Oral Questions put forward by Chuck

Tuesday November 6, 2012

ERDT - MINAS BASIN PULP & POWER EMPLOYEES: MIN. - MEET

MR. CHUCK PORTER: Mr. Speaker, last week in response to a question about the announcement that 135 Nova Scotians who work at Minas Basin Pulp and Power would be out of work by the end of the year, the Minister of Economic and Rural Development and Tourism chose to score a cheap political point at their expense by reading a quote from seven years ago. Finally the minister said, “We will be there. We are there to provide support to those individuals, those workers at Minas Basin Pulp and Power. We will be there.” I will table that from Hansard.

My question to the minister is, Minas Basin Pulp and Power families are worried. What plan has the minister made to support those individuals? When, where, and with whom will he meet?

HON. PERCY PARIS: Mr. Speaker, I remember very well what I said. My first comments were that my thoughts were with the men, the women, and their families who lost jobs at the Hantsport facility. I went on to say that there is a transition team in place that is meeting with employees to chart out best strategies in a go-forward way.
Mr. Speaker, I’m certainly willing - and I think this government has proven itself, under the leadership of our Premier, that when crises hit, we are there. You know, that will continue to be the way of this government, we will be there.

MR. PORTER: Mr. Speaker, last year the minister’s department produced a document called The Statement of Mandate, and I’ll table that document. In the minister’s message in that document the minister writes, “Through our work with businesses, we have reaffirmed that jobsHere is the right plan to lay the foundation for success in every corner of Nova Scotia.”

I’m here to tell you, Mr. Minister and Mr. Speaker, that the foundation is crumbling poorly. What exactly will the minister do to make sure the employees of Minas Basin Pulp and Power are not just more sad statistics in the minister’s dismal job creation record?

MR. PARIS: Mr. Speaker, as I have gotten on my feet time and time again and I’ve said that since we came into power, we’ve created 7,600 jobs in the Province of Nova Scotia. We work very closely with the Department of Labour and Advanced Education. The Department of Labour and Advanced Education have been, and always will be, part of any transition team that moves forward with respect to displaced workers.

Again, our hearts go out to these individuals and their families and again, reiteration, we’ve proven time and time again that in time of need, this government will be there, under the leadership of the Premier.

MR. PORTER: Mr. Speaker, in his message in that document I tabled, the minister boasts several times of the groundwork he has done to support economic opportunities in the province. He concludes by saying, “Today more than ever, I am confident in what the future holds for Nova Scotia.” I know 135 families who don’t share his confidence and who are afraid of what the future holds for them in Nova Scotia.

Mr. Speaker, my question is, will the minister commit today to coming to Hantsport and agreeing to meet with the long list of stakeholders who are coming together in support of these families? I’ll table that list right here. We’ve already been working on that.

MR. PARIS: Mr. Speaker, as I’ve already said, through this government there is a transition team in place that not only involves Economic and Rural Development and Tourism, but obviously Labour and Advanced Education is playing a very key and vital role. We have people on the ground. We have the RDA that’s there that I’ve already been in touch with. He sent me some information. They are meeting with the families and with the individuals.

If people want to meet with me - and one of the things that I say outside of this House and I’ll say inside this House, I think in the almost four years that I’ve been a Minister of the Crown, I think I’ve proven my accessibility time and time again. I think the member for Hants West, who is asking the questions, can’t deny that any time he has requested a meeting with me, I’ve always been there. Thank you.

Tuesday November 27, 2012

HEALTH AND WELLNESS - DIALYSIS - E.HANTS/W.HANTS - FUNDING EXPLAIN

MR. CHUCK PORTER: Mr. Speaker, my question today is for the Minister of Health and Wellness. Earlier this month the Department of Health and Wellness issued a press release about the funding for new dialysis chairs that will help 40 patients from Tatamagouche, to Truro, to Stewiacke. In the release the member for Truro-Bible Hill explained that some patients endure a life-saving dialysis treatment three days a week, four or five hours a day. Many patients are elderly and do not have their own means of transportation or have needed to find lodgings in Halifax to receive their life-saving treatment, she said, and that's all true. I'll table that as I spoke from it, but that isn't just true of patients in the Truro-Bible Hill-Colchester area. My question to the Minister of Health and Wellness is, why did government provide funding for dialysis in Colchester and East Hants, but nothing for patients living in West Hants?

HON DAVID WILSON: Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question. We know that dialysis is an important service that Nova Scotians seek to gain access to. We recognize the burden that many Nova Scotians have when it comes to not only the time that is involved when you're receiving dialysis, but that travel time also is a burden. That is why we continue to invest in dialysis. We recognize the importance of satellite dialysis units across the province and I look forward to continuing to support dialysis services throughout Nova Scotia.

MR. PORTER: Mr. Speaker, Richard LaPierre of Ellershouse needs life-saving dialysis treatment. Richard and his wife, Frances, travel from their home in Berwick three times a week to get their treatment and they've been doing this for many, many years. This couple has maxed out every means of financial support that they have. My question to the minister is, why won't the minister provide the same peace of mind to the LaPierres that he has given 40 patients in Colchester and East Hants?

MR. WILSON: Mr. Speaker, we knew that this was an area of service within the health care field that we needed to concentrate some efforts and some funding. I'm glad to say that we've invested more than $1 million looking at some of the renovations that are needed to the current dialysis units, but we've recognized the need to get out into more communities and support those Nova Scotians who are seeking services like dialysis. We will be making more announcements as we move forward as it comes to dialysis and the services that they provide Nova Scotians.

MR. PORTER : Mr. Speaker, it's interesting that the minister talks about investments and money because the Hants Community Hospital Foundation has committed $80,000 to purchase dialysis machines for the use at Hants Community Hospital, so have others in the community come together to raise money for these machines. Despite this commitment the NDP refuses to consider expanding dialysis service to Windsor even if the machines are purchased by the foundation.

In his former profession I know the minister saw first-hand the mental, physical, and financial anguish dialysis patients suffer from, because I sat in that same ambulance with him while we transferred these patients around. I know he understands the situation very clearly, so I would ask again, why is the minister refusing an area that is ready, willing, and able to accommodate dialysis services with financial means and a physical location?

MR. WILSON : Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for the question. I know he's very concerned around patients in Nova Scotia who receive dialysis and those services. We know that it has been a burden on many Nova Scotians over a number of years, especially the time taken to travel to seek these treatments. This is not something where you just receive one treatment and that's it. It's multiple days of travelling, and that's why we're continuing to invest in dialysis throughout the province.

We know that communities have offered funding for machines or certain material or equipment for dialysis, but there's more to it than just providing the capital funding for that piece of equipment. These are professionals who need certain training, and you need to ensure they have the number of patients in a certain area, to ensure they can provide those services and continue a continuity of care.

I look forward in the coming months - I hope the member opposite recognizes the movement we've done so far on dialysis. We'll have more information around services throughout Nova Scotia of the investment that this government is making when it comes to dialysis services in Nova Scotia.

Wednesday November 28, 2012

TIR - SERVICE AREA: CHANGES - EXPLAIN

MR. CHUCK PORTER: My question is for the Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal. As of May 22nd of this year, the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal changed the way services are being delivered to Nova Scotia taxpayers. In Hants West, for example, I now have my local Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal out of their Brooklyn base, something that has always been in place and works well, but now I also have the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal out of Chester covering another section of Hants West. Unfortunately as a result, there is a noticeable difference in how services are being provided. My question to the minister is, why has this policy changed when it worked so well for many, many years?

HON. MAURICE SMITH: My understanding is that when these arrangements where changed, or the areas of service were changed, it was to accommodate a more evening of the workload for people in areas, so that it was a fairer distribution of the workload and it also had to do with a better distribution of equipment that we had available in different areas. At one point we might have had a piece of equipment covering - and I’m just going to as an example give a distance, but perhaps 10 kilometres whereas in a neighbouring area, the same kind of work, that the person was assigned 30 kilometres. So these realignments, as I understand it, were to balance out that workload so that they both would have approximately 20 kilometres of roadway to cover. That’s my understanding of the situation.

MR. PORTER: Mr. Speaker, the department stipulates the changes are happening as a result of a new collective bargaining agreement between CUPE and the province. Part of the new agreement allegedly includes reducing the geographic size of work areas in some parts of the province. However, the hard-working individuals looking after the delivery of service consider the province’s definition of a change as a smokescreen because all of this is done, it makes their specific coverage areas larger and, therefore, making it more difficult to get the necessary work done. The area in the constituency of Hants West, which has been taken over by Chester, has literally been forgotten. No work is getting done at all and I can guarantee you one thing, it’s not for lack of trying because I’ve spoken with the minister’s people out there, the area manager and the operational supervisors on multiple occasions, Mr. Speaker. My question is, will the minister commit to reviewing this decision so he can see for himself it is just not working?

MR. SMITH: Mr. Speaker, I thank the member for that question. I’m sorry if the member was having some difficulty with a portion of my department, with people in his local area, he didn’t bring that to my attention. I certainly would have looked at it to determine what the problem was and to come up with a reasonable solution for him. I don’t know in particular what kind of work he’s saying has gone wanting as a result of these changes. Again, my understanding is that, in effect, these changes have actually improved service because it’s a more evening out of the workload for the people, for the workers, so that they can actually have a fairer share of the workload and, similarly, equipment has been placed in areas that, again, makes its usage more effective.

MR. PORTER: Mr. Speaker, the real reason for this change is due to the government cutting funds that are sorely needed to take care of RIM work around rural Nova Scotia - and we all know that; any rural member would know that. I know that I don’t have to explain to rural members in this House how important RIM funding is for getting work done, like getting potholes fixed, ditching done, guardrails put in place that are desperately needed. Since this change in May, the area of Vaughan and Leminster in Hants West are being neglected; in fact, so neglected the supervisor at the school bus garage has changed bus routes due to concerns expressed by area residents for the coming winter season. My question to the minister is, does the minister understand how this has impacted those living in areas like Vaughan and Leminster, where roadwork is being ignored?

MR. SMITH: Mr. Speaker, I want to answer that question. I note the time, but I want to get that question answered. I’m also from a rural area, so I appreciate very much how important RIM work is to our areas . . .

MR. SPEAKER: Order, please. The time alloted for Oral Question period has expired.