Floodplain consultations continue

THE BEDFORD BASIN REPORT

Floodplain consultations continue

Dear Friends,

I hope this e-newsletter finds you well as summer winds down and we return to our regularly scheduled programming.

Over the summer, many jurisdictions experienced an uptick in COVID-19 infections. The return to school often sees an uptick in viruses of all kinds. I wanted to let you know that my office still has free rapid COVID tests for distribution to the public. Even when we’re not at my office (which is on the 3rd floor of the RBC building at Sunnyside Mall), we make sure there is a supply of the tests outside the office door in case anyone needs them. And if you’re unable to come pick them up, please let me know and we can drop them off to you.

Also for the return to school — a number of Bedford streets now have new speed bumps, which should help to reduce the speeding that goes on in many of our neighbourhoods. If you’re concerned about the speeds vehicles are travelling as our young ones return to school, you can request a “SLOW THE BLAZES DOWN” sign for your lawn. You can pick them up off or we can drop them off to you.

Nearly every year when school reopens, we hear about concerns some parents have with bus pickups and/or drop-offs. Your school is the best place to report those, but please know that if you remain concerned after reporting the issue to the school or the issue isn’t resolved, you can reach out to my office and we can speak to Halifax Regional Centre for Education on your behalf.

The Nova Scotia House of Assembly will begin its Fall sitting on September 5th. If you have any questions or concerns concerning Bedford issues that you’d like to see me ask about during Question Period, or health concerns that you think we need to raise, please do not hesitate to reach out and let my office know.

I wish you a pleasant, safe Autumn.

Access to Electronic Health Records

Nova Scotians can now access their health information anytime, anywhere through the YourHealthNS app.

After a three-month pilot project involving 15 family doctors and seven nurse practitioners across six clinics, the program has expanded electronic health records (EHR) access provincewide. During the pilot, over 13,000 patients experienced the convenience and efficiency of this digital tool.

This new tool is especially important since more than 160,000 Nova Scotians currently do not have a primary care provider (a family doctor or nurse practitioner) at this time. The province’s Need A Family Practice Waitlist is at its highest point ever — more than double the number on the list three years ago.

Floodplain Consultation Continues

🌊 Halifax Regional Municipality held the first two of four consultations with citizens on the new Sackville River Floodplain recently in Bedford. The final two consultations will take place in Sackville on Wednesday, August 28th.

You can attend either the afternoon session (from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.) or the evening session (6 p.m to 8:30 p.m.) at the Sackville Lions Club, 101 Old Beaver Bank Road in Lower Sackville.

According to HRM, almost 900 properties have been identified as being in the immediate vicinity of the proposed 1-in-20-year floodplain. Some residents are concerned the proposed policies will affect their property values. Read more...

Grandparent Scams

⚠️ Earlier this month, the Nova Scotia RCMP warned the public about this scam. RCMP officers in Halifax and Pictou County responded to four complaints of scams in one week alone. In “grandparent scams” or “emergency scams”, people are targeted by scammers who convince them a loved one is in trouble. People in Nova Scotia and elsewhere have lost considerable sums to these scams. Read more...

Healthcare Crisis

🛑 Nova Scotia still has not updated its Need A Family Practice Waitlist since June. At that time, the list stood at 160,234. The waitlist in the Bedford/ Hammonds Plains area has increased more than 420 per cent since September 2021. The waitlist in the Central Zone (of which Bedford is part) is now greater than the waitlist for the entire province in September 2021. Read more...

WHAT'S HAPPENING

Community Spotlight

Community Heath Team Fall/Winter Programs

Our Community Health Team is back with a whole bunch of new FREE programs and services!

The Fall/Winter flyer features a variety of new programs to check out like Making Peace with Food, Balance Basics, and Free Time & You, Try Something New! — this program includes opportunities to try pickleball, Nordic pole walking, crochet, guided walking tour and creating art.