Affordability
Fuel and transportation costs
PC's promises
"Eliminating tolls on Macdonald and MacKay Bridges to improve the flow of traffic in the HRM." — Make It Happen, retrieved 2024-11-10
"Removing tolls on the MacKay and Macdonald bridges is expected to cost $40 - $50 million and will be implemented by April 1, 2025." — pcpartyns.ca, retrieved 2024-11-10
"A feasibility study to build light rail for commuters that will give Nova Scotians more of the most precious asset: time. Less time in traffic, less time commuting means more time for what matters most: family and community. Rail routes to be explored will begin with Windsor to Mill Cove, Bedford and in CBRM." — Make It Happen, retrieved 2024-11-10
Minimum wage
PC's promise
Public transit
PC's promise
"A feasibility study to build light rail for commuters that will give Nova Scotians more of the most precious asset: time. Less time in traffic, less time commuting means more time for what matters most: family and community. Rail routes to be explored will begin with Windsor to Mill Cove, Bedford and in CBRM." — Make It Happen, retrieved 2024-11-10
Tax measures and rebates
PC's promises
Climate Change & the Environment
Oil and gas development
PC's promise
"Focus on the smart development of our energy and natural resources sectors through Nova Scotia's Clean Energy Plan, which will in turn provide more opportunities for families and result in fewer of our children going 'out west' for work. It will make Nova Scotia a world class energy producer in hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuel.
The construction of these two industries will provide a decade of new construction jobs, along with new high paying long-term jobs that will benefit the entire economy and Province."
— Make It Happen, retrieved 2024-11-10
Public transit
PC's promise
"A feasibility study to build light rail for commuters that will give Nova Scotians more of the most precious asset: time. Less time in traffic, less time commuting means more time for what matters most: family and community. Rail routes to be explored will begin with Windsor to Mill Cove, Bedford and in CBRM." — Make It Happen, retrieved 2024-11-10
Education
School safety
PC's promises
"Ensure the new Code of Conduct gives school administrators the power they deserve, including the power to suspend students and address problem behaviours. It will give administrators the ability to use their professional judgement to find the balance between an individual students' right to education with the broader student bodies' right to learn in a safe environment." — Make It Happen, retrieved 2024-11-10
"Hire two police officers to work within the Department of Education and focus exclusively on supporting school teams across the Province with security protocols, incident prevention and incident response." — Make It Happen, retrieved 2024-11-10
Health & Healthcare
Health staffing
PC's promise
"The new internal nursing team will employ nurses out of the Nova Scotia Health Authority. A pilot program focussed on Emergency Department nurses will launch by the end of 2024. The estimate for the 30-nurse pilot travel nurse team is approximately $5.3 million. If the Province were to hire 30 private agency nurses, the cost would be $8.2 million, resulting in savings of $2.9 million under the PC plan." — pcpartyns.ca, retrieved 2024-11-10
Hospitals
PC's promise
Seniors
PC's promise
"Implement a universal (no cost) shingles program for all Nova Scotians 65 and older, giving free access to the vaccine to everyone." — Make It Happen, retrieved 2024-11-10
Women's health
PC's promises
"Support women's health and create Canada's first Menopause Centre of Excellence." — Make It Happen, retrieved 2024-11-10
"In addition, the re-elected PC Government will also explore adding new MSI billing codes for menopause counselling to support family doctors as they in turn support women." — pcpartyns.ca, retrieved 2024-11-10
Housing & Homelessness
Home purchases and ownership
PC's promise
"A re-elected PC Government will enter into a new agreement with participating credit unions to expand this program to first-time home buyers purchasing a home up to $500,000 in value. Whereas today these prospective homebuyers must provide a 5% down payment, they would only have to pay a 2% down payment under the PC Plan. Participating credit unions would assess the applicants to ensure their income is satisfactory to support the mortgage they want, and the provincial government would provide a loan guarantee to participating credit unions for any deficiencies in the event of a default." — pcpartyns.ca, retrieved 2024-11-10
Public and affordable housing
PC's promise
Jobs, Businesses, & Labour
Minimum wage
PC's promise
Oil and gas development
PC's promise
"Focus on the smart development of our energy and natural resources sectors through Nova Scotia's Clean Energy Plan, which will in turn provide more opportunities for families and result in fewer of our children going 'out west' for work. It will make Nova Scotia a world class energy producer in hydrogen and sustainable aviation fuel.
The construction of these two industries will provide a decade of new construction jobs, along with new high paying long-term jobs that will benefit the entire economy and Province."
— Make It Happen, retrieved 2024-11-10
Startups and small businesses
PC's promises
They may still in the future!
Biography
Rick Burns is the Progressive Conservative candidate for Hammonds Plains-Lucasville in the upcoming provincial election. With deep roots in the community and a commitment to public service, Rick is dedicated to ensuring that residents have a voice at the government table when decisions are made.
"As a long time resident of Hammonds Plains-Lucasville, I understand the challenges our community faces, from infrastructure to emergency preparedness,” said Burns. “I'm running to make sure our voices are heard and our needs are prioritized in government. Our community deserves an MLA who takes action and delivers real results.”
Rick brings a wealth of broad national corporate experience, with a strong focus on project management across diverse sectors. His expertise spans IT for Federal Law Enforcement and Intelligence, retail and pharmacy, oil and gas, web development, enterprise-level data management, and telecommunications. This extensive background equips him with a unique perspective and a proven ability to navigate complex systems, deliver results, and address the varied needs of the community.
Born and raised in Nova Scotia, Rick is a devoted husband and father of two. He obtained his Bachelor of Computer Science at Dalhousie University and has a wealth of volunteer leadership experience within the Hammonds Plains-Lucasville community. As a longtime Board member of the White Hills Residents Association, and a member of the Tantallon Wildfire Life Safety Coalition, he is dedicated to advocating for change with government officials. Additionally, Rick serves as Chair of the Hammonds Plains Remembrance Day Ceremony at Uplands Park, the largest non-legion run ceremony in Nova Scotia. He also volunteered his time to revitalize the local Legion’s website. In addition to these roles, he is also a member of the Cape Breton Charitable Association of Halifax, where he promotes Celtic culture in the region. Over the last few years, he has enjoyed being actively involved in coaching various Hammonds Plains A’s baseball teams.
Rick’s campaign will prioritize improving local services, advocating for egress solutions, and ensuring that Hammonds Plains-Lucasville residents are represented at the decision-making table for infrastructure issues.