After being in office for nearly six months and the waitlist ever-increasing, the Houston government has failed to announce a new plan for long-term care in Nova Scotia.

In a news release yesterday, the Houston government touted a plan to add 500 more longterm care beds to the system. However, nothing from this announcement was new, as it had already been announced on July 9, 2021 under the previous Liberal leadership.

“I’m happy to see the Houston government follow through on a very important project we initiated during our time in government,” says Seniors and Long-Term Care critic Kelly Regan. “Now that we see the need for long-term care beds dramatically increase under this government, it is curious that the Premier seems content with a plan he once heavily criticized.”

At the time, then-Opposition Leader Tim Houston said this plan “doesn’t scratch the surface.” But, with the long-term care waitlist nearly doubling under his government, Premier Houston has focused on recycling previous announcements rather than coming up with a plan of his own.

“The long-term care waitlist has steadily climbed since the Houston government took office,” says Regan. “Nova Scotians need to know – does this government have any new plans to address this issue?”