THE BEDFORD BASIN REPORT

March 31st Rebate and Grant Deadlines

Dear Friends,

Nova Scotia is now heading into spring and I hope we’ve seen the last of the big snows for another year!

Please, don’t forget that (if you’re eligible), you need to get your applications in before March 31st for the Heating Assistance Rebate Program ($600) and the Seniors Care Grant (up to $750 per household). If you need assistance applying, visit my website or give Traci at my office a call (902-407-377).

With the return of nice weather, we’re seeing more people on the sidewalks and roads. Please remember to adhere to the speed limits — some were reduced not long ago.

If you’d like a “Slow the Blazes Down” lawn sign to remind drivers to ease up on the gas pedal, I have them at my office. Traci or I would be happy to drop one off to you.

Request a lawn sign

Waitlist Numbers Keep Growing

The Need a Family Practice Waitlist numbers were released for March last week. The number of Nova Scotians waiting for a family doctor/nurse practitioner has once again reached a new high and broken the previous record for the number of people waiting for a family practitioner.

As of March 1st, 156,051 Nova Scotians were on the registry. That’s more than double the number on the list when the current government took office just before September 1, 2021; back then, 75,180 people were on the list.

In fact, on March 1st, there were 79,184 people on the list in Central Zone alone — more than were on the list *in the whole province* less than two and a half years ago.

In the Central Zone back in September 2021, there were 18,220 on the list. Today, there are more than 79,000 on the list in the same area.

In the Bedford/Sackville network (which also includes Hammonds Plains and Fall River), there are currently 21,966 people waiting for family practitioners. That’s up from 4,344 just two and a half years ago — a 406 percent increase. 

Learn more

Accessing Rebates & Grants

📅 Seniors can apply for help to cover the costs of household services, healthcare services, and home heating costs from the Seniors Care Grant. Grants are $750 for each qualifying household. Apply before March 31st. Read more...

🏡 Apply for the Heating Assistance Rebate Program (HARP) for help with the cost of home heating this winter. HARP rebates are $600 for each qualifying household. Apply before March 31st. Read more...

💲 The Home Energy Assistance Top-up (HEAT) Fund in now accepting applications. This program supports Nova Scotians facing an emergency situation with home heating cost during the winter months. Read more...

📌 Wellness Funds applications are open for non-profit groups working to improve health in their communities. Read more...

Community Engagement

🚘 With the freeze-and-thaw cycle at this time of year, we see a LOT of potholes, which can end up causing us a lot of money when they cause damage to our vehicles. The first thing we need to do when we see a new pothole is report it. Read more...

🌳 The Halifax Regional Municipality is updating the Urban Forest Master Plan and wants to hear from you. Read more...

Environmental Sustainability

🛑 Recently, the provincial government announced a third round of consultations on the Coastal Protection Act. In late February, The Minister of Environment announced that the government would not proclaim the legislation. Read more...

⛴️ Three years after I was privileged to announce the first phase of the Bedford-Halifax Ferry, I was delighted to be on hand March 4th as the federal, provincial, and municipal governments joined together to announce the next phase of the project. Read more...

WHAT'S HAPPENING

Community Spotlight

Scott Manor House

Bedford’s historical society and the Fort Sackville Foundation, run our community museum at Scott
Manor House.

This is a volunteer-run operation, open during the summer to visitors.

Volunteers oversee the running of the museum – arranging programming, looking after the Manor House grounds, fundraising, staffing the Tea Room, and researching our community’s past. For example, the latest monograph they presented to our local Bedford Library is “Firefighting Memories,” about our Bedford Fire Department.

Every summer, the volunteer team arranges a lively, interesting schedule of events – everything from music concerts and art exhibits to workshops and the ever-popular Georgian Tea (currently scheduled for June 29th). The public is welcome to visit the Manor House for tours, and you can pop in to the Tea Room for tea, lemonade and the famous Scott Manor oatcakes most afternoons.

The foundation is hiring three students once again this summer. This is a great opportunity for university students with an interest in history.

If you’re interested in working or volunteering at Scott Manor House, please check out the society’s latest newsletter, it will have all the information you’re looking for.

Learn more

What's on in Bedford Basin?

🐇 The Easter Bunny has arrived at Sunnyside Mall! You can get a photo with him for $5; proceeds will support the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society of Canada. Read more...

🐰 If you miss the Easter Bunny at Sunnyside, you can also see him at Bedford Place Mall. You can take a photo with him for $5; proceeds will go to the Alzheimer Society of Nova Scotia. Read more...

🦪 Learn to Shuck. Bedford’s Afishionado Fishmongers are hosting an oyster shucking workshop on Friday, March 22Read more...

🌱 Nova Scotia author and gardener Niki Jabbour is having an online event Saturday, March 23 with tips to help us get our gardens started. Read more...

📕 The Bedford Authors Groups next meeting is April 10 at the Bedford Library. Writers of all genres and skills levels are welcome. Read more...