Higgs talks health, affordability in pre-election state of the province speech

Premier Blaine Higgs returned to pocketbook issues Thursday in his final state of the province speech before this year's election, making new promises on health care, addiction services and the cost of living while mostly avoiding the Policy 713 controversy.

Higgs announced his government will dip into its budget surplus again to offer a new round of one-time payments for low–income families.

He also said that, on top of reforms already underway, a new MyHealthNB app will put more information in the hands of patients, from test results and vaccination records to emergency department wait times and diagnostic imaging. 

And he promised a doubling of capacity for addiction treatment for adults, arguing addiction is one of the root causes of the growing housing and homelessness crisis in the province.

The speech, to a crowd of about 850 businesspeople, community leaders and others, made only passing reference to "parents' rights," Higgs's way of describing his changes to Policy 713 on sexual orientation and gender identity in provincial schools.

The annual event is a showcase for premiers, who treat it as a chance to speak directly to New Brunswickers via a local cable-access broadcast of the speech.

HIggs tried to rebut critics who say he's unwilling to spend tax dollars to address pressing needs, pointing out that the construction budget for new schools has increased by 64 per cent since 2021 as enrolments have swelled.

"For anyone who thinks we are not spending money, I beg to differ," he said.

Higgs said he hopes one-time payments of $300 to families with a net income of $70,000 or less — more than 250,000 families, he said — will start going out next month.

It's the second such announcement in three months.

In November, the province said low-income seniors who already receive a $400 benefit would get an additional $200, an increase that will be made permanent in this year's budget. 

And people on social assistance and youth who receive a benefit because they can't live at home will receive an additional $200 per month starting in February.

The new payment will cost $79.5 million, an expense Higgs said was made possible by budget surpluses that have lowered interest payments on the province's accumulated debt.

The emphasis on health care, affordability and housing harkened back to the premier's 2023 state of the province speech, when he focused on core policy issues and the province's strong economic performance, record-breaking population growth and balanced budgets.