KINGS COUNTY – Road improvements scheduled for Kings County will benefit residents of a growing community and farmers, MLAs David Morse and Mark Parent said today.

The tender calls for traffic signals, widening, intersection improvements, pulverization, gravelling, paving and repaving on three sections. In Coldbrook, improvements will take place on 1.2 kilometres on Trunk 1, from Lovett Road east to Lockhart Mountain and 0.6 kilometres on Maple Court, from English Mountain Road to the end of Maple Court.

“Coldbrook is a growing and busy community. These two paving projects on Highway One and Maple Court demonstrate our Government's commitment to improve our vital highway infrastructure," said Kings South MLA Morse.

The third section of the tender is for 2.9 kilometres on Lovett Road, from Trunk 1 north to Brooklyn Street.

"Lovett Road is an important link between Brooklyn Street and Highway One. Local residents and farmers deserve these enhancements which will stretch close to three kilometers," said Kings North MLA Parent.

The Department of Transportation and Public Works highways division manages more than 23,000 kilometres of roads in Nova Scotia. It maintains 4,100 bridges and operates seven provincial ferries. Staff provide services from district offices in Bridgewater, Bedford, Truro and Sydney.

UPPER HAMMONDS PLAINS – A new long-term care facility on Pockwock Road in Tantallon will provide services to local seniors closer to home, Hammonds Plains-Upper Sackville MLA Barry Barnet said today.

Health Minister Barry Barnet today announced that the 62-bed facility, to be located on a six-acre site on Pockwock Road, will be one of two facilities slated to replace Glades Lodge.

“This new, state-of-the-art facility will provide an excellent quality of life for residents,” Mr. Barnet said. “I am pleased local seniors will have access to top notch services so near to their communities.”

After assessing the current and future needs for long-term care in the Halifax Regional Municipality, the Department of Health determined that the needs of the downtown core are being met, but facilities are needed in Dartmouth and Tantallon. That is why Glades Lodge will be replaced by two new facilities, one in each of these communities.

The next phase in this process is the design phase, which allows residents, family and staff to participate in discussions about how to create the best possible environment at the new facilities.

Last fall, the MacDonald government announced that Glades Lodge was one of the nine long-term care facilities scheduled to be replaced. The new facilities are expected to be complete no later than March 31, 2010.

NEW GLASGOW – The MacDonald government is providing $5 million in funding to help volunteer firefighters and emergency response organizations do their dangerous jobs, Pictou Centre MLA Pat Dunn said today.

A new initiative unveiled by Premier Rodney MacDonald today is called the Emergency Services Provider Fund. It is a $5 million, one-year provincial program that will provide up to 60 per cent funding for emergency response equipment such as the jaws of life, pumps, hoses and defibrillators. New construction and upgrades to equipment and facilities are also eligible for the program.

“The important services these individuals provide to residents of their communities are immeasurable,” Mr. Dunn said. “New support equipment may lessen the personal danger these individuals face while on the job and lessen the suffering of victims.”

The Emergency Services Provider Fund is an application-based program that will provide a maximum of $250,000 for eligible projects. Capital costs for new fire trucks and emergency vehicles are not eligible for funding, with the exception of vehicles for ground search and rescue.

Application forms for the Emergency Services Provider Fund will be available online on September 28 at www.gov.ns.ca/snsmr . For more information about the program, please call 1-902-424-3858.

TUSKET – Children who attend two local licensed day care centres will have safer places to play outdoors thanks to grants from the MacDonald government, Argyle MLA Chris d’Entremont said today.

Through the Department of Community Service’s Outdoor Play Space program, Papillions and Pissenlits, in West Pubnico, will receive $8522.84 and L'Association des Petits Copains, in Wedgeport, will receive $10, 290.

“By providing safe, outdoor play areas in day care centres, we are encouraging active, healthy habits in our children,” Mr. d’Entremont said. “I’m very pleased our government is providing this grant program.”

The Outdoor Play Space program provides one-time grants that can be used for expenses including landscaping, fencing and equipment. Large play equipment including climbers and swings must be professionally installed to CSA/ULC standards.

The funding is being provided under Nova Scotia's 10-year Early Learning and Child Care Plan.

Springhill, NS – “Twenty new long term care beds for Springhill announced this week by Health Minister Chris D’Entremont is welcome news for our community,” said Cumberland South MLA Murray Scott.

Earlier this week the Progressive Conservative Government announced the next round of additions of new beds in existing facilities.

“By March 31, 2010, High-Crest Enterprises will add the new beds to their facility enabling more local residents to receive the special care they need closer to home and their families,” explained Mr. Scott.

Last year, the province analyzed the current and predicted long-term care needs in Nova Scotia and identified the areas in which beds are most urgently needed.

The new facilities will give Nova Scotia's seniors high quality care in a home-like environment. Residents will enjoy single rooms in small households of 12 to 15 people, with a shared kitchen and living room, and have direct access to the outdoors. In addition, many of the new long-term care facilities will offer different levels of care and rooms designed specifically for couples.

As part of its 10-year, $260-million continuing care strategy, the province will add more than 1,100 new long-term care beds by 2010. The Progressive Conservative government’s strategy is to create a system that allows Nova Scotians to live well in a place they can call home.

AMHERST – Volunteer firefighters will have their own line on the 2007 Nova Scotia tax form. Cumberland South MLA Hon. Murray Scott has announced more details about the government’s new tax break for volunteer firefighters.

“The process is simple,” said Mr. Scott. “Fire chiefs have until March 31st 2008 to submit their department’s list of volunteer firefighters to the Department of Finance.”

“For volunteer firefighters, the only requirement is to fill out one line in the Nova Scotia Tax and Credits form and one line in the income tax return in their 2007 tax package,” added Mr. Scott.

“The Volunteer Firefighters Tax Credit reduces your personal income tax by $250,” explained Mr. Scott. “Next year the amount will rise to $375 and the year after to $500.”

In order to be eligible, volunteer firefighters must be identified by their fire chiefs on the list provided to the Minister of Finance. They must also have served for at least six months in 2007 and have been resident in Nova Scotia on December 31st, 2007.

“Volunteer fire departments across the province need new faces to continue to do the work they do. There has never been a better time to sign up.”

The Volunteer Firefighters Tax Credit is also a refundable tax credit, meaning that if your total personal taxes are less than $250 you will receive a cheque for the difference.

WINDSOR, NS: The effort to rebuild the Windsor Curling Club received a substantial boost from the Province of Nova Scotia on Tuesday evening. Premier Rodney MacDonald announced a contribution of $900,000 at a community event hosted by Hants West MLA Chuck Porter.

“Getting this funding towards the rebuilding of the curling club has been no small undertaking,” said Porter. “However, our community and our region have been diligent and today is another example of how their hard work is paying off.”

Porter was on hand at the Falmouth Community Centre when Premier MacDonald and Health Promotion and Protection Minister Barry Barnet announced the investment to the applause of the audience of over 150 community members.

“As it has in the past, the Windsor curling facility will be used by competitive athletes, recreational participants and those who just wish to join in the fun and be physically active,” said Porter. “It is about investing in active healthy communities.”

In his remarks, Premier MacDonald pointed to Porter’s efforts as the local member of the legislature.

“Chuck championed the rebuilding project from the very beginning and he worked very closely with Health Promotion and Protection Minister Barry Barnet to make sure it became a reality.”

SYDNEY RIVER, NS - The tender went out today to repave eight kilometers of the Sydney Bypass from Grand Lake Road to exit 6 at Kings Road.

MLA Alfie MacLeod said that Highway 125 is “one of the most important roads in Cape Breton.”

“The 125 has been a challenge in rainy weather because of the ruts,” added MacLeod. “It’s one of the most heavily traveled highways in Nova Scotia and it’s crucial to our economy.”

The work is slated to be completed by July 31st.

NORTH SYDNEY, NS - The restoration work at Alder Point Community Hall will continue thanks to the arrival of $30,000 in funding from the government of Nova Scotia.

The funding is the second installment of an overall funding commitment of $50,000 from the province.

“The hall in Alder Point is the heart of the community and it’s important that government invest in facilities like this one,” said Progressive Conservative MLA Cecil Clarke.

“A nice community hall is a priority for the people of the Alder Point area and it’s a priority for my government.”

The second phase of funding will allow for major improvements to the interior of the building. The first $20,000 of funding was used mainly on exterior work.

Ever since we started drilling for oil and gas off of our coast, Nova Scotians have wondered if we were getting our fair share of the wealth.

The $870 million Crown Share deal, announced by Premier Rodney MacDonald and Federal Minister Peter MacKay, finally put that question to rest.

Last fall, Premier Rodney MacDonald and Prime Minister Stephen Harper reached an agreement to address the Crown Share. An expert panel was formed. They looked back over the past decades and determined that Nova Scotia was owed a share of federal revenues from our offshore resources.

They also determined that we are owed the same share in all present and future projects.

The panel concluded that we are owed $234.4 million up until March 31, 2008. That money is now due from Ottawa. From this point on, the panel estimates that Nova Scotia will receive an additional $633 million in annual payments from our Deep Panuke and Sable gas projects currently underway.

Crown Share revenue is outside of federal-provincial equalization. It cannot be clawed back and will actually grow if more projects come online.

My government made the decision, at the end of the last fiscal year, to place almost all of the money on the province’s debt. This will lead to interest savings worth tens of millions of dollars every year.

We also set aside 8 per cent of the money in three trusts. The first trust is to help secure ecologically-sensitive lands to help the province meet its goal of 12 per cent protected land. The second trust is to invest in university infrastructure to help young Nova Scotians better compete in a global economy. The third trust is to help fund more offshore research.

The research trust is crucial because the more oil and gas we can find the more money that will flow to Nova Scotia. It’s in our best interests to fund more research to determine what’s out there and what’s achievable.

For years we wondered if we were getting the best deal. Now that we’ve got it, we need to make sure we get the most out of it.