New Brunswick’s economic recovery from COVID-19 was a key part of the premier’s speech to members of the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Moncton.
Speaking at the Crowne Plaza on Monday, Blaine Higgs said rapid growth can also bring along social issues such as drug problems.
But he noted how police have been making some inroads recently.
“We have a special SWAT team that’s actually dealing with drug enforcement and we’ve seen some big busts. Over the last month we’ve had 19 and in the prior month we had three I think. So they are really ramping it up.”
In terms of affordable housing, Higgs said the province is facing a challenge since many new apartments are being built but few are subsidized or are for low income earners.
Higgs believes reducing non-owner occupied property tax rates is a step in the right direction especially as property values jump amid high interest in the province from the rest of Canada.
“So how do we harmonize the path so we don’t have the shock that causes people not to build – but we end up in the same place at the end of the day where the taxes are what they should be and the building is as good as it possibly can be.”
He said improving the health care system remains a priority including reducing wait times for various medical procedures.
He claims progress is being made for mental health and addictions services by recently reducing the wait list by 58 percent.
During the speech, Higgs also announced new health-related investments in the Hub City such as a $10 million provincial public health lab at the Dumont Hospital and a $40 million Obstetrics and Newborn Care facility at The Moncton Hospital.
