Hospital closures, highway construction among key issues in Hants West

As Melissa Sheehy-Richard goes door to door asking for people's support in the district of Hants West during Nova Scotia's provincial election, the Progressive Conservative candidate says she's humbled by the response she's received in her re-election bid.

"I had been able to get to most of the doors [last election], so some of these folks are people I've met already or I've met at community events," she said during a brief break from campaigning last week.

"I work hard. I'm not taking my foot off the gas one little bit."

If the PCs are to hold or even grow their majority this election, Hants West is one of the seats they need to win again. The district is also emblematic of some key markings of the Houston government's first term.

The PC promise to fix health care has been put to the test here, where the Hants Community Hospital has seen emergency department closures increase in each of the last three annual closure reports, from 10.5 hours closed in 2020-21to 1,188 hours in 2022-23.

Despite this, Sheehy-Richard believes progress is starting to happen thanks to PC efforts to settle new contracts with health-care workers and increase training spaces. A same-day-next-day clinic will open soon in Windsor and the hospital has seen positive recruitment results, she said.

"We've just hired five new [registered nurses], most of which are from here. We've been able to recruit doctors and West Hants seems to be the place where people want to come, and we just want to keep building on that."

Aboiteau replacement contentious

The acrimonious relationship between the Tory government and the federal Liberal government was also on display in West Hants, as the two levels went back and forth throughout the last three years trying to settle on a design for the replacement of the aboiteau in the Avon River that will allow for the completion of a twinning project on Highway 101.

Part of the issue has been a dispute within the community about whether to maintain levels in an artificial lake in Windsor. Sheehy-Richard came out in favour of the lake and the province has used an emergency order to keep the aboiteau shut and the lake full for more than a year, trumping a federal order that required the gates be opened each day to allow for fish passage.

Liberal candidate Brian Casey, a semi-retired farmer who finished 141 votes behind Sheehy-Richard in 2021, said he sees the aboiteau as an example of people putting politics ahead of safety concerns and the need to get the highway project finished for the benefit of the community.

"My opinion has always been: twin the highway, put the aboiteau in with the best fish passage that money can buy, and then we have somewhat of a lake [and] we have the highway twinned," he said.

Casey said the district has not been as well represented by the PCs as it was when the Liberals held the seat. He doesn't share Sheehy-Richard's view that health care is improving, either.

People moving to the area will not stay if the emergency department cannot remain open, said Casey. More needs to be done to attract and keep health-care workers, he said.

"Somebody has to start standing up and working for it, and right now I don't think they are," he said.

Desire for more young people in politics

NDP candidate Simon Greenough is making the pitch to voters that it's time to move away from the PCs and Liberals and vote orange for the first time.

Greenough, 29, said one of the reasons he's running is because he thinks there needs to be more young people involved in politics.

"We need to be making more decisions with youth, instead of for youth," he said.

A chemist who sometimes moonlights as a bartender, Greenough said he was drawn to the NDP because he thinks the party is focused on helping the people struggling the most with the rising cost of rent and groceries.

"People need help out here and if we can address poverty, if we can address food insecurity, that also goes a long way to helping the health care question, taking some of the burden off the health-care system."

Greenough is trying to balance campaigning with his work obligations. PC Leader Tim Houston's decision to call an early election meant he wasn't able to make arrangements that would have allowed him to focus on campaigning.

Independent running

Independent candidate James Omand is in a similar situation.

A carpenter who moved to the district in 2023, Omand said he decided to enter the race after becoming disillusioned with the responses he would receive when he brought concerns to elected officials.

"When I stopped getting the answers, I decided I'm tired of telling politicians that I'm not happy with the way they're doing their work, and I decided to run to see if I can do it myself," he said.

Omand is doing as much canvassing as he can, but he's limited by his work schedule. His campaign materials are also limited because he didn't have time to order any after the early election call.

He said he wants to provide better access between members of the public and their elected representatives.