What The Spring Session Means For Dartmouth South

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Claudia Chender stands in front of the Dartmouth Ferry.



Happy Saturday! It’s really starting to feel like spring in Dartmouth with flowers popping up everywhere. Soon we’ll be enjoying the colourful bulbs blooming along Tulip Street and the yellow sea of daffodils along Alderney Drive. A welcome sight after a challenging winter.


The spring legislative session wrapped this week after another very short session. Of course, healthcare is a top priority for you and there was big spending—over 6 billion dollars. However, it’s not clear what immediate benefit that will have. We have been pressing for the last year for an expansion of primary care and the creation of family health teams for the now more than 142,000 Nova Scotians on the waiting list for a primary care provider. Unfortunately, we’re now being told that “access” is the goal, which means more virtual care, mobile clinics, and other one-off medical care access point.


That is not what people reaching out to our office want. They want “attachment” not just access: an office to call when they have a healthcare challenge, and someone to see who will help them and who knows their medical history. I will keep pushing for this.


A few positive notes from the budget, first, given the thousands of housing units currently under construction in the hospital service area, we welcomed the much-needed expansion plans for the Dartmouth General Hospital. We are still waiting for more detailed plans and timelines so stay tuned. A significant increase in funding for arts organizations was also welcome news and something many artists and organizations have been pushing for for years, including my colleague Susan Leblanc, the MLA for Dartmouth North. With many arts and culture workers calling Dartmouth home, I’m glad to see this much needed investment in the arts.


Housing is another top priority in Dartmouth South. Not just for the people who call my office everyday because they are being evicted or renovicted from $600-$900 apartments into a $2100 average market rate environment, but for the folks in community who are watching the houseless population balloon in their neighbourhoods. In a province with a 2% rental increase cap, the rents have risen 9%.


We were glad to see the extension of the rent cap, but without a comprehensive system of rent control this will not work for tenants or landlords. Tenants are being forced to sign fixed term leases that, in many cases, drive up rental costs exponentially and many landlords find themselves unable to cover the costs of maintaining their properties in this inflationary environment. With rent control, landlords would know what the allowable increase would be each year and apply to cover necessary costs.


Key to solving our housing crisis is affordable housing, and though there are some great projects being done by the Affordable Housing Association of NS and Dartmouth Housing Trust they don’t begin to meet the need. I was deeply disappointed not to see public housing starts included in this budget. We will keep pushing to make sure everyone has a home they can afford.


Relatedly, for the many of you asking about the future of the DoubleTree Hotel, I’m asking the same questions and there are more of these than answers. We were promised answers by the end of the week, but the department did not deliver. See my exchange with the Minister of Community Services below:

What we do know is that the hotel staff have had lost their jobs and that the provincial Department of Community Services has agreed to rent the entire building. Since many floors of the hotel are already in use for the shelter diversion program for folks with nowhere else to turn, it seems likely this will be expanded in some way to the entire facility. With the shelters in the city full and housing support organizations being forced to hand out tents, any shelter is welcome. Beds are needed and a hotel is better than pitching a tent in a public park. But this is not a long-term solution. People need housing. I will continue to press for a plan and for community consultation.


Next Tuesday and Wednesday will mark the third anniversary of the mass casualty in Portapique, Nova Scotia, one of the most terrifying days in many of our lives in this province. I urge people to look at the report of the Mass Casualty Commission, which has many important recommendations to ensure we can learn from this awful tragedy. The the report, executive summary, and other resources are available here.   A list of many online and in-person crisis and non-crisis mental health services is available here.

As always, if you need assistance, please reach out to my office at 902-406-2301 or claudiachendermla@gmail.com.


Have a wonderful weekend,

Claudia

Community Organization Spotlight:

Lung Association of NS and PEI


In the midst of this legislative session, I managed to meet with the Lung Association of NS and PEI who have an extensive list of programs and projects on the go. Check out the list below and for more details, visit their website.


Sleep Apnea Refurbishment Program: We collect gently used CPAP and BiPAP machines in partnership with Lions Clubs across Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. These used machines are refurbished and provided to Nova Scotians and Islanders who otherwise could not afford the therapy ($2500 - $5000, on average). Over 500 Nova Scotians and Islanders receive this vital therapy each year.


Virtual COPD Support Group: Providing a safe virtual space for people living with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) to connect with others with similar lived experiences. Monthly meetings provide access to information and expert-led education, which supports management of their chronic disease, while reducing social isolation.


QuitNS: A free online pilot program to help Nova Scotians quit smoking. It was a first-of-its-kind program in Nova Scotia. Eligible participants received a free 4-week supply of nicotine replacement therapy (NRT) mailed to their address with 2-weeks of enrolment, including patches and gum/lozenges. Within the first week of the program launching, all 400 program spots had been filled with a waitlist of over 700 Nova Scotians wanting to make a quit attempt through our next program.


Lung Transplant Support: Providing financial assistance to Nova Scotians and Islanders to support travel out-of-province for life-saving lung transplants. The fund also provides financial support post-transplant to support fitness, so that patients regain physical activity and mobility post-transplant. We also offer a support group for pre-transplant and post-transplant life.


Camp Treasure Chest: Since 1989 we have been sending children with asthma and other lung conditions to a week-long summer camp. At Camp Treasure Chest, children form bonds and lasting friendships with other kids just like them. Medical staff attend camp to help teach campers how to manage their disease. Our campers have fun, make friendships, create memories they can cherish forever, and ultimately breathe easier. The Lung Association has partnered with Brigadoon Village for over 10-years to host camp.


Lung Cancer Awareness: Lung cancer is one of the most stigmatized diseases, which can have negative impacts on patient outcomes, investments in research, treatment and more. The Lung Association of Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island is committed to improving lung cancer outcomes. We have created media campaigns to educate the public, purchased equipment that is vital to diagnosing and staging lung cancer, and fund local radon/lung cancer research.


Radon Awareness: Radon is an invisible radioactive gas that can seep into homes and buildings undetected. Radon is the 2nd leading cause of lung cancer in Canada. We have been leaders in radon awareness programming such as the Library Loan Program, MLA Radon Detector Loan Program, Daycare Radon Testing Project, and Radon Testing for Lung Cancer Patients Research project.


Air Quality: For four years, we have hosted the annual Atlantic Air Quality and Health Workshop, bringing together experts from across the Atlantic provinces and beyond to discuss air quality and climate changes issues impacting Atlantic Canada.

Provincial

New Program: Medical Laboratory Technologist


Starting in September, a new, flexible online learning option will be available to Nova Scotians who want to become medical laboratory technologists. Up to 40 people will be accepted to the program, created through the Province's partnership with the Michener Institute of Education at University Health Network. This is a three year program.


As part of the healthcare team, medical laboratory technologists (MLT) perform laboratory testing and investigations related to the diagnosis, treatment and prevention of disease in a wide variety of specimens (like blood, body fluids and tissues).


Applications due: 5 May 2023

Get more info and apply to become a Medical Laboratory Tech!

Community

Illustration of neighbourhood homes in gray, blue, and red.

Rogers Community Consultation

Rogers is proposing a new wireless telecommunications installation at 227 School Street in Dartmouth. A virtual public consultation was held on April 12, but there is still time and opportunity to provide your feedback.


Find out more about this project and submit your feedback here.

Dartmouth Community Health Board logo.

Wellness Funds 2023-2024

Funding for non-profit community based organizations to address the Community Health Board's health plan priorities.


Priority will be given to projects that use a population health approach to address the social determinants of health at the population level, examples could include; projects related to food security, social isolation, mental health, community resiliency, etc.


Deadline to apply: May 1, 2023


For more information go to:

www.communityhealthboards.ns.ca/wellness-funds or contact Monique Mullins-Roberts at 902-483-3745

Dance for Health Parkinson's


Resources

Dartmouth Food Calendar

Every month Carla Foxe from the Halifax Public Libraries puts together the Dartmouth Food calendar. Please share this resource with anyone who could use it.

COVID-19 Information

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Claudia Chender MLA

We are located in Punamu'kwati'jk in Mi’kma’ki, the ancestral and unceded territory of the Mi’kmaq people. We are all Treaty people.

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