FALL RIVER/BEAVER BANK: An active community volunteer wants to do more at the provincial level for the Waverley-Fall River Beaver Bank community she calls home.
That’s why Elizabeth Booth put her name forward to be a candidate for the N.S. Liberal Party for the riding.
Booth, who has lived in the Fall River Village community since 2020 with husband Derek, has been announced as the nominated candidate under Liberal Leader Zach Churchill for Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank.
The retiree, who moved to the area from Ontario, has been very active in the community volunteering her time to many community groups.
“Based on the last four years here and being warmly welcomed with all of the volunteer work, I saw what we could do as a community to help all the causes in the area,” said Booth in a July 16 interview at the Fall River Tim Hortons.
“I thought that we had a good rep in Cathy (Deagle Gammon) from the municipality perspective, so I felt we could use some help from the provincial perspective.”
ADVERTISEMENT:
Booth has been the Secretary of the LWF Ratepayers Association (LWFRA); member of the Fall River Garden Club; co-chair of the Keloose Festival with Jamie Shreenan; and Director of the Lions Christmas Express food drive.
“Having the opportunity to put my name forward as the Liberal candidate for Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank is something I’m incredibly excited about,” said Booth.
She was asked how she is getting to know what the issues facing residents in the riding she hopes to represent.
“I know some of the issues, based on the volunteering that I have been doing such as the food drive with the Lions Christmas Express,” she said. “At first glance when you look at Fall River/Beaver Bank, you think they’re well to do, but when you dig deeper there’s a lot of families in need.”
Booth said she’s going to go out and about and talking to people to find out what their issues.
“To be honest, the last little while, I haven’t heard a lot of our issues in our communities here being brought forward at the provincial level,” said Booth. “That’s something I can do.”
ADVERTISEMENT:
She was asked what the top three issues are for Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank as she sees them.
“I would have to say the lack of accessibility to health networks in the area,” she said, explaining how her family still doesn’t have a family doctor. “We did have a family doctor two years in but she left after six months and went back to Ontario so that put us back at the bottom of the list again.
“I do take advantage of the YourHealthNS App on the phone, but that doesn’t replace a family doctor. And my family isn’t the only one without a family doctor, and that list keeps growing.
“Housing is a big issue for me too. It’s housing from different perspectives. It’s finding the right housing for the area, not just putting the same thing everywhere. Some areas need different kind of housing.
“The third one, which goes back to the Lions Christmas Express, is affordability. There are so many people in need. Affordability issues leads to housing crisis because people can’t afford a house, and all of that leads to people’s mental health.
“How can you be healthy mentally if you’re living paycheque to paycheque, can’t afford buy a house, can’t find a house, or you have to put up with a bad situation because there’s no rentals available to you.”
Churchill said he has the full confidence in Booth and her abilities.
“Elizabeth is a fantastic candidate, and I am thrilled to have her represent Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank,” said Churchill. “I’m confident that Elizabeth will address local issues with the same dedication and effectiveness she has shown throughout her extensive career and volunteer work.”
ADVERTISEMENT;
Prior to moving to Nova Scotia, Booth earned a degree in Engineering Studies from Carleton University and currently serves as a member of the Dalhousie Women in Engineering Mentorship Program.
In 2021, she retired from a successful 33-year career with Canada Post where she managed national-scale projects that included union consultations, third party contracts, and business process improvements.
How did she became the candidate for MLA? Booth said a few people approached her, saying that she should consider running to be the candidate.
“I was approached through my volunteer work in the community,” she said. “The two people thought I would be a good fit to be in the MLA position.”
What’s next as Booth gears up her campaign team for the provincial election, whenever that may be depending on when Premier Tim Houston calls it. Currently, Nova Scotia is set to head to the polls next summer provincially.
“Now it’s time for me to get out there, hearing concerns and what the issues are that I may not be aware of from residents and start to raise those issue on my social media,” said Booth, noting her Facebook page is Elizabeth Booth Nova Scotia.
“Getting awareness out there of me as well, and my ideas and getting my team of volunteers together so we can be successful whenever an election is called.”
