Liberals promise another community care clinic in Woodstock

Liberal Leader Susan Holt has promised another community-care clinic, this time in Woodstock.

She had previously announced she would open 30such clinics, before 2028, if elected as premier.

"We have been hearing about issues New Brunswickers had with access to primary care, it's the number one issue that we hear at the door," Holt said.

She said that after she announced the locations for 10new clinics, Marisa Pelkey, the Liberal candidate for Woodstock-Hartland, approached her about the possibility of addingone in her community.

WATCH | Holt says she has a 'hunch' Woodstock clinic wouldopen quickly:

Woodstock would get collaborative care clinic under Liberal government, Susan Holt says

2 days ago

Duration 1:48

Liberal Party Leader Susan Holt says Woodstock would be the 11th community to receive one of at least 30 community care clinics in the province if shes elected premier. She was joined by the Liberal candidate for Woodstock-Hartland, Marisa Pelkey, who got the proposal for a clinic in the area off the ground.

"I've heard stories of people being on the doctor waitlist for four years, people are telling me that they have to drive long distances to access care and that's just such a challenge for them," Pelkey said.

Holt said that Pelkey met with community members, municipal officials and doctors to find a potential location, and also met withhealth-care professionals who agreed to work in the clinic if it were to open.

The cost would fall under the $115.2 million over four years for the 30 clinics already promised, Holt said.

Liberals previously said the centres would bring together doctors, nurses, nurse practitioners, psychologists, physiotherapists, pharmacists and others.

Holt called out the PC government for not acting fast enough on health care,and said the idea for the clinics is not new and is not hers.

"Collaborative care has been on the table for over a decade, and we are the ones that are prepared to actually act on it and put in place what the nurse practitioners, doctors and other health-care professionals are asking for."

Greens would bring intax reforms for small businesses

At a campaign stop in Rogersville, Green Leader David Coon said he wants two changes made to the tax system for small businesses.

He said he would reduce the small-business tax rate from 2.5 per cent to oneper cent, as already exists in Prince Edward Island. This would cost the province about $35 million annually inlost tax revenue, Coon said.

"We all know small-business owners," Coon said. "They're our neighbours. They're the barbers and hairdressers who cut our hair. They're the farmers who grow our food.

WATCH | Coon says N.B. would follow P.E.I.'s footsteps in small-business tax cut:

Greens promise tax-rate cut for small businesses if elected

2 days ago

Duration 1:10

Green Party Leader David Coon was in Rogersville on Friday to announce that if elected premier, he would reduce the small business tax rate from 2.5 per cent to one per cent. His party would also raise the income threshold at which the higher business tax rate begins from $500,000 to $700,000.

"They aren't some CEO in New York or an investment trust in Bermuda."

The Greens would also raise the income threshold that the higher corporate tax kicksto $700,000 from $500,000.

Green candidate Kevin Arseneau also said the party would create a new department of community development and rural affairs, combining the existing Regional Development Corporation and Opportunities New Brunswick.

Higgs attacks Liberals' math, vague on his own tax cut

Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgs tried to pounce on some dubious Liberal platform math on Friday, but wasn't able to explain the fiscal impact of his own promise to cut the harmonized sales tax.

Higgs had no campaign events planned on Friday but the PCs arranged a telephone conference call for reporters on short notice so he could talk about the Liberal calculations.

But he faced questions about how he would keep the province's books balanced if he cuts the HST to 14 per cent next year and to 13 per cent the year after leading to a $225-million revenue reduction in 2025-26 and a total reduction of $450 million the year after.

"We have said we're going to be able to reduce taxes over the next years, and what we're projecting for growth in the province we're able to comfortably to saywe can manage this," he said.

"We've had six balanced budgets so we've proven that we're capable of balancing budgets."

He said lower tax rates would spur economic growth and purchasing power, though he didn't provide specific numbers for that prediction.

The Liberals say they would not cut the HST, giving them extra revenue to work with that would let them spend more while still running surpluses in the range of $300 million.

But their platform takes the revenue that they would have as a result of not cutting the HST and adds that to existing government revenue projections published in March.

WATCH | Bathurst residents on the issues swaying their votes this election:

CBC asks: What matters to you?

2 days ago

Duration 2:31

Over the coming weeks, CBC New Brunswick will visit several communities to ask residents what matters to them this election season. Jonna Brewer, host of Information Morning Moncton, stopped in Bathurst to speak with voters there.

Those projections, however, already assume a 15 per cent sales tax rate, making it appear the Liberals are double-counting two pointsworth of sales tax revenue.

That means the Liberal numbers will be off by $450 million per year by 2026-27, the PCs say.

Despite relying on the March 2024 budget projections for their own calculations, the Liberals say they believe Higgs is counting on even higher levels of tax revenue to make his HSTcut affordable.

They say that means they can also count on that same windfall to keep their books balanced.

Higgs urged New Brunswickers to not take the Liberal math at face value because of the party's history of running deficits.

"How could you put any credibility into that whatsoever?" he said.

The Liberals ran a budget surplus in their final year in office before losing power to Higgs's PCs.

Poll suggests Liberals have 7-point lead over PCs

A new poll released Friday by Mainstreet Research suggests that the Liberals have a large lead over the Progressive Conservatives among decided voters.

In Mainstreet's sample, 44 per cent of those polled said they would vote Liberal if the election were held today, while the PCs were at 37 per cent.

Fourteen per cent of those surveyed said they would vote Green, two per cent would vote People's Alliance, and three per cent would vote for another party.

LISTEN | Missteps and promises as election campaignhits half-way mark

Shift - NB18:35Political Panel: Midway Point

We're officially at the halfway point of the election campaign. Our panel of politics watchers will reflect on the missteps and the promises so far.

But when undecided voters were included among those surveyed, 40 per cent oftotal respondents said they would vote Liberal, and 34 per cent they would vote PCs. The Greens had 13 per cent and undecided voters made up eight per cent of those surveyed.

The poll was conducted over the first four days of October from a sample of 906 adults in New Brunswick via automated telephone interviews to both landlines and cellphones. The margin of error for the overall sample is 3.3 per cent at the 95 per cent confidence level, but Mainstreet didn't provide a margin of error for decided voters.

The poll also asked all of those surveyed how likely they were to vote. Seventy-seven per cent said they were certain to vote, 11 per cent said likely, eight per cent have already voted by mail and five per cent said they were unlikely to vote.

Voter cards out in the mail

More than 315,000 voter information cards have been sent out by Elections N.B.

The cards will inform voters when and where they can vote in theelection. Voters should take the cards with them to their polling stations if possible, said chief electoral officer Kim Poffenroth, in a newsrelease.

"Using scanners, polling staff use the unique barcode printed on each card to quickly find the voter's name on the voterslist stored on the poll pads set up at the polling stations," Poffenroth said.

Each house or apartment will receive an envelope with voter cards for everyone living at that location. Eligible voters who don't receive a card or forget to bring it will be helped by workers at the polling station, the release said.

The election is on Oct. 21.

Standings at dissolution:PCs 25, Liberals 16, Greens 3, Independent 1, vacant 4

Where the leaders are today

Green Leader David Coonis campaigning in Fredericton.

Liberal Leader Susan Holtis campaigning in Moncton and Saint John.

Progressive Conservative Leader Blaine Higgsis campaigning in Kings County and Charlotte County.

For complete coverage:Links to ll New Brunswick Votes 2024 stories