Tim Houston's government released its plan to address challenges in health care last Friday on the last day of the Spring Sitting of the Nova Scotia Legislature. It's a 31-page strategic report called Action for Health and it spells out some of the goals and self-described solutions for Healthcare. Critics say it doesn't contain specific benchmarks or timelines and there won't be a chance to question costs or other details because the House has risen for the session. Doctors Nova Scotia (DNS) is the professional association representing physicians in this province. They were involved in the Speak up for Healthcare Tour just after the Progressive Conservatives were sworn in as government. Doctor Heather Johnson is the president of DNS. She's optimistic by nature and says if we can be nimble and think of ways to reorganize, there is a chance this plan can make a difference.

People around the planet have been recognising Earth Day on April 22nd since 1970. The goal in the beginning was to demonstrate support for environmental protection. And over the years, we have seen more focus on the natural world around us and the attention to issues like global warming. But what difference can one individual make? And how do you keep working at effecting change on something that can seem so overwhelming? Joanna Bull is the Community Engagement Manager with the Ecology Action Centre based in Nova Scotia. She offers her thoughts on staying positive and realistic and shares ways we can make a difference for the planet by thinking globally and acting locally.

This week, the lawyers made their final submissions at the inquiry looking into why a former Afghanistan war veteran killed his family and himself. The judge will present his final report with findings and recommendations later this fall. David MacLeod is also a veteran and he's watched the proceedings and has read all the transcripts. In spite of the argument that it would be easy to blame the government for what happened, he says Veterans Affairs has been advocating for the status quo. And that, says MacLeod, is part of the reason the incident happened in 2017.

It doesn't require an economist telling us that inflation is rising to know that the cost of living is going up. And that is impacting groups and agencies that help people who were struggling even before the price of groceries started to climb. Parker Street Food and Furniture Bank is seeing more clients these days. And as the largest independent, non-affiliated service, they have to come up with ways to manage their inventory with demand rising. Amgad Zaky is their Director of Donor Relations. He shares with us the legacy of founder Mel Boutlier, the challenges of the past few months and the campaign to purchase a new truck for deliveries.

This week, the Mass Casualty Commission is taking a break from its examination of the facts and circumstances of the events in Portapique on April 18th and 19th of 2020. And out of respect for the families, Colchester North MLA Tom Taggart is also taking time to reflect. He currently represents the region that includes the tiny community where the events unfolded two years ago. At the time, he was a municipal councillor for the area. He was part of a ceremony last week that saw Portapique and its residents being presented with the Lieutenant Governor's Community Spirit award. That is the topic he was willing to discuss. That and the resilience of the people who still live there and call it home.

When the invasion of Ukraine started, Carol Ailles wanted to do something to help the women and children and families who were affected. And that turned into the Atlantic Canada Hosts for Ukrainians group on Facebook. Thousands of people from across the region are going there to find resources and support and to offer space in their own homes to house refugees. Ailles says in spite of the Canadian Government saying it wants to help, there doesn't appear to be any leadership on this issue. And these volunteers are committed to doing all they can to support the women and children and their families, many of whom are also joining the Facebook group. And ultimately, they would like to be able to hire a charter plane and bring up to 300 refugees from Europe to Atlantic Canada.

Thousands of documents have been presented so far, but only fourteen days of testimony has been heard at the Mass Casualty Commission (MCC) Hearing. Since it got underway in February, there have been twelve foundational documents presented. They cover the timeline of events on April 18th and 19th, 2020 from the first 9-1-1 calls to Portapique until the death of the killer at a gas station outside of Halifax. And while there have been five RCMP officers who have been called as witnesses, there are others that have yet to be interviewed or cross examined. Adam Rodgers is a lawyer who is representing the Desmond estate in the Fatality Inquiry in Nova Scotia. He's also been using his own YouTube Channel to analyze and discuss the proceedings at the MCC. While he is please to see some witnesses being called to clarify some of the questions being raised by the foundational documents, he says there needs to be more of an effort to address some of the concerns that haven't been addressed yet.

Some of the new residents of Nova Scotia may not know that wildfire season runs from mid-March to mid-October. And for almost a decade, there has been a system in place to let people know the risk of fire spreading in wooded areas. Instead of requiring residential permits, people are asked to check the Burnsafe map on the Nova Scotia government website after 2pm on any day they want to burn organic materials on their property. It shows a colour-coded guide to when burning can be done within the rules. If a so-called controlled burn gets out of hand, the property owner could be facing a bill for the crews that show up to deal with it. Kara McCurdy works with the Nova Scotia Department of Natural Resources and Renewal. As a Wildfire Prevention Officer, one of her duties is to help clarify the rules and the reasons behind them.

It was to help create a safe and accessible space for people with disabilities to be able to enjoy the view of the Peggy's Cove Lighthouse. And the multi million dollar project was also expected to help make it safer for the 700-thousand annual visitors. But once again emergency responders were called in to help rescue two people in the water on the evening of April 11th, 2022. A 23-year-old Dartmouth man was located in the ocean and was pulled on to to a Coast Guard Cutter and airlifted to CFB Shearwater where he was declared deceased. A 26-year-old Ontario man was located near the shore and was rescued by volunteer firefighters. He was taken to hospital with life-threatening injuries. It's a scenario that's all too familiar to Captain Peter Richardson. He's had to rescue survivors and haul them aboard his own tour boat in the past. The former resident also served as a Village Commissioner until he moved out of Peggy's Cove last winter. And in spite of the conversations about how to make the tourist spot safer, he says it comes down to a matter of respect for the North Atlantic ocean lapping at the rocks below the famed lighthouse.

Nova Scotia's Progressive Conservative government struck the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) Housing Task Force to address the lack of housing in HRM. It says the changes will streamline the process with changes to the Halifax Charter. When it becomes law, council will no longer be permitted to refer development plans to community council or to an advisory committee. Housing Minister John Lohr says “It will clarify approval processes and remove duplication of public engagement. It will reduce upfront costs for business owners and improve development agreement processes.” But some councillors disagree, including Dartmouth Centre's Sam Austin and Middle/Upper Sackville - Beaver Bank - Lucasville's Lisa Blackburn. They both say this is a much bigger issue than most people in HRM realize right now and there's very little transparency with the new Task Force. They're worried it may have negative impacts on the planning and development plans already passed or in process.