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Let's start out with some good news: after welcoming thousands of students into the province to attend universities and colleges, today we have again reached the milestone of no active cases in the province. Thank you to everyone who continues to follow public health guidelines, and to the students from across the country who have followed self-isolation guidelines.
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This marks the end of the second week back to school in Nova Scotia. It has required a lot of flexibility and adjustments from parents, kids, teachers, and staff, and in general it seems that everyone has really gone above and beyond. There is much more work to do on the part of government to ensure that schools remain safe and open, and we are taking every opportunity we get to ensure that this work is taking place.
If you have children, you may have spent this week trying to reach 811, get your call returned by a screening nurse, get an appointment, and then await test results. A process that took 24-48 hours last month is now routinely taking upwards of four days. This is difficult for most families, but impossible for some, where parents can’t take the time from work, don’t have care for other children in the home, and/or there isn’t space for isolation while waiting for results. This was foreseeable, and we continue to push for expedited testing to ensure that people continue to follow protocols and ensure that we are testing as widely as possible to hold off a second wave of COVID-19.
I'm hearing from a lot of you that children who are themselves immunocompromised or who have families who are immunocompromised and therefore cannot attend school are not getting appropriate supports to continue quality learning at home.
While page five of the Back to School Plan does specify that "RCEs/CSAP will ensure that individual plans are developed to support students who cannot attend school for medical reasons," we know there is a division between families who have the resources and capacity to homeschool and families who need support to ensure students don't miss out by staying at home. Even more frustrating, I'm also hearing parents are being shunted back and forth between principals and HRCE.
We are looking for answers from the government, but my current recommendation is to follow the process by calling the HRCE/CSAP.
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It was brought to my attention this week that substitute teachers are not eligible for paid sick leave until they have worked 18 consecutive days. Given the relatively small pool of substitutes and their vital importance, as well as the predicted absences due to COVID 19 testing and isolation while awaiting results this is an important gap. Thank you to everyone who reached out to my office to raise this issue. We are working hard to get more information on this issue. If you are in this position, you may want to look into whether there are any Federal programs that apply to your situation. You can contact Darren Fisher’s office here.
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If you or someone you know has a loved one in long-term care, you'll already be aware the visitation limits have been lifted slightly.
Designated caregivers are now allowed to visit residents daily. "Designated caregivers" are family members, spouses, friends, or other support people. They must be associated with specific caregiving tasks like personal care support, mobility or help with eating, and have an established caregiving relationship with the resident prior to COVID-19.
Long-term care facilities will:
- work with residents, families and substitute decision-makers to identify up to two designated caregivers per resident; only one designated caregiver may visit at a time
- train caregivers on public health requirements, including masking, good hand and respiratory hygiene, and facility procedures
- provide medical masks for caregivers to wear while with residents
- establish processes to screen caregivers upon entry and to easily identify caregivers onsite
Care facilities were among the last places to open up. I've heard from many of you that the risk of infection is outweighed by the mental health impacts of isolation on residents in long-term care. We continue to hear from and advocate for families and long term care residents so that they can retain their quality of life and remain safe for as long as COVID-19 is with us.
The report on the COVID-19 outbreak at Northwood that government commissioned in the spring will be released next week, and will hopefully offer more clear guidance on how to avoid anything like that happening again.
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Blood collection continues to be a huge issue in Dartmouth South. There are many of you who need to have frequent blood tests to monitor heart conditions and strokes. When COVID-19 hit, many of the blood collection centres shut down and have been slow to reopen. This is causing a lot of strain on those who need to access this service.
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Like 811, the NSHA blood collection booking phone service has been swamped with calls and earlier this week they announced that booking has moved online as well. Currently, appointments can only be booked in two-week allotments so check back frequently for more openings.
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Nova Scotia is the only jurisdiction in Canada to suspend all legislative activity including standing committees from March to August. This is in part because we had an early spring legislative session this year; by the time COVID-19 hit Nova Scotia the budget had been passed and we had adjourned until the fall. Many hoped and expected the Legislature to reconvene given the myriad challenges and spending created by the pandemic, but the government chose not to bring MLAs back.
Equally troubling was the fact that all standing committees were suspended with the exception of the Human Resources Committee which appoints people to Agencies, Boards, and Commissions and is required to meet monthly by law. Our two key standing committees, Health and Public Accounts were unilaterally ceased. These committees are crucial for the public and opposition MLAs.
Here I talk a little bit about our efforts to ensure that this experience is not repeated:
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On the topic of legislative work, we will be returning to the legislature and while we don't have an exact date yet, we expect it will be this fall. With that in mind, I'm asking for your submissions!
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Part of my time in the legislature is used to officially recognize groups and individuals in our community who are doing exceptional work or meet significant milestones. These statements are read in the House and recorded in Hansard, the official record of debates and proceedings of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly. If you would like me to recognize an outstanding person, organization, or event in Dartmouth South, please let me know by emailing my office or by filling out this form on my website.
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On TUESDAY 22 SEPTEMBER Susan Leblanc, MLA for Dartmouth North, and I are asking you to show solidarity with underemployed live event workers by lighting the night red! Decorate or light your window in red & post a picture using #LightUpLive, #WeBuildEntertainment, and #DartmouthArtist.
Dig out the Christmas lights, use a red gel/transparency sheet, post the hashtag, turn your front window a stage, get creative! This is part of a national day of awareness, follow along at https://lightuplive.ca.
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Food Fundraiser for Schools
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Nourish Your Roots is a fundraiser created and facilitated by Nourish Nova Scotia, an organization that provides funds for healthy food programs like breakfast, snack program, gardens and cooking skills in schools while supporting Nova Scotia farmers.
This year, you can support by purchasing a box of local produce either for yourself or you can donate one.
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Mark your calendar for Sunday, September 27, 9:30 am - 12:30 pm because the Kinsmen community brunch is back up and running at the East Dartmouth Community Centre!
In light of the positive news in Nova Scotia, concerning the COVID-19 pandemic, Dartmouth Kinsmen have developed a Brunch Operating Plan. This Brunch Plan complements the EDCC Reopening Plan. These approved plans are designed to keep us all safe.
There are some key changes:
- Brunch will be held in the gym...lots of space for social distancing.
- Attendees must wear masks when entering or leaving the building or going to the washroom. In other words when not at their table. Servers will wear masks at all times.
- A name and phone number for each group will be recorded for contact tracing. Group members must remain at their table.
- There will be space for 40 attendees. Any additional attendees may be asked to remain in their vehicle to await a phone invitation to enter the building.
- The brunch menu will remain essentially the same with the absence of hash browns.
- Coffee and tea will be served at the table.
- Meals will cost $8.00. for adults and $5.00 for children. The 'Big K' will be $10.00.
- Please enter by the main doors and follow the arrows. The elevator is also available.
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Mental Health Support
The Mental Health Provincial Crisis Line is available 24/7 to anyone experiencing a mental health or addictions crisis, or someone concerned about them: 1-888-429-8167 (toll-free)
Kids Help Phone is available 24/7: 1-800-668-6868 (toll-free)
Morneau Shepell has also opened its 24/7 bilingual crisis support line to help anyone in need of emotional support as a result of the recent tragic events in our province: 1-844-751-2133
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Self-Assessment
Call 811 for assessment if in the past 48 hours you have had, or you are currently experiencing fever (i.e. chills/sweats) OR cough (new or worsening).
OR
Two or more of the following symptoms (new or worsening):
- Sore throat
- Runny nose/nasal congestion
- Headache
- Shortness of breath
You should also call 811 for assessment if you think you've been exposed to COVID-19 or have any other symptoms that concern you.
Other Support
For help or information about domestic violence 24/7, call 1-855-225-0220 (toll-free)
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