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With the summer heat hitting Dartmouth, our community is bustling with energy. I'll be walking in the Halifax Pride Parade tomorrow and I'm looking forward to Natal Day (let us know if you would like to walk with us!), Nova MultiFest, Canoe '22, and the Buskers in Dartmouth in the coming weeks!
The news this week that the Minister of Housing has approved an amendment to the Regional Centre Land Use By-Law that allows early tree clearing at Eisner Cove in advance of any concrete site plan is deeply troubling. We need more housing--especially more truly affordable housing in Dartmouth and across the province. Eisners Cove contains a sensitive wetland, and despite $22 million dollars in government funding, no truly affordable housing will be created. Without assurances that the wetland will be properly protected, this approval should not have been granted. Instead of creating truly affordable housing and increasing our transitional and emergency shelter capacity, we are imperilling our natural resources and handing out millions in funding to developers who already have the funds to build. I am urging the Housing Panel to reconsider this decision until a full site plan is approved.
In more promising news, after years of work to preserve our existing and rapidly disappearing affordable housing stock, the Province has finally picked up on the call. The Community Housing Acquisition Program offers non-profit housing providers up to a 95% loan-to-value financing to support the purchase of existing rental properties. Where we have seen much of the affordable housing stock slip into the hands of out-of-province developers and corporations, this is an exciting step toward maintaining the housing stock within the community and, hopefully, offering truly affordable units for Nova Scotians.
Vaccines
A third dose of primary series COVID-19 vaccine is now available to immunocompromised Nova Scotians based on NACI recommendations. At the time of booking, people will need to prove they meet the definition for moderately to severely immunocompromised. Vaccine providers will review the information with the patient to ensure they meet the definition or are on one of the eligible medications. Those who do not qualify or immunocompromised people who have already received a third dose will not be provided an additional dose at the clinic.
Second boosters are also available to those 50 to 69-years-old, though Public Health is urging anyone in this range who is not immunocompromised to consider waiting until the fall to get this dose for better protection during the cold and flu season and to allow for further developments to vaccines.
Parents and guardians of children aged six months to four years old will soon be able to book Moderna's pediatric COVID-19 vaccine, which is currently the only one approved in Canada for this age group. Appointments for children aged six months to four years old will open for booking in early August.
Children will need two doses of vaccine at least eight weeks apart. Moderately to severely immunocompromised children will need three doses of vaccine, with at least four weeks between the first and second dose and eight weeks between the second and third dose.
All vaccine appointments can be booked online or by calling 1-833-797-7772.
Please keep up the public health measures we've all grown accustomed to over the pandemic: mask when in large groups, wash your hands regularly, get tested when you feel unwell, and stay away from others if you test positive for COVID-19. The virus is still circulating in the province. It's important to know where and how much, and to continue to be kind to one another as we manage the ongoing fallout of the pandemic.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Best,
Claudia
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