to apparent video of officer supporting anti-Trudeau government protestors
The Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) says it's investigating an interaction between a uniformed officer and anti-Trudeau government protestors after a video circulated on social media.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Loud boom in Hamilton caused by propane tank, police say
A loud explosion was heard across Hamilton on Friday after a propane tank was accidentally destroyed and detonated at a local scrap metal yard, police say.