New Brunswick’s provincial election is just 14 days away.
Here is the recap of the promises announced by the political parties on Monday.
Team Holt announces community care clinic in Kennebecasis Valley
Liberal Leader Susan Holt revealed plans to create a community care clinic in the expanding Kennebecasis Valley area.
By implementing the community care clinic model, health-care professionals from diverse areas — ranging from physicians and nurses to mental health specialists — will collaborate to establish a healthcare home for New Brunswick residents.
This initiative will offer patients essential access to preventive and primary care, significantly reducing the time spent in emergency room queues.
Holt announced that the community clinic in Kennebecasis Valley will be the 12th of the 30 clinics planned.
If elected, the Holt administration intends to establish community care clinics across the province, making health care more accessible and timely for the residents of New Brunswick.
The construction timeline and cost would be $115 million and scheduled for completion by early 2026.
Greens to give local hospitals more autonomy if elected
In Sackville, Green Party Leader David Coon announced his party’s dedication to restoring management control to local hospitals.
Coon emphasized that the party aims to reinstate the autonomy that hospitals and health centres forfeited when eight regional health authorities were merged into two.
He asserted that decisions will no longer be dictated by distant managers who lack direct experience in the hospital environment.
The party highlighted that the concentration of management duties by both Liberal and Conservative administrations has led to the formation of management silos in New Brunswick hospitals.
This has stripped them of the power to address issues locally and has made the healthcare system vulnerable to political interference.
“We saw what happened here in Sackville when distant managers decided to eliminate its acute care beds and close the ER overnight. The community fought back,” said Coon.
If elected, the Green government aims to establish local community health boards to ensure health-care services are tailored to the community’s needs and expectations.
This initiative will enable residents to actively participate in the decision-making process for their local health facilities, just like in the era of local hospital boards.
Higgs updates fund to boost security for non-profits
During a news conference in Fredericton, Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs revealed that the Community Investment Fund (CIF) will undergo changes to permit not-for-profit organizations to seek funding aimed at improving security at their facilities.
Officials stated this initiative comes in response to increasing worries regarding the safety of religious institutions and community spaces throughout New Brunswick.
The CIF provides each MLA with an annual budget of $70,000, which can be used to back community projects and priorities, irrespective of party lines or electoral districts.
With the updated guidelines, MLAs can now allocate CIF resources to not-for-profit organizations focused on enhancing security measures.
“By empowering MLAs to respond to the specific security needs of their communities, we are addressing an urgent concern for many religious and community-based groups,” said Higgs.
“This initiative reflects our commitment to keeping New Brunswick’s places of worship and public gathering spaces safe for all.”
