TELILE 24/7 N.S. Finance Minister Says Federal Health Funds Welcome But Require Direction

PORT HAWKESBURY - Nova Scotia's Finance Minister is welcoming a ten-year financial deal struck by the federal government and Nova Scotia's premier earlier this month. 

However, Allan MacMaster - who also serves as Nova Scotia's Deputy Premier and the MLA for Inverness - is warning that money alone will not fix Nova Scotia's health care crisis, which MacMaster's Progressive Conservative colleagues pledged to do as one of the key planks to their successful 2021 election platform. 

"This is a little bit more money that will help, so we're trying to be grateful for it," MacMaster told TELILE 24/7 host Adam Cooke. 

"But, if you picture a five-dollar bill, every time $5 is spent on provincial health care, $4 is spent by the provincial government and $1 is spent by the federal government. So this is like an additional ten cents [from Ottawa]...It is what it is."

Conversely, MacMaster is continuing to criticize the federal government for refusing to consider alternatives to its carbon-pricing program for Nova Scotia, which will see gas prices rise by 14 cents per litre as of this July and place additional increases on home heating oil and diesel fuel. As he heads into his final budget preparation process for Nova Scotia, MacMaster says he and his government are looking at all options to provide some forms of financial assistance to residents of the province who are feeling the financial pinch as a result of inflation to such necessary items as groceries and the impending hike in gasoline costs. 

Also on this week's edition of TELILE 24/7: Port Hawkesbury Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton and town councillor Mark MacIver review several recent items from the Town Council table, and Mayor Brenda Chisholm- Beaton's commentary on recent provincial approval of an environmental assessment application for EverWind Fuels is followed up by commentary from EverWind CEO Trent Vichie on how the company plans to produce green hydrogen at its facility located at the former NuStar Terminals plant in Point Tupper.