{"id":34327,"date":"2023-02-16T08:15:00","date_gmt":"2023-02-16T12:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/thelaker.ca\/?p=34327"},"modified":"2023-02-16T08:15:00","modified_gmt":"2023-02-16T12:15:00","slug":"samson-talks-economy-healthcare-housing-turf-field-project","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/?p=34327","title":{"rendered":"Samson talks economy, healthcare, housing, Turf Field project"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;93&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;115&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>FALL RIVER: <\/strong>The MP for Sackville-Preston-Chezzetcook answered a slew of questions ranging from helping struggling families, to the economy, to assisting small businesses impacted by higher costs, addressing poverty in the riding, and the Turf Field Project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Darrell Samson sat down at his Fall River office in January to speak with The Laker News about 2022 and a look at the year ahead and the top priorities for him in the riding.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samson spoke about what the federal government is doing to help struggling families with inflation on the rise as is the price of almost everything essential.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s almost a catch 22 as the interest rate goes up so the inflation number will go down,\u201d said Samson. \u201cWe\u2019re seeing a decrease, but not as fast as I hope. They\u2019re saying the inflation rate could be down to four per cent by the Spring, which would be more manageable.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe can\u2019t go too much deeper on the interest rate. The more we increase it the speed we increased it is dangerous.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>ADVERTISEMENT:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;31&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;71&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said he\u2019s still young so remembers back in the 1980s in Alberta when many lost their homes or walked away leaving their keys on the table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe don\u2019t want to see that,\u201d he said. \u201cInflation is high everywhere, not just here in Canada, but around the world. There\u2019s no question that Covid and the supply chain has caused this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samson said he understands its challenging and that families are struggling, and all sectors of the economy are as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He spoke of one way the feds are helping low-income Canadians through the one-time top-up to the Canada Housing Benefit. That aims to help low-income renters with the cost of renting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The deadline for applications is March 31 for this program, said Samson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>ADVERTISEMENT:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;148&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;34&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The second thing is double the GST, which could impact young families, a senior, or young person. Those who qualified would have received the double payment in November and January (two quarterly payments).<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe felt it was crucial,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said the feds also invested in healthcare through the dental care bill which means those with kids 12 and under can receive $1600 over two years to get the dental work they need done.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThat was another important investment we made to try and help those impacted by inflation,\u201d said Samson. \u201cIt took time to get these through because the Conservatives were not in support, but at the end they did.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samson said the government will need to continue to monitor the impact inflation and the interest rates are having on Canadians and their families.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>ADVERTISEMENT:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;192&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate group=&#8221;6&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He was asked about how the government will address any economic slowdown on businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samson replied speaking about them gear up to be more competitive, which in turn will make them more capable to compete internationally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He mentioned the cut on taxes for small businesses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s all about reinvesting for them to grow, not to put that money in their pockets,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s an opportunity for them to grow, and we\u2019ve been doing that since Covid hit.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samson spoke about the accusations from the N.S. government and other Conservative governments on controlling healthcare.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cThey say its their jurisdiction and for us to give them the money, give us a blank cheque and don\u2019t talk to us,\u2019 said Samson. \u2018We can\u2019t do that no more. We can\u2019t afford that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe need to invest in healthcare, but we need to make sure that we see outcomes.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>ADVERTISEMENT:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;127&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;126&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said that means if they want to add 25 more virtual care centers across N.S so residents can call them and does his analysis, and someone doesn\u2019t have to show up at a doctors office, that will help Nova Scotians.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWhen we give money we say to the province what are you doing with that money,\u201d said Samson. \u2018We\u2019re not going to throw $10 million at the province of N.S., and they put it somewhere else. It\u2019s got to go to healthcare, you cant remove your investment for healthcare with ours.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s time provinces, territories and the feds work collaboratively for outcomes, more accessibilities.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samson spoke of the investments made in the riding, including those at Cheema; the Wellington Community Centre; the Waverley Legion, just to name a few in the Fall River area. The list of funding requests supported was lengthy and is found in his recent newsletter.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe have more investments to come, including one I hope in the very near future at McDonald Sports Park and another one around baseball in Waverley,\u201d said Samson.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>ADVERTISEMENT:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;123&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;169&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Now looking ahead at 2023, Samson was asked what he\u2019s looking forward to most including in his role as Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cWe need to put out more programs to help our Veterans, there are challenges out there,\u201d he said. \u2018We need to make sure they\u2019re getting the help they need. We need to help out Legions, they too help veterans a lot.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said they\u2019re working at finding ways to commemorate all veterans, not just WWI or WWII but all veterans, especially those from Afghanistan.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Housing in Canada and N.S., in particular, is another big issues that he is looking at dealing with.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI don\u2019t understand how they\u2019re building apartments and condos in Halifax, Bedford, and Sackville,\u201d he said. \u2018We have to find ways to build houses faster.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>ADVERTISEMENT:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;92&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;25&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samson said they\u2019re looking for more partnerships with the private sector.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cGovernment can\u2019t do it all,\u201d he said. \u201cWe need to partner with someone for housing.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The Fall River office has had some changeover in staffing as well.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samson introduced his new staff at the Fall River office. Pete Day and Sylvie Doucet have joined the office full time, while Duncan Robertson left for another job; and Norm Doucet and Derek Hawes both retired.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cChanges have been positive, and the transition has been good,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>ADVERTISEMENT:<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate group=&#8221;7&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samson spoke of an update on the Fall River Turf Field Project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cIt takes time especially when you have to bring different levels of government together,\u201d said Samson. \u2018They all have to align. It\u2019s one thing to come together, but it\u2019s something else to come together and prioritize the same project.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Samson agreed they have been talking about the Turf Field project for the last two years, with the main holdup being a land issue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI think we\u2019re in a good position now,\u201d he said. \u201cMy understanding is that HRM has made some gestures in a positive way and the province has had serious discussions about prioritizing it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI have had discussions that if it lands in Ottawa we will support it financially.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>He said they\u2019re now in processes, which is like connecting the dots.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>\u201cI\u2019m hoping if we speak in the near future I\u2019ll have some good news on it to report,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;105&#8243;]<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;188&#8243;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>[adrotate banner=&#8221;93&#8243;] [adrotate banner=&#8221;115&#8243;] FALL RIVER: The MP for Sackville-Preston-Chezzetcook answered a slew of questions ranging from helping struggling families, to the economy, to assisting small businesses impacted by higher costs, addressing poverty in the riding, and the Turf Field Project. Darrell Samson sat down at his Fall River office in January to speak with [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":17450,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[12,957],"tags":[10,93,2,4628,1715,1637,121,116,94,48,836,4629,627,4630],"class_list":["post-34327","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured","category-news","tag-beaver-bank","tag-darrell-samson","tag-fall-river","tag-federal-givernment","tag-healthcare","tag-housing","tag-hrm","tag-justin-trudeau","tag-liberals","tag-n-s","tag-ottawa","tag-poverty","tag-sackville-preston-chezzetcook","tag-turf-field-project"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34327","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=34327"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/34327\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=34327"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=34327"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/staging-z.thelaker.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=34327"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}