Higgs promises he won't close emergency rooms in rural areas

Friday is the final day to submit nominations to Elections New Brunswick,and some ridings are looking almost bare of official candidates.

In many electoral districts, four or five candidates have filed papers for the Sept. 14 election, but in others, like Edmundston-Madawaska Centre and Gagetown-Petitcodiac, only one had as the day began.

That doesn't mean the parties haven't chosen enough people to run in this brief campaign.

"Some people wait until the 11thhour," saidKim Poffenroth, the chief electoral officer at Elections New Brunswick.

The deadline for nominations is 2 p.m. sharp.

Here's what the political party leaders have been saying.

PCs wouldn't close ERs in rural areas or reduce hours

Progressive ConservativeLeader Blaine Higgsinsisted Thursday thathe willnot close any emergency rooms or reduce hours in hospitals, despite trying to do so in February.

His PCgovernment tried tocut emergency room services at six hospitals in the province, including the Sussex Health Centre.

But a week later, Higgswithdrew the plans, sayinghe "can't in good conscience move forward without addressing the concerns and fears that have been brought to light."

Calling the roll-out of the closures "unfortunate" and poorly communicated,Higgs is now promising to talk to communities about improvements to health care.

Speaking in Woodstock, he saidhe iscommitted toincreasing health-care spending by 3.9 per cent, or to $2.9 billion, as laid out in this year's budget.The increase will helpseniors better connect with specialists and get them more timely support, he said.

Higgs said$5 million would be used to recruitdoctors to rural areas. And an immunization registry would be created to help track vaccinations provincewide.

"We will not accept the status quo in any area, whether it be health care, education, service to our province, mental health, drug enforcement. We are on the move and we are not going to wait for COVIDto end to make a difference in this province."

Higgs repeated his support for an expansion of virtualappointments for specialists even after the COVID-19 pandemic.

"We are absolutely committed to health-care investments," Higgs said. "Any suggestions to the contrary are false."

Both the People's Alliance and the Liberal Party have alsopromised to expand virtual health care if elected.

Green Party wants more local control of hospitals

Green Party Leader David Coon also focused on health care, promising a Green government would restore autonomy to local hospitals and health centres.

"I will re-establish the essential role of the hospital administrator to ensure hospitals have the autonomy they need to ensure they can provide the health services local people need, when they need them," Coon said at Sackville Memorial Hospital.

• Coon promises to fix 'corrupted' property tax system

He said he would establish community health boards to ensure local health-care services reflect the needs and expectations of the community. These would replace the role public members play on the regional health authorityboards.

Hospitals in New Brunswick now fall under one of two health authorities, Vitalit or Horizon, which pushed for the evening ER closures last winter.

"Decentralization will provide better decision-making that reflects local realities," Coon said in a riding, Memramcook-Tantramar, that has been held by Megan Mitton, one of three Greens in the last house.

The Green Party announced a roster of eight all-female candidates in the Moncton region. Coon said more than 50 per cent of Green Party candidates in this election campaign are women.

"This group of women will be tireless advocates for their communities once they are elected to the legislative assembly," he said.

Fredericton Green MP Jenica Atwin was also thereto show her support for the party.

Liberal leader bashes PCs over lack of affordable housing

Liberal Leader Kevin Vickers spent most of a speech in Moncton on Thursday attacking PC Leader Blaine Higgs about a lack of affordable housing in the province.

Vickers repeatedly accused Higgs of doing nothing to address a housing crisisand being unwilling to work alongside communities to improve it.

"Recently, the Trudeau government offered up to $49 million in order to accelerate affordable housing in our province," Vickers said. "The Blaine Higgs government is the only provincial government to turn down such an offer."

Vickers said if New Brunswickers voted for the Progressive Conservatives, they will be turning their backs on the most vulnerable and the weakest members of New Brunswick communities.

Vickers said he would"move immediately" to build affordable housing.

"Everyone deserves a safe place to call home."

People's Alliance determined to fix broken infrastructure

People's Alliance Leader Kris Austin was in the riding of Fredericton-York on Thursday to demonstrate some of New Brunswick's "crumbling infrastructure."

Austin singled out the North Tay Bridge, north of the capitalalong the North Tay River, as one of many bridges and roads in need of repair.

"As a political party, we have not supported new infrastructure until we fix the infrastructure that we have," he said in the riding that was held by Rick DeSaulniers, one of two People's Alliance members who joined Austin in the legislature after the last election.

Austin vowed to push government to provide more infrastructure support, particularly in rural areas.

"This is infrastructure that needs to be repaired," he said. "It needs to be fixed."

Where the leaders are today

Liberal Leader Kevin Vickers will be making an announcement at 10:30 a.m. across the street from the Dr. Everett Chalmers Regional Hospital in Fredericton.

Green Party Leader David Coon will make an announcement about access to health-care services outside the Dr. Everett ChalmersHospital in Fredericton at 11 a.m.

PC Leader Blaine Higgs will make an announcementat the Rendez-vous des artistes at 11 a.m. inSt. Leonard.

People's Alliance Leader Kris Austin will be campaigning in his riding ofFredericton-Grand Lake.

NDP Leader Mackenzie Thomason will be meeting with different groups and campaigning in his riding of Fredericton North.

Standings at dissolution:PCs 20, Liberals 20, Greens, 3, People's Alliance 3, Independent 1, vacancies 2

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