Election Day 26: senior care investments and poverty reduction promises

With just one week until voters cast their ballots, the provincialLiberals are promising to invest in senior care, while the NDPare pledging to lift New Brunswickers out of poverty.

The Progressive Conservatives focused their message Monday on solving the nursing shortage in the province. Meanwhile, the Greens announced a sugar tax.

A re-elected Liberal government would help seniors stay in their homes longer by "improving" the home renovation tax credit and increasing the salaries of home support workers, Liberal Party Leader Brian Gallant said during a campaign stop in New Maryland. He providedfew specifics about the proposed changes.

The Liberals say they would alsoestablishapermanent seniors' navigator position to assist seniors in accessing government services that can help them remain independent longer and better promotethe existing home visit and toll-free number services, he said.

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For seniors who require advanced care, Gallant said his party wouldadd600 nursing homes beds andmore than 400 memory care beds. He also said that if elected, the Liberals would spend more than $100 millionon renovations to existing nursing homes.

In addition, the Liberals wouldincrease the hours of care in nursing homes to 3.3 hours from 3.1 hours by 2022 and 3.5 hours by 2026 by developing a comprehensive strategy to recruit 40 new nurses, 80licensed practical nurses, and 80 new resident attendants, he said.

"The investments we are making in aging care in New Brunswick will ensure a better quality of life for seniors and their families, and they will also improve the overall delivery of health care for all New Brunswickers," Gallant said.

NDPannounces Housing First strategy

NDPLeader Jennifer McKenzie, who was at Saint JohnCity Market Monday morning,said her party wants tobuild strong communities where everyone can thrive and where children have a chance to succeed.

"Poverty is a real problem in our province," she said in a statement. She noted more than a third of citizensmake less than $15 an hour and that New Brunswick has among the highest youth poverty rates in the country, with Saint John and Campbelltonboth at 23 per cent.

Many families are spending more than 30 per cent of their income on housing, she said.

McKenzie said theNDPwill adopt a "Housing First" strategy to end homelessness in New Brunswick. It would expand municipal powers over social housing and give cities the power and resourcesthey need to enforce housing standards.

She made the announcement in Saint John's north end with a vacant boarded-up building as her backdrop.

"There is infrastructure around the city, old houses and apartments that are falling into ruin or are abandoned," McKenzie said. "We are facing a housing crisis, and our province is not adequately addressing housing and homelessness challenges."

An NDP government would also immediately raise social assistance rates by 10 per cent, increase the minimum wage to $15 and offer $10 per day child care, said McKenzie.

'Our nurses are struggling'

Progressive Conservative Leader BlaineHiggs started his day by taking part in an editorial board with the Telegraph Journal at 9 a.m.

He then cast his own ballot during the second day ofadvance polls in his home riding of Quispamsisat 10:30 a.m. and headedto Fredericton's Carleton Park, where he pledged to develop a strategy to train, recruit and retain more nurses.

"From burnout to workplace violence, to issues with certification testing, our nurses are struggling," Higgssaid in a statement.

"Our nurses are there for us when we need them. Now it's our turn to be there for them."

If elected next week, Higgssaid the Torieswill workwith the NursesAssociation of New Brunswick, the New Brunswick Nurses Union, the two regional health authorities, the University of Moncton, the University of New Brunswick and community colleges to develop a plan.

He also said hisparty will also increase opportunities for nurse practitioners in the province.

Green Party LeaderDavid Coon, who spent the day campaigning in hisriding of Fredericton South, discussed his party's platform of introducing a tax on sugar-sweetened beverages.

The tax would be about 20 cents per litre, he said.

People's Alliance Leader Kris Austin continued his door-to-door campaignin his home riding of Fredericton-Grand Lake Monday,as the election campaign entered the home stretch.

At6:30 p.m., Austin is expected to join Gallant, McKenzie, Higgs and Coon in a forum hosted by the New Brunswick Women's Councilat the Wu Conference Centre in Fredericton.

Voters are scheduled to head to the polls on Sept. 24.

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