Rent control, tax cuts and travel nurses among top issues on N.S. campaign trail

Nova Scotia's New Democrats are proposing measures they say would protect renters from excessive rent hikes and evictions if the party is elected Nov. 26.

NDP Leader Claudia Chender announced Thursday her party would ban fixed-term leases and establish a rent-control system. The party said it would immediately slash in half the province's temporary rent cap to 2.5 per cent.

Chender said the changes will save renters money and help keep housing more affordable.

Meanwhile, Liberal Leader Zach Churchill said his party would lower provincial income taxes by raising the basic personal exemption amount to $15,705 a cost to the government of $348 million.

The existing exemption is $8,744, and for people making less than $25,000 a year, the province gives an "adjustment," which increases the basic personal amount by $3,000; the adjustment decreases gradually and ends for people earning more than $75,000.

Churchill said a Liberal government would double the adjustment for people who earn less than $75,000 a year, at a cost of $55 million per year.

The Liberal leader said his party will respect its promise to cut income taxes and respect its pledge to cut the harmonized sales tax by two points even if doing so will lead to a budget deficit.

Progressive Conservative Leader Tim Houston travelled to Sydney, N.S., on Thursday where he announced his party would establish a provincial travel nurse team to help areas with nursing shortages.

Houston said the team would eliminate the need to hire travel nurses from private companies, and would be composed of Nova Scotia Health employees who will have access to the same pay and benefits as other nurses in the public system.

The program would begin as a pilot project by the end of the year, involving a 30-member team of nurses who would staff hospital emergency departments at an estimated cost of $5.3 million.

At dissolution, the Progressive Conservatives held 34 seats in the 55-seat legislature, the Liberals held 14 seats, the NDP had six and there was one Independent.