Capital Plan lacking on housing, primary care investments

HALIFAX — Today’s Capital Plan from the Houston government lacks details and fails to address the needs of families and seniors who can’t afford a place to live.

“The first thing you notice with this Capital Plan is that there’s no new investment in building public or non-profit housing. We have thousands of families who are waiting to get help finding a place to live, and thousands more worried they may soon be unable to afford their home,” said NDP Finance spokesperson Lisa Lachance. “The Houston government’s reliance on private developers will not solve the housing crisis.”

While much-needed funding has been announced for hospital and medical infrastructure across the province there are more than 137,000 Nova Scotians waiting for primary care.

“We have a crisis in primary care in Nova Scotia and we’re seeing other provinces commit to investments to address this overwhelming need,” said Lachance. “Here, there's no indication the Houston government is planning to fix this by investing in primary care to the scale that is needed.”

The upcoming Houston budget must address the growing primary care crisis and the need for truly affordable housing options.

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