LOWER SACKVILLE: In an interview at his constituency office in Lower Sackville on February 10, Sackville-Cobequid NDP MLA Paul Wozney shared his top accomplishments from 2025 and outlined key focuses for the year ahead as the Nova Scotia Legislature resumes later this month.
Wozney, who represents the riding as a New Democrat, highlighted his ongoing advocacy for local health care as a standout achievement.
He has worked closely with the community to keep the long-promised expansion and improvement of the Cobequid Community Health Centre at the forefront.
The facility, the only standalone emergency room outside a hospital east of Quebec and the second-busiest ER in Nova Scotia, faced severe strain in 2025, including a record day in November when all 26 beds were occupied by patients awaiting transfer, leading to some being turned away or sent elsewhere, including serious cases.
“People can’t say enough good things about the staff, but they’re weary of long wait times,” Wozney said.
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Despite a 2022 commitment from Premier Tim Houston to expand the centre, no significant action has followed, and Wozney continues pushing for transparency and progress.
Another major focus in 2025 was holding Nova Scotia Power accountable amid rising bills, unreliable service, and frequent outages—even from minor weather events.
Wozney noted residents showing him power bills that had tripled compared to previous years, and he joined community efforts in a day of action calling for provincial intervention.
With Premier Houston self-appointing as energy minister, Wozney criticized the lack of concrete steps like profit limits or structural reviews, emphasizing that promises must be kept.
On a positive note, Wozney pointed to community collaborations yielding tangible results. He contributed to discussions with the Lake District Recreation Association during a successful campaign to raise the profile of the Sackville Arena, which finished in the top three nationally in a hockey-related initiative.
This built momentum for federal support: MP Braedon Clark announced $1.3 million in funding for solar panels on the arena roof, expected to offset about $14,000 monthly in utility costs.
Those savings will help reduce ice rental fees for hockey, ringette, and skating while freeing funds for repairs like replacing aging boards this spring.
Wozney stressed the value of building relationships across levels of government to amplify local needs, crediting open dialogue for such wins.
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Looking to 2026, Wozney identified three priorities as the legislature returns:
- Nova Scotia Power reform: Pushing for action on affordability, reliability, and sustainability, including potential legislative tools to address high rates, grid issues, and billing problems that have persisted since disruptions like the 2025 cyberattack.
- Child care access and affordability: Criticizing the provincial government’s failure to meet $10-a-day targets or create promised spaces, with existing ones often far more expensive than in other provinces. Wozney sees this as an economic booster, particularly for workforce participation among women.
- Worker protections: Introducing legislation to strengthen safeguards, such as better enforcement of unpaid wages and job security, citing cases like lost jobs at a call centre and uncollected awards from the Labour Board.
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With budget talks looming and reports of potential large deficits and departmental cuts, Wozney vowed the NDP would highlight past government spending choices.
He said they would also advocate for protecting essential services like health care and education rather than deep reductions.
Overall, Wozney expressed pride in community-centered advocacy and relationship-building, aiming to continue amplifying Sackville voices on health care, infrastructure, affordability, and more in the year ahead.
