Bill banning protests at health-care sites won't apply to labour action

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says a bill intended to prevent protests outside health-care sites will not apply to workers engaged in a labour dispute.

The Tories tabled legislation Thursday to create a 50-metre buffer around sites such as hospitals, clinics, doctors' offices and homes where people receive at-home treatment. No protests are permitted within that buffer, with the intention being to allow health-care workers and patients to come and go without being bothered.

Although the bill follows several anti-vaccination protests earlier this year, Houston said Thursday it would also apply to protests that might happen during a labour dispute. On Friday, he said that would not be the case.

"Health-care workers on strike that picket, they can picket as they would," Houston told reporters at Province House.

"It's not our intention to kind of limit that."

The premier said the bill would be amended if necessary to make it explicitly clear in the legislation.

Liberal Leader Iain Rankin and NDP Leader Gary Burrill both said if the clarification is there, their respective parties would support the bill.

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