What Do They Think About Sport?

Sport Nova Scotia asked representatives from the three major parties three questions regarding sport issues during the provincial election campaign.

Q1. Across Nova Scotia there is a pervasive lack of facilities that meet local needs. In turn, this prevents many Nova Scotians from leading healthy and active lives. Does you party support the continuation of the Building Facilities and Infrastructure Together program beyond the end date of 2017 and the current projected investment of $68 million?

Q2. Currently, coaches and officials, who are often volunteers, incur significant expenses for training and certification. Will your party support the extension of an individual tax credit for physical activities to coaches and officials to help offset these expenses?

Q3. How will your party work with the federal government to ensure Ottawa’s continued operation of a dedicated fund for sport and recreation infrastructure in order to address the severe deficit of facilities that exists in Nova Scotia?

Paul Henderson PC Candidate Halifax - Fairview

1. Across Nova Scotia there is a pervasive lack of facilities that meet local needs. In turn, this prevents many Nova Scotians from leading healthy and active lives. Does you party support the continuation of the Building Facilities and Infrastructure Together (B-FIT) program beyond the end date of 2017 and the current projected investment of $68 million?

The PC Government is proud to have increased funding to Sport Nova Scotia by 300 per cent since 2006. Sport not only improves the physical health of adults and children who participate, but it enhances the social vibrance of our community. For children, sport and other recreational activities can help build confidence so that they can become the successful leaders of tomorrow. Our investments in promoting healthy and active lives offers a very positive return to our province.

Our government was the first - and remains one of only a few provinces - to create a department dedicated to leading the collaborative effort to promote and protect health, prevent illness and injury, and reduce disparities in health status. In addition, we have invested a great deal in healthy living infrastructure. Examples include:

• Fulfilled the 2006 commitment to create 500 km of new trails and have signed a memorandum of understanding to expand the trail system by another 500 km to make it the province most connected by trails.

• Invested in the 2009 ICF World Senior Canoe Championships in Dartmouth which will help Nova Scotia canoe kayak athletes for years to come.

• Boosted healthy living through the $2 million rink revitalization program - assisting 74 community rinks.

• Injected $15 million to update two ski hills and 11 other sport venues to prepare for the 2011 Canada Winter Games.

• Directed funding to a program for Nova Scotians who face barriers to participate in recreation through the Recreation for Accessible Leisure Lifestyles, or Recreation for ALL.

Last year, we announced our 10-year, $50-million commitment to finance the construction of significant sport and recreation facilities. Through our Building Facilities and Infrastructure Together -- or B-FIT -- program, we are helping communities with projects like:

• - Kings Mutual Century Centre, Berwick;
• - Brigadoon Village - a camp for chronically ill children, Aylesford Lake.
• - Windsor Curling Club;
• - Northside Community Civic Centre Society;
• - the YMCA Dartmouth Centre;
• - a new health recreation complex in Cape Breton, along with funding for Renwick Park and Ski Ben Eoin;
• - the Trenton Minor Sports Community Centre;
• - the Canso and Area Arena;
• - Multipurpose Facility in the Truro/Colchester County Area;
• - Pictou County Wellness Centre; and
• - the new recreational facility in Queens.

This year, we will increase funding to the B-FIT program to $7 million annually, an additional $2-million investment which equates to an investment of $68 million over 10 years to promote the health and wellness of Nova Scotians. This is, in fact, Nova Scotia’s largest commitment to sport and recreation infrastructure in our province’s history.

Of course, in addition to B-FIT, we continue to support facilities through our recreational facility development grant program - making up to $150,000 available for improvements to existing facilties. There were 80 projects approved this year for a total $1.8 million investment. This is, obviously, an investment worth continuing well beyond the next decade and fits with our government’s priority of making Nova Scotians healthier - a goal which does not have an expiry date.

Combined, these are significant efforts to create more and better opportunities for Nova Scotians to participate more fully in healthy activities.

2. Currently, coaches and officials, who are often volunteers, incur significant expenses for training and certification. Will your party support the extension of an individual tax credit for physical activities to coaches and officials to help offset these expenses?

Our party is grateful for the countless hours of Nova Scotians who offer their time and talent in positions such as coaches and officials. These individuals, especially with our youth, often become mentors and help teach while offering their expertise to the game.Our government was pleased to introduce a Healthy Living Tax Credit of up to $500 per child to help with the cost of registering children and youth in sport or recreation activities. Last year, we unveiled our intention to extend the healthy living tax credit to all Nova Scotians by January of 2009. Unfortunately, the global economic recession created serious budget pressures for 2009-10 and had to defer the extension of this tax measure. The tax credit for children's sport and recreation fees continues however, with up to $500 available for eligible expenses.

In our Platform we commit to lift the deferral of the expansion of the $500 Healthy Tax Credit for adults once feasible. You can learn more about the Progressive Conservative campaign platform by visiting www.pcparty.ns.ca.

I appreciate the suggestion you make in this question, but it simply is not feasible to add further to our budget commitments.

3. How will your party work with the federal government to ensure Ottawa's continued operation of a dedicated fund for sport and recreation infrastructure in order to address the severe deficit of facilities that exists in Nova Scotia?

Our Government is ensuring that municipalities are able to take advantage of stimulus funding, and will provide $28 million over two years so they can match federal funds for capital grants. As a result, the three levels of government will provide new capital grants of $84 million for much needed infrastructure projects and jobs.

More to the point of your question, the PC Party of Nova Scotia has a record of working with the Federal Government in a fair and open manner to the benefit of all who live in this province. It is that approach that will guide future discussions with the Federal Government to ensure that it continues to fund sport and recreation infrastructure. This is not only good policy socially, but economically it will help reduce the strain on our healthcare system and the cost burden that this places on all Nova Scotians.

In order to accomplish that, the infrastructure must exist today so that Nova Scotians have access to facilities to improve their levels of physical activity. A PC Government believes that the public sector must provide leadership and support to the many people and organizations that strive to improve the health of Nova Scotians. Investing in recreational infrastructure is one way to achieve this, and we believe that the Federal Government has a role to play, as does the Provincial Government.

Gerry Walsh Liberal Candidate Halifax Citadel - Sable Island

1. Across Nova Scotia there is a pervasive lack of facilities that meet local needs.  In turn, this prevents many Nova Scotians from leading healthy and active lives.  Does your party support the continuation of the Building Facilities and Infrastructure Together program beyond the end date of 2017 and the current projected investment of $68 million?

The Liberal Party believes that an expenditure of $7 million per year on recreation infrastructure is an excellent investment for the people of Nova Scotia. We have also stated throughout the course of this campaign that we would honour agreements and commitments previously made.  The B-Fit program is certainly one of them.  I would be remiss if I did not acknowledge that the single biggest risk to government programs such as the B-Fit program is the NDP’s dismissive silence on their $73.5 million expenditure reduction program.

2. Currently, coaches and officials, who are often volunteers, incur significant expenses for training and certification. Will your party support the extension of an individual tax credit for physical activities to coaches and officials to help offset these expenses?

The Liberal party is prepared to consider this request and would be pleased to sit down with Sport Nova Scotia to discuss this issue further. However, we see as a priority, the re-implementation of Healthy Living Tax Credit for adults which was cancelled by the Conservatives in the 2009/2010 budget.

3. How will your party work with the federal government to ensure Ottawa’s continued operation of a dedicated fund for sport and recreation infrastructure in order to address the severe deficit of facilities that exists in Nova Scotia?

In the 2009 Federal budget, a 2-year $500 million national fund was created to support recreation infrastructure. Nova Scotia’s share of this fund would be approximately $15 million over two years. In an ideal world, government would have a plan as to how Nova Scotia would best leverage all infrastructure monies, including this national fund for recreational infrastructure. Sadly in Nova Scotia, this is not the case.

Recognizing that sport and recreation provides positive benefits for many government departments, it is time for a provincial government to approach the federal government with its own provincial dollar commitment  and a plan which crosses several departments, not just one. We need to do a better job of breaking down the silos that exist between government departments. The Liberal plan commits to an investment in an all-ages physical activity framework which will enable us to develop a concrete plan amongst all of our stakeholders, including municipalities, which we can then take to Ottawa. This plan will benefit everyone and will assist Nova Scotia greatly when approaching Ottawa for the need for a dedicated fund for sport and recreation. Without a plan, Nova Scotia will not succeed. With a plan, your chance of success becomes much greater.

Dave Wilson NDP Candidate Sackville - Cobequid

1. Across Nova Scotia there is a pervasive lack of facilities that meet local needs. In turn, this prevents many Nova Scotians from leading healthy and active lives. Does you party support the continuation of the Building Facilities and Infrastructure Together program beyond the end date of 2017 and the current projected investment of $68 million?

There’s no way of knowing who will be in government, or the Legislature, in 2017. That is a long time away by any measure.

The NDP supports continued opportunities for recreation and sport across the province. The fiscal situation of the provincial government has deteriorated significantly in recent months – we will now unquestionably be facing a Rodney MacDonald deficit of at least a quarter of a billion dollars, with an increase in the provincial debt because of this. This will increase debt‐servicing costs, and therefore further reduce the amount available to fund priority programs in government – including those for health promotion, sport and recreation.

The Province of Nova Scotia has operated with a capital budget that is contained within the annual operations budget, unlike some other provinces. In other jurisdictions, there is a separate capital budget that is presented well in advance of the annual provincial budget, in order to allow for planning, tendering and other pre‐construction work to be completed.

The first step that must be taken, before committing to any additional capital spending that would come more than 8 years from now, is to assess the true state of the province’s books through an independent audit. This will determine the capacity of the province to fund needed programs and services, and to undertake long‐term capital commitments to communities beyond those made to date.

The NDP will maintain the commitments made to communities by the current government, where they are verifiable through some form of intergovernmental or organizational agreement.

2. Currently, coaches and officials, who are often volunteers, incur significant expenses for training and certification. Will your party support the extension of an individual tax credit for physical activities to coaches and officials to help offset these expenses?

The Healthy Living Tax Credit (for up to $500 in registration fees), is currently available to children; there is a similar credit at the federal level. This credit was planned for extension to adults in 2009, but delayed due to the fiscal position of the province.

The NDP recognizes the great contributions made by coaches, officials and other volunteers who are essential to ensuring that children have access to a high quality experience that sets them up for future success and good physical health.

The Department of Finance is engaged in a comprehensive tax policy review. This review will assess all current tax structures, credits and rebates available to individuals and organizations, and provide recommendations to the government for future action. The NDP looks forward to receiving the results of this review and analyzing its findings.

The first step that must be taken, before committing to any new expenditures or programs beyond those outlined in the NDP’s Better Deal 2009, is an independent audit of the province’s books.

3. How will your party work with the federal government to ensure Ottawa’s continued operation of a dedicated fund for sport and recreation infrastructure in order to address the severe deficit of facilities that exists in Nova Scotia?

Nova Scotia and the Federal Government share a number of priorities for infrastructure investment.

For example, on April 30 the two governments announced a substantial set of capital investments in communities, post‐secondary institutions, secondary roads and the Atlantic Gateway.

There are a number of different programs under the Building Canada Fund that Nova Scotia can access, including those for the stimulus fund where projects must be completed by 2011.

The NDP will work with the federal government, leveraging the work of Nova Scotia’s Office in Ottawa to ensure Nova Scotia receives infrastructure funding that will benefit communities; including those planned for the 2011 Canada Games.