Cheers & Jeers

✓ Cheers to the Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce and the Truro Colchester Partnership for Economic Prosperity for coming together to launch a pilot project to provide temporary accommodations to supply physician recruitment in the county.

The two organizations, which are members of the local physician recruitment committee, have partnered to lease a fully furnished, two-bedroom apartment located close to the Colchester East Hants Health Centre.

Like many other parts of Nova Scotia, the recruitment committee has been pounding the pavement in many ways for several years looking for ways to attract new doctors and health-care professionals to fill growing health-care needs.

It’s estimated that 20 per cent of the population of Truro and Colchester County is not assigned a family physician. Filling this need is of the utmost importance.

At the same time, there has been a growing housing shortage that’s making it nearly impossible for new doctors, nurses, and other professionals to find suitable lodging when they come to the community.

This step by these two community-minded organizations will provide an important “soft landing” in the community, instead of forcing newcomers to scramble to find a place to live.

x Jeers to the fact we need to come together to celebrate the 30th anniversary of a tragedy that could and should have been avoided. While it’s sad that we have to come together to remember the Westray disaster in neighbouring Pictou County, we also have to give kudos to all those who have been working to host this sombre event in recognition of the explosion at the Westray mine in May 1992 that killed 26 miners.

Westray was an example of greed and politics winning the day over safety and common sense. Much has been written about the time leading up to the explosion and the days and months that followed in which everyone asked why it was allowed to happen and what can be done to prevent it from happening again.

Just like most Springhillers remember where they were the day of the 1956 explosion or the 1958 bump, many people in northern Nova Scotia remember where they were on May 9, 1992, when news was delivered of a massive explosion, caused by a buildup of methane gas and excessive coal dust, erupted through the coal mine just outside New Glasgow.

A public inquiry that followed found that the explosion was preventable and its recommendations resulted in significant changes to workplace health and safety.

While it has been three decades since the disaster, it’s still important that all Nova Scotians remember so it never happens again because, as George Santayana so eloquently put it many years ago, those who forget the past are bound to repeat it.

✓ Cheers to group of people who have worked tirelessly to bring back the VON Adult Day Program in Truro.

The past two years, dominated by COVID-19, have been difficult ones for almost every Nova Scotian, but especially for our senior population because, for the most part, they were forced to isolate and miss out on the socialization programs provided by organizations like the Victorian Order of Nurses.

VON has been running day programs for 20 plus years across Nova Scotia and the Colchester-east Hants program is one of the largest in the province. However, with the restrictions brought on by the pandemic, it was nearly impossible for it to condition during those conditions.

The program was initially set up to accommodate seniors who may have a diagnosis of dementia or Alzheimer’s. It has been expanded to include other adults who require caregivers. It provides family members, who are often the primarily caregivers, a bit of a respite so they can catch their breath and recharge their batteries before resuming to care for a loved one.

Activities range from general discussions to trivia, reading, crafts, games, and singalongs. These are mixed in with a snack and lunch and clients are kept busy throughout.

It’s refreshing not only to see the program resuming, but it’s also a breath of fresh air that it has openings for more seniors after facing waiting lists for many years.