SYDNEY RIVER - The Member of Parliament for Cape Breton-Canso is calling on Nova Scotia Public Health to establish more COVID-19 testing centres in his riding's rural communities. 

Mike Kelloway made the comments in an interview with Telile's Adam Cooke that aired on the television and podcast versions of TELILE 24/7 in late May. Like Richmond County Warden Amanda Mombourquette, the first-term Liberal MP wants to see more testing centres in Richmond County and similar rural areas of Cape Breton-Canso, and he has written to provincial Minister of Health and Wellness Zach Churchill to make his wishes known.

While there are COVID-19 testing centres currently in operation in such areas as Sydney, Port Hawkesbury and Antigonish, and smaller COVID-19 assessment centres at health care facilities such as Evanston's Strait-Richmond Hospital and St. Martha's Regional Hospital, Kelloway feels Richmond County residents require more opportunities for testing than the occasional privately-run pop-up clinics that have visited such communities as St. Peter's in recent weeks. 

"I'll work with Warden Mombourquette and other wardens and other mayors to be that collective voice for more testing locations in rural communities," Kelloway pledged. "It's absolutely essential, and I think we'll see more of those [testing] units sooner rather than later."

In the meantime, Kelloway is pleased to see the first federal budget delivered by Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland surviving three non-confidence votes to become law this spring. Not only will this ensure that the minority Liberal government can at least remain in power until the fall sitting of Parliament - which is likely to be pre-empted by a looming election call - but Kelloway feels his constituents will see many benefits from several aspects of the new federal fiscal document. 

"It's a transformational budget, one that I think impacts every level of society," declared Kelloway, pointing to additional spending allocated for small craft harbours, grants for non-profit community groups, and those between the ages of 65 and 74 that are struggling to make ends meet.