Halifax Citadel-Sable Island's candidates' promises on Affordability

Childcare

Liberal

Expand the provincial childcare agreement with the federal government to allow private daycare operators to access funding

"In order to create more spaces, we need to expand our agreement with the federal government to allow private daycare operators to access funding. Alberta, Ontario and New Brunswick all have agreements that allow for some level of private expansion. Nova Scotia deserves a fair deal.

A Nova Scotia Liberal government will aggressively negotiate with the federal government to allow private daycare operators to expand, spurring the creation of more affordable childcare spaces and allowing more Nova Scotians to enter the workforce if they want to."

— Better Deal for Nova Scotians, retrieved 2024-11-09

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We don't have any PC policies on Childcare.

NDP

Establish a pilot programme with four new publicly-owned and operated childcare centres in underserved areas
Create a centralised waitlist for childcare opportunities
Provide capital funding to schools to provide more childcare spaces

Food costs

Karen Beazley

Green candidate in your district

Green MLAs will collaborate with other MLAs and Nova Scotians to increase food security.

Increase investment and research into climate-friendly and regenerative agricultural practices and biopesticides.
Fund initiatives, such as community gardens, to foster agriculture in urban areas to produce more local food.
Create incentives for farmers to implement regenerative agricultural practices, recognizing benefits of agriculture in the carbon economy.
Empower farmers by collaborating with them to improve their capacity to sell their products in local retail markets.

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Liberal

Remove HST from all food in grocery stores

"Currently, consumers do not pay HST on basic groceries like fruit, flour, and milk. However, many foods that families rely on are still subject to a 15% HST. These include foods like granola bars, pre- made salads, and sandwiches at the grocery store. A Nova Scotia Liberal government would remove the provincial sales tax from all food in grocery stores." — Better Deal for Nova Scotians, retrieved 2024-11-09
Provide grants and loans to expand independent grocery stores

"Invest in independent grocery stores by providing grants and loans so they can expand to better serve their communities and compete against large grocery stores." — Better Deal for Nova Scotians, retrieved 2024-11-09
Stop payments to Sobeys for the Nova Scotia Loyal programme and direct the money into a marketing and growth plan for local food

"A Nova Scotia Liberal government will immediately halt all payments to Sobeys for the Nova Scotia Loyal program, and instead invest that money in developing a comprehensive marketing and growth plan for local products." — Better Deal for Nova Scotians, retrieved 2024-11-09
Ban covenants that restrict where grocery stores can be built

"Ban restrictive covenants that determine where grocery stores can be built. This will increase competition and improve availability of grocery stores across the province, especially in rural areas" — Better Deal for Nova Scotians, retrieved 2024-11-09
Invest $10M to build new food hubs, expand programmes to buy excess food and sell it directly to people, and start mobile food markets

"We will invest $10M to expand affordable food programs across the province by building new food hubs, expanding programs that buy excess food from farmers to sell directly to Nova Scotians, and investing in mobile food markets." — Better Deal for Nova Scotians, retrieved 2024-11-09

We don't have any PC policies on Food costs.

NDP

Remove the provincial tax on groceries

Fuel and transportation costs

Karen Beazley

Green candidate in your district

I will collaborate with MLAs and citizens to initiate a long-term comprehensive, multimodal transit system that is affordable for users.

Initiate a long-term project for a comprehensive, multimodal transit system designed for inter-municipal travel in Nova Scotia, including buses, light rail, and ferries, and integrate this system with existing municipal transit and active transportation infrastructure.
Collaborate with municipalities to implement or enhance mass transit systems and ensure they are integrated as much as possible with other transit options.
Drastically increase the allocation of provincial funds for transit infrastructure, matching each dollar spent on new highway construction with a dollar spent on building transit capacity.
Create tax incentives to build and operate public electric vehicle charging infrastructure, especially in rural areas.

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Liberal

Make public transit free

"A Nova Scotia Liberal government will make public transit free across Nova Scotia, eliminating barriers to transportation and providing up to $5,000 per year in savings for those who switch from driving to commuting by public transit." — Better Deal for Nova Scotians, retrieved 2024-11-09
Fund immediate solutions to congestion, like Halifax's plan for bus rapid transit
Create a joint task-force with the Halifax Regional Municipality to reduce congestion
Build a new, six-lane bridge with active transportation infrastructure and bus lanes, to replace the MacKay Bridge

"A Nova Scotia Liberal government would work with the Halifax Dartmouth Bridge Commission to build a new, six lane bridge with active transportation infrastructure and bus lanes to support rapid transit in Halifax. This will reduce congestion and protect the people and goods that travel that bridge every day." — Better Deal for Nova Scotians, retrieved 2024-11-09

PC

Remove tolls on the Macdonald and MacKay Bridges

"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
Run a feasibility study to consider building light rail

"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

NDP

Remove the gas tax until inflation is no longer high

"Provide immediate relief with a Gas Tax Holiday by cutting the gas tax, saving you 15.5 cents per litre at the pump every time you fill up. We will keep this cut in place while inflation is high and as we work to bring down your costs." — Leadership You Can Believe In, retrieved 2024-11-16

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Minimum wage

Karen Beazley

Green candidate in your district

I will collaborate with MLAs and citizens to develop a Guaranteed Liveable Income plan to provide for basic needs and respect human dignity.

Green MLAs will:

Work with the federal government and other provinces to develop and implement a Guaranteed Liveable Income plan for Nova Scotia, which is universal, unconditional, complementary to other programs, provides for basic needs, and respects human dignity.
Ensure that measures of liveable income account for food, clothing, shelter, and other resources that facilitate social engagement, such as access to travel and means of communication.
Reduce the number of hours before workers are guaranteed overtime pay from 48 to 42 hours.
Require that all owed vacation time and overtime be paid out when an employee quits, is laid off, or is terminated.

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We don't have any Liberal policies on Minimum wage.

PC

Increase Nova Scotia's minimum wage to $16.50 in one year

We don't have any NDP policies on Minimum wage.

Post-secondary costs and loans

Karen Beazley

Green candidate in your district

I will collaborate with MLAs and citizens to work towards reducing tuition fees and housing costs for college and university students.

Greens believe that equitable access to postsecondary education should be provided, thereby supporting opportunities for all learners to realize their unique potential to develop into citizens who will contribute the skills, expertise, and knowledge that will sustain our communities and our province.

Green MLAs will collaborate with other MLAs and Nova Scotians to:

Support retraining incentives, programmes and courses in postsecondary institutions to provide a just transition to climate change employment.
Eliminate tuition fees at Nova Scotia Community College for Nova Scotia residents
Work towards free tuition for all resident domestic students at all postsecondary institutions in Nova Scotia.
Provide free postsecondary education to youth who were formerly in care.
Provide targeted strategies for specific areas in education and students living in poverty or in care.
Provide coherent support for emerging immigrant and refugee communities for students.
Address factors such as housing affordability and career prospects to support transitions to green jobs in Nova Scotia in sectors such as construction, manufacturing, transportation, agriculture, and forestry.

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We don't have any Liberal policies on Post-secondary costs and loans.

We don't have any PC policies on Post-secondary costs and loans.

We don't have any NDP policies on Post-secondary costs and loans.

Poverty

Karen Beazley

Green candidate in your district

I will work with others to reduce poverty and implement policies which will provide a basic standard of living to all Nova Scotians.
Life has become too expensive for too many Nova Scotians, and communities are suffering. It is the responsibility of every MLA to work toward innovative ways to tackle issues like poverty, food insecurity, and housing.

Solutions will focus on the cost of living, poverty elimination, food security, housing, supports for homelessness, and job security, alongside the transition to a Green economy.

Green MLAs won;; work with other MLAs and all Nova Scotians to:
1. Work with the federal government and other provinces to develop and implement a Guaranteed Liveable Income plan for Nova Scotia, which is universal, unconditional, complementary to other programs, provides for basic needs, and respects human dignity.
2. Ensure that measures of liveable income account for food, clothing, shelter, and other resources that facilitate social engagement, such as access to travel and means of communication.
3. Reduce the number of hours before workers are guaranteed overtime pay from 48 to 42 hours.
4. Require that all owed vacation time and overtime be paid out when an employee quits, is laid off, or is terminated.

Liberal

Set up an all-party committee to overhaul the social assistance model and examine alternatives, including a guaranteed basic income

"Our current social safety net is trapping Nova Scotians in intergenerational poverty, requires significant bureaucratic overhead, and often disincentivizes working. Together, we can transform the various social assistance programs to ensure that people who are struggling can afford the basic necessities and not find themselves on the streets. We will reform these systems so they work for everyone. To do that, we will spearhead an all-party committee to overhaul our social assistance model and examine alternatives, including a guaranteed basic income." — Better Deal for Nova Scotians, retrieved 2024-11-09
Recognise the link between poverty, housing, and healthcare, and focus on anti-poverty and housing-first policies

"A Nova Scotia Liberal government would recognize the link between poverty, housing, and healthcare, and focus on anti-poverty and housing-first policies as a way to keep people out of the emergency room." — Better Deal for Nova Scotians, retrieved 2024-11-09

We don't have any PC policies on Poverty.

NDP

Raise income assistance rates by $100
Develop a long-term Poverty Reduction Strategy
Move those receiving the income assistance "essentials rate" up to the "boarder rate", nearly doubling the amount they receive
Tie income assistance rates to the annual rate of inflation

Public transit

Karen Beazley

Green candidate in your district

I will support urgently needed initiatives to increase the accessibility, efficacy, and affordability of public and active transit.
I will focus on increasing active transportation programs and infrastructure, to further enhance affordable and safe options.
I will work to forward improvements to public transit to make it feasible to live and get where you need to go without owning a vehicle.

Liberal

Increase public transit capacity and accessibility

"We will also invest to increase public transit capacity to account for the expected growth in ridership, ensure system efficiency, and support more accessible transit options." — Better Deal for Nova Scotians, retrieved 2024-11-09
Expand the Joint Regional Transportation Agency, and task it with determining where LRT would be most effective

"A Nova Scotia Liberal government will invest to improve and expand the Joint Regional Transportation Agency to continue planning a long-term vision for regional transportation in Nova Scotia, including determining where LRT would be most effective." — Better Deal for Nova Scotians, retrieved 2024-11-09
Make public transit free

"A Nova Scotia Liberal government will make public transit free across Nova Scotia, eliminating barriers to transportation and providing up to $5,000 per year in savings for those who switch from driving to commuting by public transit." — Better Deal for Nova Scotians, retrieved 2024-11-09
Create a joint task-force with the Halifax Regional Municipality to reduce congestion
Fund immediate solutions to congestion, like Halifax's plan for bus rapid transit
Make the largest ever investment in rural community transport

"We’ll make the largest investment in rural community transport in Nova Scotia’s history, ensuring that community transportation organizations can lower costs and increase services." — Better Deal for Nova Scotians, retrieved 2024-11-09

PC

Run a feasibility study to consider building light rail

"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

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NDP

Make the Halifax Harbour ferries free
Fast-track recommendations from the HRM Rapid Transit Strategy, including more rapid bus lines and ferry routes

"Lowering costs and improving public transit options for commuters by making the Halifax Harbour ferries free. We'll expand transit options in the HRM by fast-tracking the recommendations included in the HRM Rapid Transit Strategy, including more rapid bus lines, more ferry routes, and more options to get you home to your family faster." — Leadership You Can Believe In, retrieved 2024-11-16

Tax measures and rebates

Liberal

Reduce the HST by two percentage points to 13%
Remove HST from all food in grocery stores

"Currently, consumers do not pay HST on basic groceries like fruit, flour, and milk. However, many foods that families rely on are still subject to a 15% HST. These include foods like granola bars, pre- made salads, and sandwiches at the grocery store. A Nova Scotia Liberal government would remove the provincial sales tax from all food in grocery stores." — Better Deal for Nova Scotians, retrieved 2024-11-09
Increase the personal basic exemption on provincial income tax from $8,744 to $15,705

PC

Reduce the HST by one percentage point to 14%
Increase the personal basic exemption on provincial income tax from $8,744 to $11,744

NDP

Remove the provincial tax on phone bills, internet, and groceries
Remove the fees for driver's licenses, license plate renewals, basic identification cards, and change of name/address requests

Utility costs

Liberal

Expand the Heating Assistance Rebate Program

"We will expand the Heating Assistance Rebate Program to help low-income Nova Scotians with their energy bills, saving them $1,000 a year." — Better Deal for Nova Scotians, retrieved 2024-11-09
Expand the ability of renewable energy companies to provide power directly to residents

We don't have any PC policies on Utility costs.

NDP

Provide a 50% discount on power bills for electricity and oil

"The Nova Scotia Energy Poverty Task Force suggested that a bill assistance discount to income-qualified households of 50% for both electricity and fuel oil. We'll implement the recommendation, providing a 50% discount on your power bill, for electricity and oil, saving the average household $1,000 annually." — Leadership You Can Believe In, retrieved 2024-11-16
Remove the provincial tax on phone bills and internet