Lake Cautiously Optimistic on Most Financial Moves

TRURO –  The Truro & Colchester Chamber of Commerce says the spring budget decision to reduce the size of the provincial civil service is a good start.

“Finance Minister Diana Whalen’s promise to reduce the provincial payroll by more than 3 per cent is something the private sector has been calling for,” says Chamber President Andrew Lake.  “The devil will be in the details, but if this contributes to stabilizing taxes in the years ahead, it’s hard to argue against it.”

The provincial budget also proposes a health care spending increase of 0.8 per cent, which Lake points out is the smallest increase in about 10 years.   Mr. Lake also wants to hear more about the budget’s promise to bring in multi-year and predictable health care funding.

Other highlights sounding a positive note with the Chamber President are the promise to reduce government red tape and to recruit and train more doctors for areas outside of Halifax.

Mr. Lake says today’s provincial budget is complicated, given that Nova Scotia taxpayers fork out 9.9 billion dollars a year to cover provincial government services.  He expects the Chamber Board to examine more details in the days ahead before meeting with various political leaders to ask spending questions pertaining to the Truro-Colchester Region.