Thank you Pat.
Good morning.

What a beautiful Nova Scotia day! Unfortunately we've all noticed the days getting shorter and the leaves will soon be changing colour. It won't be long before winter is here.

Since last winter, home heating costs have risen dramatically. And some seniors and hard-working families will find it hard to make ends meet this winter. The gap between what they make and what it costs to run their household is getting bigger.

Today, I am pleased to unveil Heat Smart – my government's $91.7 million plan to give Nova Scotians the help they need to keep warm this winter.

It's also a plan to give Nova Scotians the tools they need to make their homes more energy efficient and lower their home heating costs for many years to come.

Heat Smart will be good for people's pocket books, good for our environment. And it's a plan that taxpayers can afford.

Our plan focuses on both short-term and long-term solutions.

We will encourage and help people make changes to their homes that will save them energy and money year after year.

We recognize that energy prices have risen quickly and many Nova Scotians will find themselves in an extraordinary situation this winter when their home heating bills start coming in.

We have immediate relief to help with that cost.

The Your Energy Rebate Program provides an eight per cent rebate on home heating costs. That's oil, electricity, gas, coal, wood, propane and kerosene. This is substantial.

We know however, that even with Your Energy Rebate, some Nova Scotians will still struggle to keep warm.

That's why we introduced a Heating Assistance Rebate Program or HARP in last spring's budget. Because of the dramatic increase in home heating oil prices, today, I am pleased to announce we are more than doubling the amount of assistance through this program and expanding it to help even more Nova Scotians.

If you pay for oil heat, your rebate will go from $200 to $450 dollars. And the income thresholds are increasing from $15,000 to $25,000 a year for single households and from $25,000 thousand to $40,000 for families.

With these two programs alone, about 52,000 households – people like Sarah Ellsworth who lives right here in New Glasgow, and is here today – will receive approximately $700 to help them get through the winter.

Fortunately we are in a position to help this year, but these kinds of rebates aren't the long-term answer – and they may not be sustainable.

That's why it's crucial that Nova Scotians take steps to lower their energy costs in the long term.

For many, that means making significant improvements to their homes – upgrades that are not always easy to fit into the household budget.

We're helping people get that work done by providing interest-free loans to any homeowner in Nova Scotia who has an energy assessment done on their home, and by providing rebates through the EnerGuide Program. These loans will be repaid over five years. Participants in this program will find that the upgrades will pay for themselves within the five years through lower home energy costs.

For some Nova Scotians, the key to lowering their home heating costs is a new, efficient furnace. The Energy Efficient Furnace Incentive Program will provide a $500 rebate to help Nova Scotians replace old, energy wasting furnaces.

We are also expanding the Residential Energy Affordability Program to upgrade more homes and make more Nova Scotians eligible. Last year this project made a real difference for 200 homeowners by reducing their energy bills by about 30 percent. This year, we will upgrade the homes of 450 more Nova Scotians.

Finally, individuals can do a lot themselves, with good information. Today, we are launching a practical, easy-to-understand Home Heating Tips brochure. And we have just launched some great how-to videos on everything from testing for air leakage to weather stripping your windows.

As you can see, with Heat Smart my government has taken a thoughtful and comprehensive approach to helping hard-working Nova Scotians manage their energy costs – now and well into the future. Heat Smart is a program that delivers meaningful results.

Still, even with this comprehensive plan a tough winter could place a real financial strain on some. We'll get through it by working together. By lending a hand when it is needed – the very philosophy of the good people at the Salvation Army.

Last February my government made a $200,000 contribution to the Salvation Army's Good Neighbour Program. We doubled that contribution to $400,000 dollars in this year's budget.

And today we are doubling that number again and committing $800,000 dollars to help the Salvation Army provide home heating oil for those who are struggling.

I am also pleased to announce today, that once again, the Canadian Oil and Heat Association (COHA) members have stepped up to help Nova Scotians stay warm this winter. COHA intends to match its donation from the last heating season of 70,000 litres of heating oil in time for this year's heating season. Members of the COHA have been helping families in need through the Share the Fuel program since the 1980s.

Together – government, charities, our oil companies, individuals and families we'll pull together.

That's the Nova Scotian way. That's what our plan is based on.

Thank you.