Jason Skinner baseball mural

I gave the following member statements in the legislature on February 29, 2024:

Speaker, if you walk or roll near the Schultz Memorial Ball Diamond on Howe Street in North Dartmouth -as I often have done with my dog, Gregory Jack -you will see a beautiful new mural, Home Team2023, painted last Summer by Jason Skinner.

The mural is bright and brilliant, and portrays a strong sense of community through the depiction of a children’s local baseball team. It’s really beautiful, and is a wonderful addition to our community.

Jason Skinner lives in Dartmouth North and is a multi-disciplinary artist who creates murals, illustrations, oil paintings, and chalk art. He’s been creating public art for over 20 years. You may have seen his installation called 42 Seagulls at the new entrance to the Alderney Gate Public Library in downtown Dartmouth. Another one of Jason’s raised murals adorns a building on Blowers Street, and features various Haligonians walking, chatting, playing guitar, and more.

Public art like Jason’s simply makes our communities better. Dartmouth North is home to many talented artists, and I’m really glad that Jason is one of them.

Children and Foodbanks

I gave the following members statement on February 28, 2024:

At the beginning of 2024, the North Dartmouth Outreach Resource Centre Society, one of Dartmouth North’s local food banks, posted a sobering figure to its Facebook page. In 2023, the average number of children served by the food bank went up to 70 in 2023 from 31 in 2022. Even more sobering is that the average number of children served by the food bank in both 2021 and 2020 was 15. 

That means that today, the North Dartmouth Outreach Resource Centre alone is serving 55 more children than they were three years ago. They’re just one of the many food banks in Dartmouth North, and of course the province, that is serving the people bearing the brunt of the affordability crisis. Nova Scotia has the highest child poverty rate in Atlantic Canada, and approximately one in four kids in Nova Scotia don’t get enough to eat every day. There are so many things we can and must do to reduce and eliminate child poverty, some of which we have proposed in this Legislature. 

I hope that every member in this House can commit themselves this session to working toward a world where no family has to rely on a food bank to feed their children.

Dartmouth North Small Businesses of the Year

I made the following members statement in the Nova Scotia Legislature on February 28, 2024:

I am proud to say that this year, two of the five nominees for the Halifax Business Awards Small Business of the Year, Flenjor Foodsand Indigevisor, are located in Dartmouth North. Better still, I am excited to share that Flenjor Foods, the African food vendor with a location at Albro Lake and Wyse Roads, won the award in January.

When Business Voice magazine asked Flenjor what they were most proud of, they replied, their contribution to immigrant retention in this province. Being able to find food from your home country that you’re used to cooking, that your family has been cooking for generations, is a major factor in many people’s decisions to stay in Nova Scotia.

Indigevisor is a women-led business on Wyse Road that assists clients in creating a reconciliation action plan. When asked what they were most proud of, Indigevisortold Business Voice: “sparking systemic cultural change.”

I ask the House to join me in congratulating Indigevisor in their nomination for Small Business of the Year, and Flenjor Foods for bringing the award home.

Question to Minister: Why did gov pay developer’s tax bill on Hogan Court?

SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health and Wellness. In the Auditor General’s report on the Hogan Court hotel deal, it was revealed that the highly unusual and concerning transaction was negotiated with a developer who didn’t even own the property and then included $500,000 to cover the developer’s deed transfer tax after they bought and flipped the hotel to the Province. My question is -and I think we would all like to know this -why is the government paying this developer’s tax bill?

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: We continually talk about Hogan Court, and I’m so pleased to be able to stand up and talk about that first-in-the-province transition-to-care facility. This is a monumental change. I can appreciate that they’ve . . . (interruption).

THE SPEAKER: Order. We’re all a little bit too loud in here today. We’re going to start again. The honourable Minister of Health and Wellness.

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: Thank you. I’d like to thank the members opposite for just helping me prompt my response there. I might have missed that opportunity if they hadn’t said something. We are really pleased with this development. There was a right of first refusal that informed how we proceeded with the project. We bought this facility so that we can get more care faster to Nova Scotians, particularly our seniors who are waiting in hospital. There are things we can absolutely learn from the Auditor General’s report. We have accepted them. Certainly the last Auditor General’s report had said that I was going too fast and doing too much, and I will take that any day over other . . .

SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, many may find it hard to believe, but despite spending a massive amount on this shell of a hotel, the government missed a pretty important part: the driveway. Shockingly, the government’s new overpriced hotel doesn’t even have road access. Instead, this government had to negotiate service and access agreements with the developer to make up for the omission. Why did the purchase of this hotel fail to include a driveway, and how much are we paying the developer for road access to our own building?

MICHELLE THOMPSON: If the only thing the member opposite can find wrong with Hogan Court is that it doesn’t have (interruption). The only thing we’re talking about today is a little driveway. I feel confident in our ability to put in an adequate driveway that will help families pick up their loved one and take them home after they receive excellent care in a transition-to-care facility.

Dartmouth North Mobile Food Market

I gave the following members statement in the Nova Scotia Legislature on February 27:

Speaker, people in Dartmouth North now have another option for buying low-cost produce. The Mobile Food Market has set up a permanent location in Saint Anthony Church at 26 Courtney Road.

The Mobile Food Market has transformed this space into a warm and welcoming spot. Tables are arranged in rows and on market days the produce is laid out in bins on the tables. Shoppers move up and down the rows, pick what they need, and pay at the cash register. The market is open each Tuesday from 4:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m., and takes cash, credit and debit. There’s also an area to sit, have a cup of coffee or tea and a chat, and a kids’ corner with lots of fun activities for the little ones.

Since opening on January 23rd, there has been a consistent turnout of about 80 people each week.

As we see the cost of everything go up, especially groceries, the timing of this new market couldn’t be better. I ask the House to join me in extending congratulations and thanks to the Mobile Food Market for this much-needed service in Dartmouth North.

Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes Memorial Game

On February 27, I gave the following members statement in the Nova Scotia Legislature:

On February 17th I was in the stands at the RBC Centre in Burnside for the annual Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes Memorial Game. The game featured two all-Black teams representing the historic Amherst Royals and the Hammonds Plains Mossbacks.

This year, the teams were coached by two hockey giants: Bill Riley, the first Black Nova Scotian to play in the NHL, and former Team Canada player and Hockey Hall of Famer - the first woman to be inducted into the Hockey Hall of Fame - Angela James. James lent her considerable talents to a youth hockey clinic before the game. The annual game was organized by the Black Ice Society, a Nova Scotia-based non-profit that recognizes and showcases Black achievement in sport.

Founded in 1895 and playing off and on until 1930, the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes consisted of 400 players of African descent on teams throughout the region. The league's maiden team was in fact the Dartmouth Jubilees.

In these last few days of African Heritage Month, I ask the House to join me in thanking the Black Ice Society for their efforts to ensure that the Colored Hockey League of the Maritimes is not lost to history and congratulate all involved.

Susan Leblanc Asks Government About Careless Spending on Hogan Court

SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, the government’s approach of “going like hell” -and I’ll table that -has proven to be high-risk but not high-reward. In fact, care seems to be missing entirely from the government’s approach to health care spending. Carelessly handing out untendered contracts has resulted in out-of-control costs, and a decrease in the promised number of additional health care beds. My question for the Minister of Health and Wellness is: When will the government take responsibility for its poor decision on the Hogan Court project?

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: There have been historic investments to date with a new budget coming. We have made incredible decisions. We have made incredible investments -60,000 more primary care appointments per month. We’ve invested in 60 new and strengthened primary care clinics across this province. We are finally using pharmacists to the fullness of their scope, resulting in 95,000. We are working with seniors in long-term care with the Nova Scotia Health Authority to transition seniors in this province in a respectful way to appropriate places for them to recondition and finally get home. We have a new Cape Breton Medical Campus. We have a surgical wait-list that has reduced by 27 per cent since April 1, 2022. I have about six more pages . . .

SUSAN LEBLANC: Money is tight these days. Nova Scotians go to the grocery store and compare costs before deciding what items to buy because they understand the importance of getting value for what they are spending. On the other hand, this government -as we have heard from the Auditor General bought a $35 million hotel without even a proper appraisal. While many Nova Scotians are scrounging to save a few cents, the government is recklessly throwing around millions of dollars. Will the government apologize to Nova Scotians for taking such a careless approach to health care spending?

MICHELLE THOMPSON: What I really want Nova Scotians to know is that this is a government that fully invests in their health, in their wellness, and in their ability to transition, based on the stage of their life, to an appropriate place where they can live. We did not buy a hotel; we bought a transition-to-community facility. When you have people who are world-class clinicians -like Dr. Christine Short and Dr. Rockwood excited about the prospect of the ability to care for our elders in this type of environment, it is more than value for money. Nova Scotians should be very proud that this government has their shoulders to the wheel, and that we show every day how we value them, because nobody on that side did for the last 12 years.

Susan Leblanc pushes government to commit to free birth control for all in N.S.

SUSAN LEBLANC: My question is for the Minister of Health and Wellness. For many Nova Scotians, the cost of birth control prevents them from accessing this basic form of health care. It’s estimated that one in three Nova Scotian workers do not have health benefits, and not all benefit plans offer equal coverage of the care. Insufficient access to birth control leads to worsened health, well-being, and socio-economic outcomes for patients, families, and communities. The minister has worked extensively as a health care provider. Does she find it acceptable that so many Nova Scotians can’t access this important medication?

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: Certainly, we’re looking at universal birth control over the last number of months. We know that there are a number of people, through Family Pharmacare, who can access birth control, providing that there is a medication component. I certainly know in the instance of IUDs, in order for those to be covered under Family Pharmacare, there does need to be a medicinal and hormonal component to that. We continue to look at ways to support Nova Scotians. We also know that through the Department of Community Services, as well, there’s free birth control available to those who meet the criteria. We are working all the time to cover things that are important to Nova Scotians, and we’ll continue to do that review.

SUSAN LEBLANC: The minister will know that there are gaps in providing contraception. Earlier this year, British Columbia became the first province to provide access to free prescription contraception.Nova Scotia needs to follow suit. It’s estimated that for every dollar spent on contraception access, there’s up to $90 in public savings. The Access Now Nova Scotia Coalition has called on government to urgently address this issue, supported by organizations like the Pharmacy Association of Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia College of Family Physicians, the Dalhousie Department of Pediatrics, the Dalhousie Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, the North End Community Health Centre, and many others. I will table that list. Will the minister commit to ensuring that every Nova Scotian has access to no-cost contraception?

MICHELLE THOMPSON: Our Pharmacare Program is under incredible pressure, as we all know. Not only do we have advancing technologies and therapies, but we also know the costs of drugs are going up. As a department, we continue to look at what we’re best able to supply to Nova Scotians. We want to make sure we have things that are accessible to them and that are needed. There are always competing priorities, and we will continue to balance and look at those over the coming months. We will do what we can to support Nova Scotians.

Susan Leblanc asks minister why rent supplements keep being restricted

SUSAN LEBLANC: My question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Last week, after changing the rent supplement program to no longer allow a statutory declaration in place of a lease, the minister told reporters that “it’s got to be quite rare that someone doesn’t have a lease.” I can table that. In fact, Speaker, it is not. For example, data from the CBRM shows that 6 per cent of rental agreements don’t have lease agreements and 28 per cent don’t have leases in rooming houses. I can table that. Given this information, will the minister reverse this policy change and allow statutory declarations in place of leases?

HON. JOHN LOHR: What in fact has happened is that before we made our change it was just routine. There was the option of one -provide a lease or provide a statutory declaration. We’ve changed the policy so that we require a lease but if there is not a lease available, we will accept a statutory declaration, if there are other corroborating documents along with that. We are not slamming the door on that, but we’re saying it’s not just a routine (a) or (b), one or the other. There needs to be more corroborating information with that statutory declaration.

SUSAN LEBLANC: This is new news and has not been shared, I think, with constituency offices or the public. This change that I just talked about comes on the heels of a slew of changes to the program that will make it harder for people to qualify but the government is being opaque about the details of the changes. The minister last week said that maybe a power bill could be used in place of a lease. Today he is saying a statutory declaration with corroborating documents. My office wasn’t given any of thisinformation or options. Nova Scotia Legal Aid staff lawyer Nora MacIntosh was given a $900 fee estimate when she simply tried to access the policies the department uses for the rent supplement program. I can table that. My question to the minister is: Why is the government so secretive about how to access this already restrictive program?

JOHN LOHR: What I can say is that we have one of the most successful rent supplement programs in the country. I’ve said this before in the House: When I meet with my other provincial counterparts, one of the questions they often ask federal ministers is, Can we use that money for something else? They’re not fully subscribed with their rent supplement program. We’re more than fully subscribed: We’re four times over. We’ve got a $52 million program -of which approximately $42 million is provincial money -in what was meant to be a cost-share program. I have raised that issue with the federal Minister of Housing, Infrastructure and Communities. We need the feds to stepup more than that. That’s clear. We’re working hard on this program. We’re proud of the program we have.

Susan Leblanc asks minister to guarantee a roof for everyone sleeping outside

SUSAN LEBLANC: My question is for the Minister of Community Services. Last night, temperatures dipped to zero degrees, and there is snow forecast in many parts of the province this week. We don’t know where a Winter shelter will be in HRM, but we do know that it will only be 50 beds, not nearly enough to meet the needs of the hundreds of people facing Winter outdoors.Living outside in the Winter can be deadly. Why hasn’t this government put forward a plan to house every person in HRM this Winter? THE SPEAKER: The honourable Minister for Community Services.

HON. TREVOR BOUDREAU: Thank you to the member for the question. We recognize the urgency of temperatures dropping and homelessness here in the province certainly here in HRM, but also across the province. Absolutely, we are working hard with our partners, with HRM, to secure a location for this shelter. I also will take the opportunity to talk about the Pallet shelters that will be coming, 200 of them for across the province: 100 of them for here in HRM, as well as 100 more for the rest of Nova Scotia. We know the urgency, we sense it. We’re continuing to work with our partners, we know there’s more to do, and we’ll continue to do what we can.

SUSAN LEBLANC: Let’s do the math here. We’ve got 50 beds in a shelter. We’ve got 100 Pallet shelters somewhere else. Since this government was elected two years ago, the number of chronically homeless people in HRM alone has more than doubled as a result of its housing policies. There are now more than 1,000 people actively homeless in HRM, many of them in Dartmouth. The minister is referencing a number of things: sheds, tiny homes, shelters. They do not add up to a warm place indoors for every single person who needs one. When will the minister guarantee a roof for every person living outside this winter in Nova Scotia?

TREVOR BOUDREAU: We recognize that everyone deserves a safe place to live. Over the past two years, this government has made significant investments in supporting people who are experiencing homelessness. I think of a couple of innovative projects, including The Bridge, that has been quite successful, and The Overlook. Again, we have talked about the Palletshelters as well as the tiny homes. Just for some perspective: Over the last two years, 417 new supportive housing units have been created by this government. We know there’s more to do -we do know there’s more to do, and we’ll continue to do what we can to support our most vulnerable. THE SPEAKER: The honourable member for Halifax Atlantic.

Susan Leblanc Asks Housing Minister About Changes to Rent Supplement

This is my entire exchange with the Minister of Housing and Municipal Affairs regarding one of the many changes that his government has made to the rent supplement that is making the program less and less accessible to Nova Scotians.

SUSAN LEBLANC: My question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing.

Recently, when attempting to help a Nova Scotian get a rent supplement, my office learned that the program will no longer accept statutory declarations in place of a lease. In my community, and in many others across the province, there are countless reasons why someone might not have a lease, and it can be a lifeline to be able to get a statutory declaration in place of one. This change will mean that people could lose their homes. My question to the minister is: Why is the government so insistent on making it harder to find and keep a place to live?

HON. JOHN LOHR: I can say that we are in the process of tightening up some of our procedures, making them more in line with federal government procedures when dealing with programs that we put out. The reality is that we had people apply for rent supplements without a lease and then never end up renting. We had to tighten that whole process up. We recognize that it does make it a little bit harder, but certainly they are pre-approved for the rent supplement. They simply need to rent the apartment before we provide the money.

SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, that’s exactly what I’m talking about. It is impossible formany people to have a lease. Some people have rented for years and years and years and their lease is long gone. A statutory declaration was what they used -a legal document -to replace the lease. Now those are not being accepted. Our office was told: Due to policy changes, we are no longer accepting confirmation of occupancy forms or statutory declarations in lieu of leases. A caseworker will reach out to the client and let them know that they will need a full lease going forward. I will table that email. This comes on the heels of the supplement program’s eligibility being slashed from 30 per cent of a person’s income being spent on rent to 50 per cent before they qualify. This is very, very bad for many people. Even fewer people will qualify for rent supplements because of these changes. Will the minister reverse this very bad decision?

JOHN LOHR: The reality is we have one of the most robust and strongest rent supp programs in the country. I’ve said it before in the House: When I go to federal-provincial-territorial meetings, the other provinces are saying, We are not spending our Canada rent supp money, can we spend it on something else? We’re in the opposite position. We’re far exceeding the federal contribution, and we will continue to do that. We now have almost 8,000 people on rent supps, and we continue to invest further in rent supps, and recognize their importance in our province.

Susan LeBlanc asks why government is hiding data about emergency care crisis

SUSAN LEBLANC: My question is for the Minister of Health and Wellness. Every day in this province, ambulances and patients are tied up, waiting dangerously long times, to be off-loaded at the hospital. On a recent Tuesday evening, I was told that 17 paramedics were at the QEII waiting to off-load patients. In her report on this issue, the Auditor General said, “We recommend the Department of Health and Wellness publicly report weekly ground ambulance response times by community and offload times by hospital.” I can table that. Presumably the minister has this information. Will she commit to reporting it weekly?

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: Certainly we are very committed to be a transparent government that reports on a variety of metrics, and I would point the member opposite to Action for Health. On a regular basis, not always weekly, but on a monthly or quarterly basis -sometimes annually, depending on the metric -we do post information there so that Nova Scotians can see how the system is performing. Not alwaysare those the best outcomes that we’d like, and those are the places where we focus the most, so I would say that we are very transparent. We are very committed to being transparent with Nova Scotians. We continue to work with the provider as well as the Nova Scotia Health Authority around off-load times as well as other metrics. I would point the member to the Action for Health website.

SUSAN LEBLANC: The current standard says that an ambulance that arrives at an emergency room should be able off-load the patient in 30 minutes or less. The government’s most recent public data show that for the week of October 1st, in the Western Zone, the average off-load time was 88 minutes. In the Northern Zone, it was 92 minutes. In the Central Zone, it was 139 minutes, and in the Eastern Zone, it was a 150-minute average -an average wait for thepatient to be off-loaded into the emergency department and the paramedic to get back on the road which is five times longer than the standard. But when it comes to what is happening at each individual hospital, people are left in the dark. So why is the government hiding this data?

MICHELLE THOMPSON: Certainly, there is no attempt to hide any information at all whatsoever. We’re not trying to hide it at all. In fact, we’re the first government that has an Action for Health website that actually shows the data for what’s happening in the health care system. What happened is we’re working very hard across this province. We have a number of places where the off-load times are meeting standards. We look at places like the Aberdeen Hospital, we look at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital, and we look at all ofthese hospitals and we take what’s happening there, and we scale it as best we can. There is nobody taking their foot off the gas in terms of response time. We are under-bedded in this province, in long-term care and in the hospitals, and have been for decades. We also need to increase staffing. So there’s a ton of work that’s happening around off-load times.

Susan Leblanc on ER closures leaving Nova Scotians without care they need

SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, my question is also for the Minister of Health and Wellness. This week alone, there have been announcements for emergency room closures at Fishermen’s Memorial Hospital, North Cumberland Memorial Hospital, All Saints Springhill Hospital, Queen’s General Hospital, Eastern Memorial Hospital, Digby General Hospital, Glace Bay Hospital, and Strait Richmond Hospital. Does the minister find it acceptable that Nova Scotians in these communities are regularly left without an open emergency room in their area?

HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: I will say, as I said a few minutes earlier, the biggest challenges that we’re facing are our capacity in terms of beds, but also in terms of our health care workforce. We know particularly that there is a nursing shortage across this province. We have been working very, very hard. We have increased the number of seats. We’re working with the Collegeof Registered Nurses to bring in internationally educated nurses. We’re doing a very intentional program in order to train and bring nurses into our health care system so that they’re able to care for communities. We’re looking and working with people in the Department of Labour, Skills and Immigration to ensure that internationally educated nurses are settled and transitioned to communities in a very meaningful way. It is going to take time, but certainly we have seen an incredible amount of action and investment in health care since we’ve formed government.

SUSAN LEBLANC: ER closures cause crowding and long waits at regional hospitals as people travel further for care and cause massive stress and delays on paramedics. A FOIPOP filed by our caucus shows that the number of people leaving ERs without being seen continues to go up and up. It has increased again by 24 per cent this year. I can table that. This government promised to fix health care, but to the Nova Scotians facing emergency room closures and lengthy wait times, this just isn’t the case. Yes, it takes time, but Nova Scotians can’t wait any longer. When will the conditions in emergency rooms improve?

MICHELLE THOMPSON: Things are improving. I would draw attention to the Patient Access to Care Act, and the work that’s done with the college: 18,000 nurses have applied to come and live in Nova Scotia -a bill, I might add, that the NDP voted against when they were on the floor of this House. Here we are -we have just settled a new contract with nurses, and we have just settled a new contract with physicians. We are becoming a destination for health care workers around the world, as evidenced by the number of people who are coming here. They don’t want to look at the things that are going well. Ican assure you that we are investing. We are working our tails off to make sure that Nova Scotians have the health care they need and deserve, which was never a priority under the two previous governments.

Susan Leblanc asks why a government shelter has empty rooms in a housing crisis

SUSAN LEBLANC: My question is for the Minister of Health and Wellness. Last week, it was reported that three-quarters of the rooms on the health care floor of The Bridge shelter are sitting vacant. Meanwhile there are hundreds of people experiencing chronic homelessness in Halifax, many of them with serious health issues. We know there are staffing issues at The Bridge and across the whole health care system, but how is it possible that this government is allowing shelter beds to sit empty in the middle of a housing crisis?

HON MICHELLE THOMPSON: We are in a partnership with the Department of Community Services with The Bridge to support individuals experiencing homelessness and who may need health care. Our portion of The Bridge is to look at those folks who need a space to get community-based health care. We look at the ability to prescribe periods of time where people can be sheltered to get that care and make sure it’s safe for both the individual receiving care, as well as the person who is delivering care. We continue towork with our partners in HRM to make sure that those spots for people requiring health care at The Bridge are used appropriately.

SUSAN LEBLANC: That sounds excellent. That sounds great. That’s exactly what we thought that that part of The Bridge shelter was for, and yet three-quarters of it is sitting empty. Meanwhile, there are people on the streets with severe health problems -people who are being released from emergency departments out into homelessness again, instead of to that area. A spokesperson from the Nova Scotia Health Authority stated that on any given day, there are multiple homeless community members who are identified as people who would benefit from intake on this floor. I can table that. Despite this fact, there are already more names on the floor’s wait-list than there are rooms. People awaiting surgery, people using wheelchairs are living rough in this province. How does the minister plan for all these people to be safely and appropriately housed before Winter?

MICHELLE THOMPSON:As I said, we work across departments to find solutions for individuals based on their circumstances. The Bridge is used for people who require short-term care in community, who are experiencing homelessness. Unfortunately, it is not a long-term housing situation for them, but we do work with our allied health care professionals, such as social workers and other individuals in the health care system, to support transition to community for those who need additional support.

Protect trans kids

Earlier this week I rose in the Nova Scotia Legislature to call on my fellow lawmakers to do everything we can to protect trans, queer and Two Spirit kids, and make sure that they are safe and protected at school and reflected in the curriculum.

Full text below:

I have a T-shirt that says “Protect Trans Kids.” I bought it at Cape and Cowl Comics and Collectibles , which is a great small business in Sackville. The last time I wore it was at a solidarity rally with the 2SLGBTQIA+ community, when protests around the country were calling for changes to Education Acts that would take away the rights and safety of trans, non-binary, and queer kids. I have two young children who are still figuring out who they are. Cisgender, transgender, gender-diverse, gay, straight, pan -who knows? What I do know is that it is my job, and my mama bear instinct, to protect them and all kids from the things that may harm them: the sun, not getting enough fresh air or exercise, or lack of self-love, or feelings of self-worth or self-confidence. Every child, no matter who they are, deserves the rights afforded them under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. They deserve school curricula that reflect them and respect them and keep them safe from ideas and people who don’t believe they are worthy of love or safety. We in this Legislature and all lawmakers must do everything in our power to protect trans kids, queer kids, Two-Spirit kids -all kids

Susan Leblanc Asks Housing Minister about Keeping Ocean Breeze Affordable

On the first day of the Nova Scotia Legislature I asked Housing Minister John Lohr how it is possible that his government didn’t reach out to the new developers of Ocean Breeze - traditionally affordable housing to over 1, 000 people - to ensure that it stayed affordable and people did not become homeless?

Full exchange:

SUSAN LEBLANC: Madame Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing. Earlier this Summer, the first eviction notices were distributed to tenants of Ocean Breeze, a traditionally affordable housing complex in Dartmouth North that is home to over 1,000 residents. You would think that the sale of such a significant piece of real estate would be of interest to a government that wants to protect affordable housing, but FOIPOP shows no records of correspondence between the department and the new owner. I can table that. In the midst of an affordable housing crisis, how is it possible that the minister didn’t even reach out to the new developer to make sure that Ocean Breeze residents don’t become homeless during this redevelopment?

HON. JOHN LOHR: Madame Speaker, I will say to the member that we have a public-facing part of our department, and our senior staff interact with many different entities -not only developers, but not-for-profits, community housing groups, many different groups, but the way this works is they approach us. If we didn’t interact with them, they didn’t approach us. That’s the reality. We don’t go out and approach groups. They come in and they approach us. That’s how we do it, and we react to that. They come to us looking for information on programs or whatever. This is how this takes place. If we have no record of having communication with them, they didn’t ask for communication. All of our information is readily available online, how to connect with us.

SUSAN LEBLANC: With all due respect, Speaker, a government that is all about action on housing seems to have a strange way of approaching that action when they’re waiting for people to come to us -sitting back and waiting. The developer has been clear that it is open to working with this government to try to maintain affordable housing at Ocean Breeze. After the government didn’t act on an opportunity to purchase the site, we were hopeful that the government would step in to make sure that the housing remains affordable, but FOIPOP documents also show that no funding agreements between the government and the new owners of Ocean Breeze exist. Will the minister make a clear commitment that there will be no net loss of affordable housing due to the redevelopment of Ocean Breeze?

JOHN LOHR: Again, I will say that this is a private development. We will interact if we are asked to interact. I can tell you that we are spending an unprecedented amount of money to preserve affordable housing. One of the examples I will give you is CHAP, which has gotten national recognition, where we have a Community Housing Acquisition Program to enable not-for-profits to purchase. That has preserved and saved hundreds and hundreds of units. We continue to work in this space. We’ve put almost $300 million into housing this year. We will continue to do that. We will continue to build up community housing and not-for-profit housing, which is something that the Affordable Housing Commission report identified as very weak in Nova Scotia. As I’ve said, we’re continuing to do an unprecedented step -a historic step of building public housing units in Nova Scotia. As I’ve said, we’re continuing to do an unprecedented step, a historic step, of building public housing units in Nova Scotia.

Anti 2SLGBTQIA+ Hate and Laws

On March 23 I rose in the Nova Scotia Legislature to give the following statement on the rise of anti-2SLGBTQIA+ hate and laws:

I rise to draw attention to the spate of anti-2SLGBTQIA+ laws that are being put forth and passed in countries around the world.

In the U.S., there are a frightening variety of laws targeting trans people and drag performers. Uganda has just passed legislation criminalizing identifying as LGBTQ+. Russia has banned sharing information on LGBTQ+ identities. These are just a few examples. It’s important, though, that we in Atlantic Canada not think we are beyond this kind of discrimination - there is hate here too. Most recently, organizers of the Little Rainbow event in support of rainbow refugees were the target of online hate, and a Moncton drag story time garnered protests.

I call on this House today to recommit to passing and strengthening laws that will protect, serve, support, and empower 2SLGBTQIA+ individuals and communities in this province. 2SLGBTQIA+ rights are human rights.

12 Days of Giving Food Drive in Crichton Park

On March 23 I was pleased to rise in the Nova Scotia Legislature to recognize Natasha Beuree-Edwards and the residents of Crichton Park for their 12 Days of Giving food drive. This is what I said:

"Mr. Speaker, Crichton Park in Dartmouth North is a generous community, a fact that has been on full display during the last three annual 12 Days of Giving organized by resident Natasha Beuree-Edwards.

Natasha started the 12 Days of Giving food drive in November 2020 to address food insecurity in the early days of the pandemic. That first year, the drive garnered just under 2,000 donated items. The success continued into December 2021 and 2022, with people donating between a 1,000 and 2,000 food items each of those years. A play on the 12 Days of Christmas, Natasha shared a suggested food item for her neighbours to donate for 12 days, and at the end, everything was collected and delivered to Christ Church Food Bank, where the food items were used in the Christmas hamper program.

I ask the house to join me in thanking Natasha and the residents of Crichton Park for their generosity and their effort to address food insecurity in Dartmouth."

John MacNeil Grade 5s African Nova Scotian History Challenge

On March 22 I was also able to recognize the Grade 5s and their teachers at John MacNeil Elementary School in Dartmouth North who felted and sewed a beautiful quilt for the Delmore "Buddy" Daye Learning Institute's African Nova Scotian History Challenge in February. Here is what I said:

Mr. Speaker, this past February the Grade 5s at John MacNeil Elementary School in Dartmouth found a truly special way to mark this year’s African Heritage Month. Throughout February, the students - taught by Matt Montgomery and Colleen Clarke - learned about the history of quilt-making in African Canadian culture. Quilters, they learned, used quilts to tell stories, but also to send messages through the Underground Railroad. Inspired by David Woods and Shauntay Grant, the students created a stunning needle felt quilt which they then submitted to the Delmore “Buddy” Daye Learning Institute’s African Heritage Month Challenge. The quilt consists of squares, each crafted by individual students, and the border represents the secret codes used for the Underground Railroad.

I ask that the House join me in congratulating the over 50 Grade 5 students at John MacNeil Elementary who wove and sewed this beautiful piece of art into existence.

John MacNeil Grade Twos African Nova Scotian History Challenge

On March 22 I recognized the Grade Twos at John MacNeil Elementary School in Dartmouth North for their incredible submission to the Delmore "Buddy" Daye Learning Institute's African Nova Scotian History Challenge. This is what I said:

"Mr. Speaker, I rise to congratulate the Grade 2 students at John MacNeil Elementary School who submitted to the Delmore Buddy Daye Learning Institute’s Awards for Excellence in African Nova Scotian history.

The students spent February learning about inspiring and influential people of African descent and turned those learnings into a beautiful art piece. Each student in Megan Douglas’s Grade 2 class created a puzzle piece decorated with African-inspired patterns and painted the puzzle pieces in the colours of the African-Nova Scotian flag. Then they pasted the pictures of change-makers, alongside words that best described them, to big puzzle pieces. The puzzle pieces came together to make a beautiful mural. The process was captured in a stop-motion video where the students say or sign the names and affirming words.

I am so happy to live in a community where these young leaders and artists are growing up. I ask the House to join me in congratulating them on their inspiring entry into the African Nova Scotian History Challenge.