MLA Argyle

New Completion Date for Tusket River Bridge

2011-11-01T10:10:00.001-03:00

FYI, Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal released this on Monday in regards to the completion of the Tusket bridge. This is disappointing as up to now the date was a December 15 completion.

Here is the release:

Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal
October 31, 2011 3:05 PM
Construction of the new Tusket River Bridge on Highway 3, Yarmouth County, will be complete by late May 2012.

Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal officials had planned for it to be finished this December. However, delays in design, regulatory permits, tendering, and getting specialized material and equipment needed meant the completion date had to be extended.

All in-water work will still be completed this year but the May 31 date allows for spring paving.

"We recognize how important the new bridge is to the community and appreciate their patience," said Bill Estabrooks, Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal. "We'll continue to work with the contractor to ensure every effort is made to have the new bridge finished as soon as possible."

Work on the new bridge has begun.

Dexter Construction was awarded the contract, valued at $3.7 million. The new Tusket River Bridge is part of the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal's 5-Year Highway Improvement Plan.

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Indian Sluice Bridge replacement moves up priority list

2011-10-08T23:22:00.001-03:00

TUSKET, NS – The Indian Sluice Bridge replacement will happen sooner than was anticipated thanks to the hard work from the Bridge Replacement Committee to make the project a priority, Argyle MLA Chris d’Entremont said today.

Originally, the bridge replacement was going to take place in 2013/14 but the timeline has been moved up to a 2012/13 start.

“This bridge is an important artery in Argyle and I was pleased that replacement was ramped up an entire year earlier,” said d’Entremont. “Instead of performing small item, preventative maintenance year after year, the replacement will ensure the bridge is safe, open and accessible for residents’ use.”

In the meantime, the Bridge will be subject to periodic closures to allow for strengthening repairs. Beginning October 5th, the bridge will be closed Monday to Friday from 9-12:30 pm and 1-2:30 pm.

d’Entremont said the Indian Sluice Bridge was one of the priority infrastructure projects in Argyle.

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Location:Tusket, NS

letstalkrates.ca

2011-08-18T09:50:00.001-03:00

Consumers should not pay more for power company profits and bonuses: Baillie

Week one survey results clearly show consumers reject paying for bonuses

HALIFAX, NS – When Nova Scotians are asked by the NDP to “bite the bullet” and pay more for power, they are actually being asked to pay for a lot more than just electricity, says Progressive Conservative leader Jamie Baillie.

Nova Scotia Power is seeking to add millions to its bottom line by increasing its target Return on Equity to 9.6 per cent. On top of the extra profit, Nova Scotia Power intends to spend $5.5 million on bonus pay next year, half of which is charged to its customers.

Baillie says that 94 per cent of the over 500 respondents to the PC Party’s letstalkrates.ca website survey reject the idea that consumers should pay for bonuses. Currently, consumers are expected to pay for $2.75 million of the company's $5.5 million in bonuses.

“When people pay their electricity bill they want to know the money is paying for electricity,” said Baillie. “The bonuses should be the responsibility of the shareholders alone and seeking higher profits right now is not justifiable.”

Baillie says the PC energy critic, MLA Chuck Porter, will argue to the UARB that no amount of bonuses should be charged to customers and the company’s request for increased profits should be denied.

“Too many Nova Scotian businesses and households are facing higher costs while their own incomes are not rising,” said Baillie. “If shareholders want to pay big bonuses, let them; but do not include such large amounts when setting the price of power for Nova Scotians.”

Baillie said the NDP need to do more than ask Nova Scotia Power to “sharpen their pencils,”, as the Energy Minister suggested.

“The NDP have asked Nova Scotians to pay higher HST and now they want Nova Scotians to ‘bite the bullet’ and pay higher power rates too,” added Baillie.

The NDP's own Renewable Electricity Plan says that Nova Scotians must “bite the bullet and make the necessary investments” to be compliant with the NDP’s new regulations. At the same time, Nova Scotia Power estimates that electricity rates will go up by 20 per cent over the next three years.

Baillie and the Progressive Conservatives launched a website last week to ask Nova Scotians for their views on Nova Scotia Power’s rate application and the NDP government’s costly energy policies. The website will be gathering feedback in advance of the UARB hearing in mid-September.

The PC leader thanked respondents who have shared their views to date and encourages all Nova Scotians to make their views heard through the website at www.letstalkrates.ca

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Pharmacy

2011-06-23T13:55:00.001-03:00

We've been getting a number of emails and calls from individuals who have been warned by local pharmacies that they will not be accepting provincial drug plan cards as of July 1st.

Here is a press release put out by the Progressive Conservative Caucus on June 16, 2011. It outlines the mis-handling of a very important agreement with Pharmacists.

During debate on Bill 17, my colleagues and I warned the NDP Government that it was putting Nova Scotians at risk by cutting the costs of generic drugs without having an agreement with pharmacies that will ensure their survival in rural Nova Scotia.

What we are seeing is our worst fears being realized, by pharmacies not accepting provincial drug plans when the existing agreement expires. I do not hold the pharmacies responsible, it sits squarely at the feet of Premier Darrell Dexter and his Minister of Health Maureen MacDonald.

If you have any concerns about this move, please do not hesitate to call my office or dropping me an email.

Pharmacy customers facing cash crunch because of NDP mismanagement
posted: Jun 16 2011
Baillie, Jamie
Pharmacy agreement talks have stalled with deadline only two weeks away

SYDNEY, NS – Progressive Conservative leader Jamie Baillie says in two weeks, people going to pharmacies to fill their prescriptions may find their government Pharmacare cards not accepted and full cash payment required. Some pharmacies have begun to inform their customers that effective July 1st, Pharmacare cards may not be accepted at the prescription counter.

Negotiations between pharmacists and the NDP government broke down when the government walked away from the table, leaving pharmacy owners scrambling to figure out how they can keep their operations open.

“Once again, the NDP have pushed through extreme regulations without considering the consequences of their actions,” said Baillie.

“NDP policies are putting Pharmacare clients at risk, costing jobs and threatening the future of small, independent pharmacies,” continued Baillie. “Individuals who need prescriptions filled will pay the price for the NDP's mishandling of the pharmacy tariff negotiations."

Many Pharmacare clients are seniors on fixed incomes and this sudden change could mean that they will be forced to go without the medication they need. Pharmacare clients may end up having to pay the full amount in cash, up front, for their previously insured drugs. Nova Scotia spends $838 per person on prescribed drugs and without an agreement, Nova Scotians might be forced to cover that cost.

Baillie says “the clock is ticking” toward the July 1st deadline and the NDP need to immediately return to negotiations and reach a fair agreement with pharmacists.

During the recent session of the House of Assembly, Health and Wellness Minister Maureen MacDonald stated that she is “committed to reaching a fair and balanced tariff agreement that will work both for the pharmacies and the pharmacists in this province.” Cape Breton pharmacist Darryl Poirier, who owns pharmacies in Glace Bay, Dominion and Sydney Forks, says the government is not following through on their commitment.

“The provincial government promised pharmacists they would treat us fairly after passing Bill 17. Instead, they are cutting funds from pharmacies that will result in fewer health services for patients and higher costs for medications and other services,” said Poirier. “Independent pharmacies are now backed into a corner where we may be forced into a situation where we cannot accept Pharmacare cards at the prescription counter if a fair deal can't be reached with the provincial government by July 1st. This will be a huge inconvenience for patients who will be forced to pay out of pocket for their prescriptions until this gets straightened out.”

Poirier says that the services provided by pharmacists to Nova Scotians have kept people out of emergency rooms and doctors' offices because they could access the health care they needed from a pharmacist. He says the situation is “a sad day for Nova Scotians seeking good, affordable health care.”

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Government should not do budgeting this way

2011-01-17T12:21:00.002-04:00

Premier Darrell Dexter's admission yesterday that he does not intend to implement the “intolerable” measures outlined by school boards confirms that he is playing the old-style political game of budget negotiation, said Progressive Conservative Party Leader Jamie Baillie.

Yesterday, Premier Dexter lashed out at school boards saying they were being irresponsible in “bringing forward these dramatic scenarios”.

“For months, our school boards have been distracted from their focus on educating our kids because of this game-playing by the Premier. No business would go about budgeting this way,” said Baillie. “Mismanagement of the education system eventually shows up in our economy. The Premier should be perfectly clear about his intentions - that is the responsible way to balance the province's budget.”

Baillie says Nova Scotians are looking for leadership on government spending, but not seeing any.

“The Premier should start by giving school boards the real numbers, and then work with them on a practical implementation,” suggested Baillie.

Baillie and Progressive Conservative Education Critic, Argyle MLA Chris d'Entremont, will meet with school board officials over the next few weeks to identify practical ways to address budget issues.

Baillie says the Premier's avoidance of difficult decisions has created a pattern of mismanagement on reducing the province's spending.

The latest fiscal update shows departmental spending is up over $300 million over the previous year. Baillie says mismanagement on spending by the NDP government serves only to allow Nova Scotia's debt, and debt servicing costs, to grow. He has called on the NDP to balance the province’s budget ahead of their self-imposed 2013-14 deadline.

Merry Christmas

2010-12-23T14:42:00.002-04:00

New update coming....

Road Closures

2010-11-08T07:13:00.001-04:00

Yarmouth County/Annapolis County/Digby County

The following roads are closed because of flooding or storm damage. Motorists should use alternate routes and adjust speed where hydroplaning and flooding may occur.

Yarmouth County:
-- Tinkham Road
-- Regent Street
-- Holley Road
-- Spinney Road
-- Minor Road
-- Depot Road
-- North Kempt Road
-- Hardwood Hills Road
-- Chemin de la Pre

Annapolis County:
-- West Dalhousie Road

Digby County:
-- Morganville Road
-- River Road
-- Weymouth Falls Branch

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Flooding Part 2

2010-11-07T21:53:00.002-04:00

EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT OFFICE--Flood and Well Water Precautions
-----------------------------------------------------------------
The Emergency Management Office (EMO) is reminding Nova Scotians that flooding can occur at any time after heavy rainfalls.

According to Environment Canada, the Yarmouth area received about 174 millimetres of rain as of 8 a.m., today, Nov. 7, and other areas of the mainland received more than 100 millimetres of rain. Another 30 to 60 millimetres of rainfall are expected over mainland Nova Scotia today.

The Emergency Management Office (EMO) has activated its Joint Emergency Operations Centre and continues to monitor the storm.

Emergency management planning officers are reporting that various areas of mainland Nova Scotia are experiencing some localized flooding and that many of the rivers and streams are now full. There is concern that the waterways are reaching capacity and the predicted additional rainfall may cause more localized flooding.

Nova Scotians are encouraged to protect their property and prepare for flooding in their areas by moving furniture and personal property away from possible flood water and to secure property that might be swept away or damaged by a flood.

Residents are also encouraged to ensure they have access to drinking water in case their regular supply is unavailable or becomes contaminated.

In the event of a flood:
-- Listen to the radio. Local authorities will issue instructions for those living in the affected areas.
-- Know how to turn off water, gas and electricity in case instructed to by local officials. If the main power box is not in a dry, safe area, do not try to turn off the electricity. Contact Nova Scotia Power at 902-428-6004 or 1-877-428-6004 for instructions.
-- Do not use well water for drinking, cooking or bathing until the water has been tested and it has been declared safe to use. Bacterial testing should be done by all well owners. Contact local environment offices at 1-877-936-8476 with questions about safe drinking water.

After a flood, the two most important concerns are safety and sanitation. Here are guidelines to help with a safe return home:
-- Listen to the radio for instructions. Local municipal offices will let people know when it is safe to return to home.
-- Do not attempt to cross flooded roads. Right after a storm, floodwaters are at their most dangerous. It only takes six inches of rapidly moving water to knock people off their feet.
-- Do not reconnect gas, pump or electrical supplies. Arrange for qualified personnel to inspect and connect these services.
-- Leave and contact the gas company immediately if gas is smelled.
-- Check carefully for signs of damage, broken glass and other debris.

Some items must be discarded after a flood. Items such as mattresses, pillows, sofas and upholstered furniture that have been soaked with flood water are no longer safe from harmful bacteria.

Any food that has come in contact with flood water must also be discarded. This includes fresh or frozen food, food in boxes or jars, all bottled drinks and any cans that show signs of damage.

In the event of power outages, officials from the Department of Agriculture suggest consumers be careful about foods in refrigerators or deep freeze units. Foods will generally stay safe in a refrigerator for several hours even without power, especially if the door is kept closed.

They offer the following food safety tips:
-- Perishable food that has reached room temperature for more than two hours must be discarded. Also discard any food that feels warm or has an unusual odour or colour.
-- Any food in a deep freeze that is fully stocked is good for two days from the time of power failure.
-- Any food in a half-filled deep freeze is safe to eat for one day from the time of power failure.
-- Food retail outlets are advised to keep food below 4 C (40 F). Any perishable food left above this temperature for more than two hours should be discarded immediately.

If there is major flooding, the province may offer a disaster financial assistance program. Recording damages will help when a claim is filed. Make a list and include photographs of all damages and items that had to be disposed of after the flood. Keep a record of flood-related activity, such as the amount of time spent cleaning and keep copies of all invoices and receipts.

For more information on preparing for a flood, visit EMO's website at www.gov.ns.ca/emo .

For more information on well water safety, visit www.gov.ns.ca/nse/water/privatewells.asp .

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Media Contact: Media Line
Emergency Management Office
902-424-0967

Flooding in Yarmouth County

2010-11-06T12:32:00.001-03:00

Good morning,

EMO is in close contant with municipal emergency management coordinators in Argyle and Yarmouth as well as Nova Scotia Power.

NSP staff are monitoring the dam at Carleton and have been doing so throughout the night. There were concerns that the earthen dam that was built as work took place on the proper dam might not hold. However, the dam has not been breached.

Seven local residents that could have been affected if the dam breached were alerted by local emergency staff in the night. They choose to remain in their homes. If the status of the dam changes (it is being constantly monitored by a NSP construction crew), plans are in place to quickly inform residents in advance.

There was some flooding of roads in the area overnight, but storm drains have been cleared and the water has subsided. TIR reports that some local roads are now closed due to flooding. All have alternate routes.

EMO continues to monitor the situation.

No requests for assistance from EMO have been received from Argyle or Yarmouth, although we are in close contact with emergency managment coordinators for both municipalities.

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d’Entremont honoured to serve as Leader in the House of Assembly

2010-09-09T11:15:00.002-03:00

d’Entremont honoured to serve as Leader in the House of Assembly

For immediate release:

September 9, 2010

Tusket – Argyle MLA Chris d’Entremont has been appointed by Interim PC Leader Jamie Baillie to serve as Leader in the House of Assembly.

Baillie today announced new critic assignments within the PC Caucus.

A former cabinet minister who has served the community of Argyle since 2003, d’Entremont considers the appointment an honour and privilege.

“There are many pinnacles I believe in any career,” said d’Entremont. “This is certainly a highlight and a position I value and respect. I appreciate Mr. Baillie’s confidence in me to represent our caucus in the House of Assembly.”

d’Entremont will keep his other critic assignments, which include Health, Health Promotion and Protection, Acadian Affairs, Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation, Liquor Control Act, Community Services and the Disabilities Persons Commission.

d’Entremont will work closely on legislative matters with House Leaders in the two other party’s.

“In addition to being a dedicated representative for Argyle, Chris is a talented legislator who I look forward to working with in this new way as we build a true alternative to the NDP,” said Baillie.

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Heartland Tour 2010 Complete!

2010-07-26T14:13:00.001-03:00

Ok, so it's been over a week! It's time I posted my results on the Heartland Tour. 8 communities 8 days, 81.81 kilometres per day average, so that's a grand total of 736 km! Not bad for a slightly over-weight (ok, ok more than slightly) 40 year old politician.

Three years ago I was the Minister of Health and that kind of activity would have been impossible. I was over worked, stressed out and a candidate for a heart attack, hell I had already suffered a number of episodes of atrial fibrillation. Time and time again I spoke of taking care of our own health, so that we would not be too much of a burden on the Nova Scotia health care system. As a government we worked hard to find new ways to incite this change in the population with the creation of the Department of Health Promotion, and all the great programming that went with it. This didn't make me any leaner, or fitter though.

Three years ago this July, I had the opportunity to meet a band of cyclists led by Dr. Nick Giacomantonio that stopped into the opening of the Festival International de Par-en-bas in Tusket. He was leading twenty or so folks from different background around a number of communities in Nova Scotia for bicycle rides of 100kms. That day I committed to riding with the team from the Yarmouth lighthouse to the waterfront in Yarmouth, about 12 kms. Core member Ron Allen, a resident of Bridgewater and Ironman, thought I seemed like a nice guy, but didn't believe that I actually come out. I did! On the way into town I spoke to Nick, well really he spoke, I tried not the pass out and listened. I was sold with his message of healthy communities.

After lots of consideration, I decided to walk the walk and volunteer for the core team and commit to a week of cycling. 2009 was year one, and this year was number 2. I had a great time and survived lots of kilometres and even one crash.

Every community was different, no just is ride, but in how the community looks at the message of well being. Halifax saw a number of folks come out for the two rides, one to Peggy's Cove and the other around to Herring Cove. Plus the support from the District Health Authority was great. Pictou had us in our first Parade as the community was celebrating it's Lobster Festival.

Bridgewater had a great ride, but also a great afternoon for children that saw a number of bikes given away as prizes. Then it was Truro, Sydney, Antigonish, Kentville and then home to Yarmouth. Yarmouth in my mind has it all, a great ride, a great committee and great connection to the community. We were able to ride in the Seafest Parade and have a ton of kids turn out to hear the message of physical activity.

All in all we touched the lives of thousands of Nova Scotians, and even if just a handful folks change their lives, we've done our job! I really need to thank the core team for their support and help during the week, Dr. Nick for his friendship and taking on this little endeavour and all the companies that support the cause.

Now that the 2010 Heartland Tour is done all that is left is to maintain the fitness that I have achieved and build on it. 60 lbs gone in 3 years, 30 to go! All I ask is for you to do the same, take back your health.

Here's my links to the community rides.

HLT Day 1 - Halifax
HLT Family Ride - Halifax
HLT Day 2 - Pictou County
HLT Day 3 - Bridgewater
HLT Day 4 - Truro
HLT Day 5 - Sydney
HLT Day 6 - Antigonish
HLT Day 7 - Valley
HLT Day 8 - Yarmouth

HeartlandTour 2010

2010-07-09T15:31:00.000-03:00

The time has come again to put on the spandex (ick) and hop on my trusty road bike and tour around the province on the Heartland Tour, an awareness bicycle ride for Cardiac and Cancer health.

I got roped into this a couple of years ago by some friends while I was Minister of Health, Dr. Nick Giacomantonio and Ross Haynes, QC. I was a tad (means lots) overweight and suffering occasionally by the occasional bout of Atrial Fibrillation (a fancy cardiac term), I was impressed by the teams commitment to living better and trying to get people off their couches.

Each summer the core team of 25 - 30 riders visit communities around Nova Scotia and invite locals along for a ride, mostly from 30 to 100 kms. The response has been incredible and hundreds of people have joined in, from young fit whippersnappers to 70 year old young at heart whippersnappers and everyone in between.

From this has blossomed into programs and bike clubs around the province. As I have said many times in speeches, in order to help the Health Care Crisis, we need to create societal change, we need to get fitter and healthier, and we can only do it one person at a time. I started with myself and since that time I've lost close to 60 pounds and seen others follow my lead.

Saturday the ride begins in Halifax on the Cunard St. side of the Commons and then on to Pictou, Bridgewater, Truro, Sydney, Antigonish, Kentville and Yarmouth. Drop by and see us, wave as we go by, but hopefully we will entice you to join us for a little ride around your community.

This year I will, rain or shine, racking up over 800 kms and going to have a ton of fun doing it. Follow my twitter @ChrisMLA or Facebook to see how we are doing or check out the website at www.heartlandtour.ca.

Question on Doctor Shortage in Yarmouth County

2010-05-10T07:38:00.000-03:00

HANSARD 10-29

DEBATES AND PROCEEDINGS

Speaker: Honourable Charlie Parker

Published by Order of the Legislature by Hansard Reporting Services and printed by the Queen's Printer.

Available on INTERNET at http://www.gov.ns.ca/legislature/HOUSE_BUSINESS/hansard.html

Second Session

THURSDAY, MAY 6, 2010

[Page 2071]

MR. SPEAKER: The honourable member for Argyle.

HEALTH - FAM. DR. SHORTAGE: YARMOUTH

- ADDRESS

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, my question through you is to the Minister of Health. In Yarmouth many people still do not have access to a family doctor. The situation has been getting worse and people cannot access the two clinics in Yarmouth, and I'm sure the minister is aware of the Ocean View Family Clinic and the Harbourview family clinic.

As a former government, we established these clinics as training grounds for non-Canadian licenced doctors to get their Canadian licence and see them become established in the community - but this has not been the case and every one of these new doctors has moved away. Family doctors are at capacity and cannot accept new patients, and as a result people have to go to the emergency room to have small routine issues addressed - it's hardly a kind of efficiency that we need in our health care system. Mr. Speaker, my question for the minister is, what is your plan to address the family doctor shortage in Yarmouth and throughout the tri-county region?

HON. MAUREEN MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for a very important question. I do understand that there has been a loss of some family doctors through the International Medical Graduate Program, the CAP program, in the Yarmouth area. The Department of Health works very closely with the district health authority; we're working with the South West Health DHA to attract family physicians in that area. We do have a number of programs that will offer debt assistance to new graduates who are prepared to locate in a particular area, and the Yarmouth area is a priority area for us because of the loss of family physicians.

MR. D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, recently doctors had a meeting in Halifax with the Department of Health officials where the doctors from Yarmouth were told that there is no doctor shortage in Yarmouth - this despite the fact that many, if not thousands of people in the tri-counties do not have access to a family doctor. We need to address the situation of foreign doctors becoming physician transients, at the Ocean View Family Clinic and at the Harbourview family clinic, to the frustration and disappointment of the residents of southwestern Nova Scotia.

My question to the minister is, will the minister listen to the people of Yarmouth and southwestern Nova Scotia and make a commitment to the community on coming up with solutions that will address the doctor shortage in the short term and plan for a long-term doctor commitment?

[Page 2072]

MS. MAUREEN MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, as I was saying, we do have a variety of programs - we assist in funding site visits, for example, for physicians who want to come to a community and learn more about what's available in that community, and we do have the assistance for debt that physicians have accrued when they go through the very lengthy process of medical school in return for service to a particular community. So these programs are available. We work closely with the DHA and we will continue to do so.

I think one of the difficulties, as I understand it, with physicians coming to this part of Nova Scotia has been the inability to secure employment for spouses, which increasingly is a growing concern that we're seeing in some communities - but we will continue to work very closely with the DHAs to ensure that we have family practices throughout our province.

MR. D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, I've received lots of letters from concerned citizens in Yarmouth who do not have access to a family doctor, people like Roland Melanson from Yarmouth. Mr. Melanson has had 14 different family doctors since 1980 and has health-related issues that require him to go and wait eight to 10 hours at the Yarmouth emergency room to have 15-minute consultations that could have been conducted by a family physician.

The minister has the responsibility to Nova Scotians to offer better than what the people of Yarmouth are currently receiving. Now is the time to help the people of southwestern Nova Scotia have improved access to family doctors. Instead of reducing funding to Dalhousie Medical School, will the minister consider increasing the number of seats at Dalhousie, in return for service in rural areas of Nova Scotia?

MS. MAUREEN MACDONALD: Mr. Speaker, we have a working group in the department in discussions with Dalhousie Medical School with respect to the seats that we fund at the school, which we want to continue to fund. We do have reciprocal service agreements. We were able to recruit, and there is a new physician in the Barrington area of southwest Nova Scotia, and we will continue to work to ensure that there is good family practice coverage for residents of Yarmouth and the tri-county area.

Georges Bank - Hansard

2010-05-02T20:19:00.001-03:00

Excerpt from Proceedings from the Sixty-first General Assembly, Second session Wednesday April 28, 2010. Also found on page 1558. The plight of NoRigs2010.

HON. CHRISTOPHER D'ENTREMONT: Mr. Speaker, it's my honour to stand to speak a few moments to this resolution. I want to thank the Liberal Party for bringing this one forward. The minister spoke very well of the true nature of this situation. He said it's going to be a very emotional issue.

Mr. Speaker, I can assure him it is going to be an extremely emotional issue in southwestern Nova Scotia. I know that as we get closer to it, and I'm starting to hear it today, and have been hearing it for a number of years now, are we going to extend the moratorium on Georges Bank? The member for Digby-Annapolis spoke very well of what Georges Bank is. Georges Bank is a wondrous place of what it can do and what it has provided to generations of Nova Scotians. The fishing villages that dot our coasts for the last 100 years or more have depended on the riches of Georges Bank for their livelihood. Even today communities all through southwestern Nova Scotia, whether it is the Pubnicos, the Wedgeports, Long and Brier Islands, the Meteghans and Saulniervilles, Woods Harbour, Shag Harbour - these all depend solely on the riches on Georges Bank.

Now this has been an issue that has been floating around since the 1980s, when Texaco first expressed their interest in drilling, looking at the resource, seeing what is on Georges. There are a number of tapes, there was some initial seismic done but Mr. Speaker, even today we cannot be certain what is on Georges Bank. Is it some light crude? Is it some heavy crude? Is it gas? Is it nothing at all?
What seismic does is, it will show where there is a possibility of salt dome, where it will look at the geology of the area to see if there's a capability to hold hydrocarbons at the bottom of the ocean. So, Mr. Speaker, we don't know today what could possibly be on Georges Bank. Which brings me to this issue - we can look at the tapes, we can look at the information that we do have but what is going to happen is that there are going to be companies that are going to make requests to do further seismic work on Georges Bank.
Now, Mr. Speaker, here is where the science gets fuzzy. As we know, when we get fuzzy science, people can play either side of that information. The fuzzy science is that we don't know the effect of seismic work on fish stocks. We don't know, the scientists will tell you they don't know. Does it affect them? Does it affect the young? Does it affect crustaceans? Does it affect finfish? We don't know. I would ask the minister to find a scientist who would dare say one way or another, or not counteract the information that another scientist has brought up.

I can say from the work when I was Minister of Fisheries, that work that was happening off Cape Breton and the science work that we had them do at that time, it was a stalemate - well, we think there might be, in fact, but we're not sure. Is that good enough for the coastal communities of southwestern Nova Scotia?

I would say to you, Mr. Speaker, no, it is not. That is just the seismic part of oil exploration, not to say if that should go forward, should we find a hydrocarbon there and we put up a rig. Now I've said before that this is a wondrous place but it is not super large. I would say that should we get to that point maybe there will be one rig there, maybe there will be two but the risk of that rig is too great.
They said in the Gulf of Mexico, ah, there will never be a disaster. It is too safe, the technology is too good, look at what we have. Well, I think we proved them wrong - I don't say "we" but I mean it was proved wrong. There was a humongous disaster just last week. I forget the name of the rig that basically blew up and sank to the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico. There are millions of litres of oil now bubbling up from the bottom of the ocean, through the drill hole that was there.

Where would that end up, Mr. Speaker? It would be a disaster far beyond anything we've seen before and Nova Scotia has seen a number of disasters in oil rigs, oil tankers going ashore and cleanups having to happen, but they've been localized. They have been in bays and we have been able to clean them up. I know today, even out - I forget the name of the point just off of Halifax here and I forget the name of the boat that actually sank off there, but there still today you can find hunks of oil drifting on the beach, or you can dig and you can find it. It's still (Interruption) The Arrow, that's right. Thank you to the Minister of Fisheries and Aquaculture for that one.

The point I'm trying to make is there's nothing that's 100 per cent, and the people of southwestern Nova Scotia - the people in my riding, the people who depend on the fishery for their livelihood - will not accept anything but 100 per cent. The science might say it's 50 per cent - you know, there's a 50-50 chance or there's an 80-20 chance or a 90-10 or a 99.9 per cent chance it will never happen. A 1 per cent is still too much. It's still too much for the wondrous gift we have in Nova Scotia that is Georges Bank.

I know that there is science to do, but I think the inevitable is still upon us. We are going to expend a lot of time, hundreds of thousands of dollars, I would probably guess, to come to the conclusion that I think all of us know in our hearts. I hear it from the people from one end of this province to another - it is too great to jeopardize the future of Georges Bank with the possibility of another oil boom. I don't think it's there, I don't think we should jeopardize it, and I think we should just do the right thing and extend the moratorium on Georges Bank. Thank you very much.

Federal Stimulus Funds for Yarmouth YMCA

2010-02-22T14:13:00.000-04:00

It was a great day for the residents of Yarmouth County, West Nova MP Greg Kerr announced an investment of $375,578.00 in the Yarmouth YMCA.

The investment represents about 1/3 of the dollars required to do some needed repairs and maintenance on the building. YMCA Executive Director Barrie McGregor said, "The Yarmouth YMCA is a long-standing institution in this community and I'm pleased that the Government of Canada, through ACOA, is able to help fund these extensive renovations so that its facilities can be enjoyed for many years to come."

Upgrades include refurbishing the youth change rooms (I have two boys in the swim program and can say the change rooms are well beyond their expiry date!), replacing existing lighting, completing electrical and mechanical improvements, replacing the roof and windows and a variety of internal repairs.

The local municipalities, who help in the operation of the area's only pool, will also be helping in the community's 2/3 contribution. The glaring omission is the lack of funding from the Provincial Government. Usually this kind of project is supported in a 1/3 1/3 1/3 funding arrangement, but after tons of meetings and proposals, the Province did not want to help the project in Yarmouth like they did in other communities recently and stuck the area in finding 2/3 on their own.

Thank goodness that we have strong federal and municipal representation on this project, looks like once again the NDP forgot that there is a Nova Scotia beyond an hour's drive from HRM.

Graham's Wonderful Traveling Roadshow

2010-02-22T13:49:00.000-04:00

Nova Scotia Finance Minister Graham Steele is looking for your help. Quoting from the "Back to Balance" page on the Provincial Government's consultation with Nova Scotians in regards to the 2010-11 budget;

The Government of Nova Scotia has a serious problem—and needs your help to solve it.

As a province, we are spending more than we are taking in. The resulting shortfall, or deficit, must be covered each year by borrowing money. This adds to the large debt the province already has.

I know what your thinking, your thinking, "Chris, your just sore that you lost the last election and don't want to be blamed for the deficit."

If we were responsible for the deficit, we'd admit it and move on, but the NDP's own review of the books showed, that after the election, the province was only 53 million dollars in the red. An amount that could have been delt with over the course of the year. That 53 million grew to become 590 million, what a great shell game the government was playing while we were out summer vacationing. Minister Steele is now saying the sky is falling and that within 3 years the Provincial deficit will be close to 1.4 billion

Friday saw the Steele Show roll into town. I've gotta give credit where credit is due, Graham was masterful in his manipulation of the 140 or so people in attendance. He knew that if he didn't address the Ferry issue that the rest of the meeting would go bad so he mentioned it and then, to his credit, spoke directly with the 20 or so ferry workers in attendance. (the first time any NDP Cabinet Minister has come to Yarmouth and spoken to those affected)

After the tables worked on the questions that were asked in the workbook it was time for presentations. Each table took 60 or so seconds to speak to things like more dollars for eduction, streamlining government departments and keeping the ferry link to New England in order create tax dollars.

There were lots of great ideas but of course the over arching idea was to keep the ferry service in place. Again to Graham's credit, he allowed Ken Winters from the CAT to have the last word. Ken of course reiterated all of our disappointment in how this file was handled by Percy Paris and the Premier.

I can say, quite opposite to Minister Steele's desired outcome, there was no consensus on increasing the provincial portion of the HST by 2 points. It was really felt that the government has enough tax dollars now.

Much to the credit of the residents of the area, there was a great consensus in keeping our Ferry!

My Expenses

2010-02-11T14:26:00.001-04:00

I've seen a few comments directed at me about the MLA expense fiasco.

When I wrote the last Blog, the Speaker had not released the full letter and appendices from the Auditor General, as was asked by our Caucus on three occasions. The Caucuses were alerted be the Speaker's Office to the names in the letter which, as you know, included names like Richard Hurlburt and Darrell Dexter on Wednesday last week.

Once we finally got a copy of the full document we found other references to MLAs in the appendices, including my name. I was listed on a page called duplicates payments to be recovered. They were two separate items;

August and September 2008, $100.00 for le Conseil Acadian de Par-en-bas (duplicate)
June and July 2008, $378.00 for a Roots Briefcase (duplicate)

So my total to be repaid for this accounting error is $478.00 and the cheque is written and will be dropped to the Speakers office on Tuesday when I'm back in the city.

The frustrating part about this is how all this was handled by the Speaker. It was very apparent that in the independent officer of the house (The Speaker) had shared this information with the Premier or Premier's office and has holding it back. It was our belief that there should be full release of the information, regardless of the contents, to the public so that we as MLAs can get on with creating a better expense system.

I've always tried my best to be accurate and transparent with my expenses and will figure out how to start posting a spreadsheet that will allow all constituents to see them.

The Politics of Expense Claims

2010-02-08T08:35:00.000-04:00

I hope this past week was as eventful for you as it was for me.

When I picked politics as my profession, or rather it pick me, I knew that I would be classed with used car salesmen and traffic accident chasing attorneys. But I have always felt that this is a valued profession, one with sense of duty and responsibility for your constituents.

On Wednesday, Nova Scotia Auditor General Jacques Lapointe presented a scathing review of MLA expenses, more specifically the seeming lack of regulation when it came to certain expenses. A long list of excessive purchases came to light including 8000 dollar generators to 700 dollar expresso machines. Mind you all these items were deemed acceptable purchases, according to the regulations that are set by the all party Internal Economy Board and executed by MLAs and staff at the Speakers office. The AG was very clear that nothing was "illegal" and has not referred this to the RCMP for further investigation.

The public has every right to be outraged, and we as politicians need to apologize for this debacle. I do, and my expenses were fine. I did not receive any calls during the AGs audit, nor was I named in the letter from the AG to the speaker. But I still would like to apologize on behalf of my profession. If any of my constituents want to see my expenses, they just have to call, I would be happy to let them be seen.

We need to move forward on this one, retired MLA and Speaker Art Donahue has been tasked with a review of expense and to recommend regulations that would tighten expenses and make them more transparent. His report in due in July. There is no need to go back, heck look at the cost the would have to be borne by the AG's office to audit it further, actually I think you'd be startled at the cost of the first audit.

The next chapter in this will be today's press conference by the Premier. Dexter has been away for the last two weeks on vacation and is listed by Auditor General Jacques Lapointe's letter to the Speaker for the excessive purchase of a digital camera and a very expensive laptop.

Let's see what his spin will be today....

Yarmouth Ferry Part 2

2010-01-29T14:47:00.001-04:00

This has been a busy two days in regards to further failure by the NDP government to understand the full picture in regards to the contract with Bay Ferries to run the Yarmouth to New England service. At issue is comments from the Minister of Economic Development and Minister of Tourism Culture and Heritage Percy Paris yesterday in the Cabinet scrum.

This is an excerpt from David Jackson in Friday's Chronicle Herald;

Economic Development Minister Percy Paris said Thursday that Bay Ferries Ltd.’s agreement with the previous Tory government included $3 million in transition payments if the service shut down.

Six monthly payouts of $500,000 start April 1 unless the ferry is sold, one of Mr. Paris’s staffers said.
The payments are part of the deal the previous government announced last January to provide Bay Ferries with up to $12 million to keep the Cat running between Yarmouth and Maine in 2009. The $3 million in transition payments is part of the $12 million.
Mr. Paris said his government has no choice but to honour the deal. "There is a legal obligation to live up to the agreement that was signed by the previous government, and we will honour that," he said after a cabinet meeting.
The minister said he couldn’t understand why the province would agree to give a company money for not providing a service. "It puzzled me," he said.

There are few points of contention that I have with these statements, firstly is that, why is this only coming out now? My colleague, Yarmouth MLA Richard Hurlburt, has said from the start of this fiasco that Percy's numbers didn't add up when he was talking about the 12 million that went to Bay Ferries. Richard has said that there was a transition of 3 million there that could be used to "buy" another year until the transportation study is complete.

It seems that Percy might have though he might be able to get out of that part of the contract and therefore save money. What is now apparent is that he finally woke up and has put in motion the payment to Bay Ferries. Had he done his due diligence, he would have realized that cancelling the service would not save the province a cent, and in fact cost it some revenue.

If we add the now 3 million dollars of pay-out to the lost provincial HST revenue, are we not coming in well beyond the total ask of 6 million dollars to keep the ferry operational for another year? Plus this week, Conservative MP Greg Kerr speaking to Radio CJLS has said he is frustrated with the provincial government not talking to the federal government to see if there is some kind of partnership that can be developed. Darrell has closed the door on the issue. He had a great opportunity the other day when he shared the stage with Prime Minister Harper at an announcement in Truro. (Where Darrell announced a contribution of 10 million dollars, boo! hoo! we have no money!) I bet he didn't say a word about it!

With 3 million dollars available, you'd think that Percy or Darrell (oh yeah! he's on vacation) that they'd call the feds and use it as leverage to get the feds to help out for this year.

The other issue is the constant blaming of others for the NDP screw ups. You know I have big shoulders and really don't care what the NDP says, but in this case enough is enough. Percy continues to scramble around on this one trying to find an out, he's the guy that's suppose to promote and support our economy and tourism industry. I know he knows in his heart that that he has royally messed up his first test of competency. It's time he steps aside and let's someone else pick up the pieces!

Yarmouth Ferry to New England

2010-01-26T19:14:00.000-04:00

Last week in my update, I didn't mention the ferry because I knew that the action committee, made up of the local Municipalities had a meeting with Shelburne MLA and Minister of Fisheries and Environment Sterling Belliveau on Friday. Plus, I gotta tell you, it's really hard to figure out where to start on this issue.

Firstly, let's talk about the decision itself. Bay Ferries, owners of the CAT, had been negotiating with folks at rural and economic development for some time. The issue, we figure, was brought to Cabinet by Minister Percy Paris for discussion early in December. We also figure that there was no recommendation from either department involved, just impact information, as Richard Hurlburt and I questioned the Deputy Minister at Economic Development about the issue. So what this really boils down to is that the Premier and his weak cabinet made a bad decision without all the information to discontinue the service. But it looks like Darrell doesn't want to change anything to fix this mistake. Regardless of all the wonderful videos on YouTube, the impact information, and the businesses that are crying for help, there doesn't seem to be much movement. The challenge we have now it that we are getting close to the end of the road to get Darrell to reverse the decision, the Doers and Dreamers Guide needs to go to print in February, just to name one.

Secondly, is that the main decision maker is out of town on vacation. Premier Dexter is out until the 7th of February and then heads to Vancouver for the Olympics as soon as he gets back. I don't diminish the fact that people need vacation, it's bad timing for a newby Premier. What really gets my goat on this one is that at the meeting with Minister Belliveau, according to a few friends that were there, Sterling seemed to be unaware of any of the facts surrounding the ferry issue that that he couldn't understand why people were so worked up. He committed to speaking with the Premier about the issue, hopefully understanding the urgency of this situation. My question is simple, did Sterling call Darrell before he headed on vacation?

Finally, why nobody has organized a protest at One Government Place is beyond me. If this was anywhere else in the province, they would be camped out that the Premier's doorstep. All I can do is say this - there were times when decisions in our government that were swayed due to the out pouring of emotion on Granville Street, and this government is still new and their skin is still thin. The protest needs to come from the Industry and the men, women and children that are being negatively affected by Darrell's bad decision.

More updates to come.

Friday's entry

2010-01-22T08:23:00.001-04:00

I know that writing a blog everyday would be tiresome (mostly for you), so really I should do a recap of the week. As far as this week went, it was a great one, I spent my whole week in the constituency! I'm also sure Thérèse liked it as I was there to help work through her computer issues. (I'm this close to swapping that computer to an Apple!)

STRIKE!

The snow storm on Monday kept the kids home, thankfully not the possible strike by the CUPE workers at Tri-County and CSAP . Their strike was averted by a settlement on Saturday. The health workers on the other hand were a different story. If we try to piece together the events of Monday morning, it seems that Frank Corbett was told that the Union walked away from the table and he had the Public Service Commission send out a pretty blunt press release, condemning CUPE. What apparently was going on is that they were thinking about it and within 2 hours the strike was over.

This is an excerpt from the Halifax Metro paper;

If ratified, union members will receive a 2.9 per cent raise retroactive to April 1, 2009, along with one per cent raises this year and next year. The contract expires Oct. 31, 2011.
Licensed practical nurses get a further six per cent raise backdated to Sept. 1, 2009. Classifications paid equal to and above lab and radiology techs also jump 2.1 per cent.
These hikes pull CUPE in line with its Capital Health counterparts in Halifax. The union even won a clause guaranteeing wage parity if Capital Health gets new raises.

It's funny that 10 years ago it was the John Hamm Tory government that gave this union wage parity with their Halifax counterparts and it was Darrell Dexter's NDP government was trying to take it away. And I thought the NDP and the Unions were brothers and sisters? We had always felt that it would be easier to recruit and keep health professionals in the rural areas if you made sure they we paid the same, as it is with many profession, folks follow the money.

I don't on the other hand disagree with the new pattern that this negotiation sets for other unions that are ready to sit down at the table. The 1% increase in the following years make sense due to the fact that other indicators like CPI and inflation are relatively flat and that government's own revenues will be down.

WE DID NOT "COOK THE BOOKS"!

The other interesting thing that happened this week, that was barely reported, came from the Public Accounts Committee when the Deloitte folks were in to speak and take questions about the Financial Review undertaken by the NDP.

CB North MLA Cecil Clarke asked a pretty straight question, “Did the former Progressive Conservative government cook the books of the province?” Witnesses from accounting firm Deloitte & Touche promptly answered “no.”

“Many Nova Scotians have been waiting to hear the truth on the state of the province’s finances and the role the former government may have had in the deficit situation we see ourselves in today,” said Clarke. “What we heard today is that the $500 million deficit facing our province is a complete concoction of NDP spending commitments – not a result of the former government mismanaging the books.”

During the hearing, Clarke also questioned the NDP government’s handling of the advice provided by Deloitte. “What we have is a government that campaigned against a pre-payment to universities and then made a $353 million commitment to pay them, which contributed significantly to the deficit. So did the NDP government go against the advice of the Deloitte Report?” asked Clarke.

Deloitte Atlantic Practice Managing Partner, Shannon MacDonald, agreed that the advice given to the NDP government had been ignored.

What this does, is validate that the information that was presented to the new government in the first place was correct, the work was a $100,000 waste of money! It also underlines that the NDP knew of the revenue decline back in June, we told them! They still went out and promised the moon and the sky and brought in a budget with a 525 million dollars deficit. So in simple terms they own the deficit because they created it against all the information that they already had!

LIFEFLIGHT HELICOPTER

I was a little startled this morning to read in the Chronicle Herald that the LifeFlight helicopter is out of commission on a safety recall. Now, I can't discourage work that must be done on the machine, but a fixed wing aircraft as a backup just doesn't cut it! The last time I checked, airplanes can't land on the tops of Hospitals and many communities do not have airstrips, for example, Shelburne would have use Yarmouth or Liverpool.

Where is the communication from the Department who, on behalf of all Nova Scotians, depends regularly on the program to transport very ill patients to and from the provincial hospitals in HRM. What is the real backup plan? How long is the maintenance going to last? Has the company tried to source another helicopter?

There are times when seconds and minutes count when it comes to transporting seriously ill patients and the only way to ensure safe transport is with a helicopter. Lives are truly on the line in Nova Scotia and PEI (they use our service quite regularly).

High Speed Internet

2010-01-21T13:59:00.000-04:00

Last week’s letter from Courtney Wyman printed in the Yarmouth Vanguard in regards to the availability of Broadband Internet in all communities in South West Nova Scotia is the reason for this post.

I was happy to be part of the Rural Broadband project when it was conceived by our government over two years ago. It was a very large commitment, many of the traditional Internet Service Providers (ISP) were not interested in covering our commitment of 100% of our population. Our government devised a program that with an injection of about 75 million dollars and through RFP that we would find companies willing to build out a system to ensure this 100% coverage. Three ISPs were awarded the contracts, Seaside Communications for the North, Eastlink in the South West and OmniGlobe Networks in the rural parts of Halifax County. The most important part was that the build out needed to be complete by the end of 2009.

We were all very upset on December 9^th, to find out that things would not be complete until the May 2010, this was the first that we had heard about the delay since the NDP government came to power. Worst of all, is that, even though Broadband is available to about 94% of our population , the remaining 6% seems to here in South West (by the calls I get, mostly the constituents of Argyle).

Eastlink seems very cavalier and vague in it’s discussions with possible clients, I know that through my intervention that Eastlink contacted the Wymans and basically were unwilling to help. Many businesses and students like Courtney are being left behind by this mess up and my plea to Eastlink is, hurry up we’ve waited too long now!

Welcome to my Blog

2010-01-19T15:07:00.000-04:00

I hope January is going well!

I figured I needed a better way to keep in touch with my constituents. My static website wasn't really cutting it, and truth be known, it hasn't been updated in over a year because of the complexity.

So in this world of twitter @ChrisMLA, I needed a mechanism to better explain issues and things happening around the Area. I will still continue to tweet as a regular update and when it warrants it I will write it down here.