On April 4 I rose in the provincial legislature, and gave the following members statement: Speaker, as we debate whatever it is we are debating today legislation - there is a much more important debate going on. It’s not really a debate, but a competition and that is the SEDMHA hockey tournament. It starts today. I want to wish, in particular, all the teams from the Dartmouth Whalers an excellent tournament. I wanted to take this time to do my annual thank you to the Dartmouth Whalers Hockey Association and all hockey associations in the province. I know we all have our particular ones that we cheer for. I have to say that I spent a lot of time in East Hants this year and Eastern Shore, and usually came out victorious, so that’s fine. In particular, I want to thank the U-13 Sea Orcas coaches and parents, volunteers Neil Fisher, Brian Cormier, Jason Murphy, Katy Mattatall, and Moira Fisher, and the U-11 Huskies: Jean David Paradis, Joe Triff, John Joyce Robinson and Maya Belanger. Thank you to all those parents and volunteers who make hockey so fun for our kids.
Fixed-Term Lease Protest
On April 4 I gave the following members statement in the Nova Scotia Legislature:
On March 7th, tenants gathered for an ACORN rally calling on this government to ban landlords from only using fixed-term leases. As I’m sure we all know, fixed-term leases end on a predetermined date. They circumvent the need for a landlord to have a good reason to evict someone, and they provide a way to get around the temporary rent caps. One of the tenants present at this ACORN demonstration was Dartmouth North constituent Margaret Anne McHugh, a senior who herself has a fixed term lease. Margaret Annetold Global News that she and other tenants in her building on fixed-term leases were living in fear. As a senior, Margaret Anne is on a fixed income, and worries that she, her partner, and her fellow senior neighbours could be thrown out and replaced by someone who can pay more rent. Then where would they go that they could afford? That this could and does often happen is a failure of the system. All of us in this Chamber must heed the calls of constituents like Margaret Ann McHugh and make the needed changes to end the fixed term lease loophole.
Pressing the Minister about accessing primary care
On April 4, 2024 I asked the Minister of Health and Wellness about people’s troubles accessing primary health care in Nova Scotia:
SUSAN LEBLANC: Our offices hear regularly from people who are struggling to have their needs met without attachment to primary care. One told us, “I live with some chronic ailments, and I have no support to properly manage them. My partner is in a similar position. I have three children, and there are many things I would like to have support with from a primary care provider.” Another person said, “Both of us have multiple disabilities. My spouse’s health needs constant monitoring. We have no continuity of care, and it is stressful.” My question to the Minister of Health and Wellness is: Can the minister assure these and all 160,000 Nova Scotians on the Need a Family Practice wait-list that they will have attachment to a primary caregiver?
HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: I do want to assure folks who are on the Need a Family Practice Registry that one of the most important things and options available is to update their health information. Recently, as a result, people living with chronic conditions such as diabetes have actually been attached to a clinic to support their health care needs. Also, they’ve been scanning for people who have time-limited conditions such as pregnancy to make sure that people have access to the care they need. There are a number of ways in which people can access, and it also speaks to the necessary and important step of making sure that every individual in Nova Scotia has access to their health care records to ensure continuity of care.
SUSAN LEBLANC: Not sure how those two things line up, but let’s go on to the next question. Another person told us: “I can utilize services like Maple for refills, but no one is consistent. When my mental health is worse, I don’t have anyone to provide support and help change my meds if needed.” Another said: My 77-year-old father has been without a family doctor for several years now and has been waiting the whole time. He’s getting his prescriptions refilled by phone appointments but has had several health issues that need a primary care doctor as a main point of contact. He’s dealing with prostate cancer, high blood pressure, joint issues, and all the things that go hand in hand with getting old, all without a family doctor. Are these the people whom this government thinks are managing just fine with virtual care?
MICHELLE THOMPSON: Again, I go back to how important it is for individuals to work either through 811 or online in order to update their information. We know that there are people who do require complex care. In some cases, that can be handled through a pharmacy, as an example - cardiovascular health, there’s some diabetic care that can happen through there. There are a number of different avenues. We are looking at attaching people to a family practice. A family physician is very important, but there are other primary care providers who can support people in a healthhome environment. I would encourage people to make sure their information is updated on the Need a Family Practice Registry, and also to look at other avenues in which they can get support. We are scanning that Need a Family Practice Registry on a regular basis to look for people with chronic conditions and attach them to appropriate chronic care.
Asking the Minister of Health About Nova Scotians' Personal Health Information
SUSAN LEBLANC: Late last night, under the cover of darkness, government members discussed at length the mounting concerns about this government’s proposed new approach to the disclosure of personal health information, which physicians have warned will fundamentally change the nature of the patient-doctor relationship and potentially break people’s trust in their physicians by allowing unrestricted disclosure of deeply private information. Can the Minister of Health and Wellness explain: What is so important that requires this government to play with fire with our personal information?
HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: As I said yesterday, there are already requirements in place for the Minister of Health and Wellness that that individual has to meet under the Personal Health Information Act already. This is about getting information in the hands of Nova Scotians so that they can have their record in their hands and they can navigate the health care system. We have seen this be hugely successful in other jurisdictions. We have a responsibility to manage the health care system. We receive aggregate data from our hospitals, from our clinics, from all over, but we don’t have aggregate data from our primary care. That’s what this is about: managing a system, managing it well, managing it appropriately, and giving people access to their patient records.
SUSAN LEBLANC: The government has indicated that these changes are needed to advance the work of the YourHealthNS app - has anyone heard of that app, by the way? - which in part is being run by an Ontario-based company that was awarded this work in an untendered $50 million five-year contract last year. It’s recently come to light that this company has been facing financial challenges and was recently acquired by an investment firm. Last week in Estimates, I asked the minister about the sale and was told by the minister that the contract would be assumed by the buyer. Can the minister confirm: Has anyone from the department been in contact with the new owner of people’s private health information, and what does all this mean for Nova Scotia’s health data?
MICHELLE THOMPSON: I want to assure Nova Scotians that we are absolutely in compliance with all of the privacy laws that are in place. We want people to have access to their health records. We want people to be able to be their advocates in the health care system. People are saying, as we hear all the time from the feedback on the app, We want more. We want to know where our records are. We want to know what our bloodwork says. We want to know about our diagnostic imaging. People are asking for this information. Through this legislation and through the work that is happening with the Nova Scotia Health Authority and the individuals who are responsible for privacy to support us in granting that request, there is nothing to fear for Nova Scotians.
Sébastien Labelle Bus Stop Theatre
On March 27 I rose in the Nova Scotia Legislature to give the following members statement:
On this World Theatre Day, I rise today to honour Dartmouth North resident and all-around amazing person Sébastien Labelle as he prepares to leave his position as executive director of the Bus Stop Theatre Co-op. Sébastien started as executive director of this vital and vibrant art space in 2016. Under his stewardship, the co-op has purchased the building it is housed within and seen the theatre and lobby space through a major renovation and improvement. The space is now much more physically accessible and has an extra space in the basement which is used for smaller performances, workshops, and community events. He did all of this through a pandemic in which the world saw theatres close for extended periods of time and income from and for the arts dry up. As executive director, Sebastien has helped lead the member-run Bus Stop Theatre to be a truly open and available space - a place where diverse and Indigenous North End artists feel ownership and pride for the space. It’s a place where everyone, artists and audience alike, can feel safe. Sébastien’s legacy is an organization that’s viable and strong and a building that is sound and beautiful. The word on the street is that he’s doing this to spend more time with his family, but we will see about that. I ask all members to join me in thanking Sébastien Labelle for his contribution to the Bus Stop Theatre and in wishing him well in whatever comes next.
Question Period: 156,000+ on the doctor waitlist. Why is gov dismissing them?
My exchange with Health Minister Michelle Thompson about the Need a Family Practice wait list:
Last week, the Premier said: “There are different reasons people are on the list. Some actually have a doctor, but they don’t like their doctor, or they’re worried the doctor might retire, but they have access to care.” I can table that. I find this puzzling. The government actually publicly reports people’s reasons for joining the Need a Family Practice wait-list, which I will table: 54,708 are on the list because they’re new to the area; 15,672 have not needed a provider until now; 39,060 say their provider closed their practice; 31,092 said their provider had retired; and 15,256 say their provider is retiring. None of these are what the Premier said. My question is: Why is this government trying to detract from the very real experience and anxiety of the thousands of Nova Scotians without attachment to primary care?
HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: We do continue to use the Need a Family Practice registry as one of the indicators that is important, but it’s not the only one. We do have to look at the accessibility of health care. People languished on that list for a long time before we formed government, and there was no other access point for them, other than waiting at the emergency department. We have created 60,000 new appointments per month - that’s 720,000 per year - in order for people to access health care. We are working with the list. We understand who’s on that list. We are finding different pathways for individuals who have a variety of different concerns, and we will continue to attach and provide access to people in Nova Scotia.
SUSAN LEBLANC: Also last week, the Premier told us that only some Nova Scotians need a family doctor or nurse practitioner, and that for others, virtual is working just fine. I just tabled that. These certainly aren’t the people we speak to, who without attachment to care live in constant fear of getting sick: people with young children; people who need controlled medications prescribed or titrated; people with complex health needs. Can the minister tell the 156,000 people who are waiting which one of them doesn’t need a doctor?
MICHELLE THOMPSON: It is very important that if individuals are on that list, they do update their information. Recently, we’ve been able to attach 13,000 people. Some of those people were pregnant, for example. We know they have a time-sensitive condition that requires them to be attached to a primary care provider. We were able to attach a number of individuals directly to diabetic education centres. There are other people who can look after complex needs, like our pharmacists who can manage chronic disease, and we’re seeing that through the pilot that we have across the province. There are many ways to access care. We have also given over 10,000 patients access to their information, so that they can be better advocates for themselves in accessing and attaching for health care.
Recognizing Trans Drag Performers
In honour of #TransDayofVisibility I stood in the house on March 26 to recognize Grit and Glitter events and the Trans performers that were part of the Transgender Day of Visibility drag show at the Kings Arms Commons in (correction) *Wolfville* that weekend. Here’s what I said:
Madame Speaker, to do drag has always required both a lot of glitter and a lot of grit. This is especially true for the trans drag performers who are putting themselves and their art out there amidst current anti-trans and anti-drag rhetoric, organizing, and policies. This Saturday, the trans-owned Glitter and Grit events will hold a Transgender Day of Visibility drag show at the Kings Arms *Commons in Wolfville*. This weekend’s show will spotlight trans performers and trans stories, and the organizers bill it as an opportunity for the public to “support and learn more about the trans community.” This weekend’s performers and organizers are taking centre stage at a time when it is not especially safe or comfortable to do so, and I am grateful to them. This morning, we raised the trans flag outside Province House in recognition of the Transgender Day of Visibility this coming Sunday, March 31st. We in this House owe it to all people putting themselves on the line, and all trans people in the province, to do everything we can to push back against the tide of anti-trans hate and policies and create a Nova Scotia that is truly safe, welcoming, and supportive of the transgender community.
Kerian Burnett MSI Congratulations
I gave the following members statement in the Nova Scotia Legislature on March 22, 2024:
Speaker, Kerian Burnett, a migrant worker from Jamaica, got very good news recently. She finally got her MSI card in the mail. This was the result of a multi-year fight to get health coverage in the wake of her 2022 cervical cancer diagnosis. As a migrant worker in the strawberry fields, Kerian was not eligible for MSI, and her two surgeries cost $81,000. In 2023, Kerian was approved for the Interim Federal Health Program. In January of this year, she was granted a work permit through to July 2025. That work permit made her eligible for MSI. Though Kerian now has medical coverage, many migrant workers do not, as their work permits are not long enough to qualify. Kerian and No One is Illegal, Halifax/Kjipuktuk, which has supported her through her treatment and fight for coverage, are calling on the provincial government to immediately provide migrant workers with MSI coverage when they arrive in Nova Scotia. I congratulate Kerian on receiving her MSI card. I wish her good health, and I stand in solidarity with No One is Illegal and migrant workers, and their call for MSI for all.
Susan Leblanc Asks What will Goverment do to Ensure Measles Vaccine Supply
SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, Chief Medical Officer of Health Dr. Robert Strang recently urged Nova Scotians to check their immunization status, and for many to update their measles vaccination. Now we’re hearing that pharmacies and primary care providers are overwhelmed by demand. There are simply not enough doses of the vaccine. Kari Ellen Graham, a pharmacist in Halifax, has said, “The bottom line is you could try your pharmacy, although most pharmacies are out . . . a lot of doctor’s offices are now out.” How are Nova Scotians supposed to protect themselves and follow the advice of the Chief Medical Officer if there are no shots available?
HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: First of all, I want to clarify and go on the record that there are shots available. There is MMR vaccine in this province. There is no shortage. Because of the demand, the orders that physicians and pharmacists have, they’ve gone through those orders more quickly. It’s simply reaching back out to the BioDepot, explaining that they are out of the vaccine, and ordering more.
SUSAN LEBLANC: It would be great if people could access the vaccine through mobile health units in cases where pharmacies and primary care providers are not a viable option, but according to Nova Scotia Health Authority’s website, many parts of Nova Scotia do not have mobile immunization clinics scheduled until April, and many are not even offering the measles vaccine. Measles cases across Canada are on the rise- we’ve heard this. Nova Scotians should not have to wait several more weeks to access the recommended vaccination. What is this government doing to ensure that all Nova Scotians have access to the vaccinations they need when they need them?
MICHELLE THOMPSON: Nova Scotians have a variety of different ways in which they can access vaccines. They can access them through the mobile clinics, they can access them through primary care providers, they can access them through pharmacists. There are a variety of different ways. There is no shortage. There is high demand, which has caused offices and folks to go through their supply, but there is no shortage of the vaccine. If individuals require more vaccine- whether they have a pharmacy or whether they have an office- they simply need to reach out to the BioDepot and increase their supply.
Honouring Bruce Anderson on his Retirement
On March 22 I rose in Province House to give the following members statement:
I rise today to pay tribute to Dartmouth North resident Bruce Anderson on the occasion of his retirement after nearly 40 years of service at Bedford Institute of Oceanography. Bruce is a third-generation worker at BIO, working as a multi-disciplinary hydrographer. His colleagues describe him as an unfailingly pleasant, welcoming, knowledgeable co-worker who has been silently responsible for so much of what is great about working at their office. He organizes monthly coffees, open houses, retirement parties, pizza parties, and a giant Christmas potluck. He tracks people’s birthdays and special events and provides onboarding for every new employee. He does it all with good grace and humility. know his co-workers are sad to see him leave, but I also know they will wish him a very happy retirement. I ask the whole House to join me in wishing Bruce Anderson a very happy retirement and, wish him all the best in the hopefully less busy years to come.
Ramadan Greeting
The Ramadan greetings I made in the and brought to the Dartmouth Masjid Iftar this past Friday:
The Muslim holy month of Ramadan began on March 11, 2024, with the first sighting of the crescent moon in Saudi Arabia the Sunday prior. Ramadan is a month of fasting, prayer, giving, and coming together as a community, deepening connections to faith and each other. It is a time for spiritual rejuvenation - fitting, as we enter Spring - reflection and growth. I know that during this Ramadan, many of our Muslim brothers, sisters, and siblings will be holding the people of Palestine from all faith backgrounds in their hearts and prayers, and I extend my own prayers in solidarity. On Friday night, I will be attending a Ramadan iftar at the Dartmouth masjid, one of my favourite events of the entire year. I ask this House to join me in extending a wholehearted Ramadan Mubarak to the vibrant Muslim community in Dartmouth North.
Susan Leblanc asks the Minister to address nursing burnout and add locums
SUSAN LEBLANC: Speaker, my question is for the Minister of Health and Wellness. This province spent $126 million last year on travel nurses who work for private agencies. I can table that. Despite this large sum, our nursing shortage is not going away. The Nova Scotia Health Authority continues to have over a thousand nursing vacancies. Too many of our nurses are having to work 24-hour shifts, while others have to work up to six days a week. This is leading to burnout and nurses leaving the line of work. The travel nurse program is making it worse. On top of burnout, local nurses are working next to travel nurses who are making much more money. Why is this government continuing to throw money at private nursing agencies when the perceived solution is clearly not working?
HON. MICHELLE THOMPSON: We know that there is a provincial and national nursing shortage. We have to use travel companies right now. There is no other alternative. It allows us to keep beds open. There has been an underinvestment in nursing education for a number of years, which has resulted in this nursing shortage. We are raising the number of seats. We are recruiting. Our Patient Access to Care Act is bringing people in from all over the country. If we were to walk away from travel nurses, we would have to close beds in this province, which we’re not willing to do. What I can tell the member is that we’re one of the first jurisdictions in Canada to actually limit the use of travel nurses, and we’re anxious to see what that will result in as the time moves on.
SUSAN LEBLANC: Janet Hazelton, the president of the Nova Scotia Nurses’ Union, has presented a clear solution to this government. She would like to see a nurse locum program in place of their reliance on agency nurses. In a committee earlier this week, she said, “It’s very doable. All it’s going to take is for the unions and the employer to sit down and negotiate this. We just have to do it.” I can table that. When asked about such a program, the department said talks have been limited. Will this government listen to what nurses are saying and implement a provincial nurse locum program?
MICHELLE THOMPSON: Moving the same number of people around in a different way in the province is not going to help our nursing shortage. We have done a number of things. We’ve increased the number of seats. PACA - which that member voted against - will bring nurses from all over this country to Nova Scotia, enabling them to work within five days. We are looking at immigration strategies. We have to raise the supply of nurses. We need to train them. We need them to come and move and live and work here. We have a competitive contract. We are an incredible environment to work in. There are a number of things that are happening through the new collective agreement and by the employers to improve conditions for nurses, and I am confident in our ability to address the nursing shortage.
Eviction Applications in Dartmouth North
I gave the following members statement in the Nova Scotia Legislature on March 20 to draw attention to the high number of addiction applications in Dartmouth North: Madame Speaker, on February 27th I co-hosted a tenants’ rights information session with Dalhousie Legal Aid and ACORN at the Dartmouth North Public Library. This was our second well-attended tenants’ rights event since the Summer of 2023. At the event, Dalhousie Legal Aid community legal worker Mark Culligan presented some shocking but not surprising stats about eviction applications in Dartmouth North. After FOIPOPing landlord eviction applications between 2018 and 2021, Dal Legal Aid sorted them by postal code. The B3A region, Dartmouth North, consistently had more eviction applications than any other. In 2018, B3A applications made up approximately 12 per cent of all eviction applications; in 2019, 16 per cent; in 2020, 17 per cent; and in 2021, 12.5 per cent. The next-highest percentages range from 5 to 7 per cent. Unfortunately, there’s no way to tell how many of the evictions went through. In my office, we help many tenants fight unjust evictions, as do Nova Scotia and Dalhousie Legal Aids. These numbers only confirm that this Legislature must do more to protect people in Dartmouth North and across the province from unjust evictions.
Recognizing the Take Action Garden Group
On March 20 I rose in the Nova Scotia legislature and gave the following members statement:
Speaker, I rise today to acknowledge the children and the leaders of the Take Action Society garden group. In 2012, the Take Action Society - a community action group in North End Dartmouth - created a garden from an unused tennis court behind Harbour View Elementary School. The garden includes a teaching greenhouse and an outdoor classroom that can seat up to 150 people. Every year, students grow seeds in their classrooms, which they then transplant into the garden in the Spring. In the Summer months, families and children from the community help care for the garden and share in its harvest. The garden also supplies food directly to the community through its Dirt to Door program and donations to the local food bank. I ask the House to join me in recognizing these amazing young gardeners of the Take Action Society garden group and the Take Action Society as a whole. I cannot wait to see - and taste - what you grow this year.
The Practice Movement Centre in Dartmouth
While the Practice Energy Movement Centre is located in Dartmouth South, one of the co-owners, Laura Kieley, lives in Dartmouth North. Thus, I feel qualified to make this statement. Recently, the Practice, co-owned by Amy Tattrie, was awarded the Canadian Choice Award for Best Yoga Studio in Dartmouth. The Canadian Choice Award recognizes small and medium-sized businesses that are at the heart and soul of this country’s business community. Located along the shore of Lake Banook, the Practice aims to create space for community, movement, and stillness through yoga, cathartic cardio, and meditation. Just over a year ago, members of our very own NDP caucus and staff attended a yoga class at the Practice in support of the YWCA. I ask the House to join me in congratulating Laura, Amy, and the Practice team on receiving this great honour and thank them for keeping Dartmouth and we in the NDP caucus moving and mindful.
Fixing Healthcare Fast Enough?
These are some of the statements I made recently about the state of Healthcare in Nova Scotia at the March 19, 2024 Health Committee meeting:
I have to say that the people who have been waiting for Primary Care who end up getting their Primary Care from a you know a doctor with a text message in Calgary or standing in line for 3 hours at a walking clinic or going to a mobile clinic and hoping to God that they're going to get there in time. It's not good enough and for a government that's been elected to fix healthcare to not be able to say by the next election this is going to be what we've done or this is where we want to be and then you can vote to tell us if you think we did a good job or not. I just find it, I find it unreal actually and I I just like it's not good enough. I know that everyone is working so hard but it feels like to the people who aren't attached or don't have like you know a a when someone feels sick that they make a choice not to contact, not to try to get an appointment because they know they're going to be waiting for hours and hours and hours or whatever. Oh we'll just see how I feel tomorrow. That's not a good state.
Lifespan of A Mattress OutFest
I gave this members statement in the Nova Scotia Legislature on March 18, 2024:
Mx. Speaker OutFest is the largest queer arts festival in Atlantic Canada, and it will take place in Halifax from April 23rd to 28th. OutFest Emerging Stage will feature the inaugural production of Lifespan of a Mattress, written and partially performed by Dartmouth North resident Sara Graham. Sara and the play’s director, Rooks Field-Green, are the co-artistic directors of Think of the Worst Theatre. In Lifespan of a Mattress, Aubrey, played by Sara, is a chronically ill person traversing the medical system and queer relationships while trying to keep their room tidy, all from their very own bed. The play has various mask-mandatory shows between April 24th and 28th to make sure that more people can have a chance to take in that show. Think of the Worst Theatre is also hosting the Crafters Resistance Community Quilting Workshop during this year’s Mayworks Kjipuktuk-Halifax Festival. Throughout April, attendees will work on three quilts, which will represent buildings in Halifax that could be housing. I ask all members of the House to join me in congratulating Sara, Rooks and all involved in OutFest, and thank them for their contributions to art and culture in Nova Scotia.
Dartmouth High Hockey Food Drive
I gave this members statement in the Nova Scotia Legislature on March 18, 2024:
Mx. Speaker, at the end of February, members of the hockey teams at Dartmouth High School collected food throughout Montebello, Keystone, Crichton Park, and central Dartmouth neighbourhoods for their joint food drive. Together the teams gathered over a full pallet of food plus monetary donations that they donated to the Dartmouth Community Fridge, Margaret’s House, and Feed Nova Scotia. Those who donated were entered into draws for prizes from the Zatzman Sportsplex and downtown Dartmouth Stone Pizza. As the Dartmouth High School Spartans hockey wrote on Facebook - and as I have spoken about many times in this Legislature - food insecurity affects many people in our own community of Dartmouth North and throughout Dartmouth. I am always inspired by the youth of Dartmouth North, and I am especially proud of these Dartmouth High students who are doing their part to end food insecurity.
Walter Borden publishes The Last Epistle of Tightrope Time
I gave the following members statement in the Nova Scotia Legislature on March 7:
Speaker, New Glasgow-born Walter Borden is a provincial and national icon of stage and screen. He also occupies the centre of my very first memory of seeing theatre when he toured to my elementary school and performed in the gym in Shad Bay. In 2023, Nimbus Publishing released Borden’s semi-autobiographical play, The Last Epistle of Tightrope Time, which he has been creating over the course of the last 48 years. The play draws upon Borden’s life experiences as a Black gay man and civil rights activist alongside the likes of Rocky and Joan Jones. It is considered one of the first Canadian theatrical productions to delve into male homosexuality from a Black perspective. Excitingly, The Last Epistle of Tightrope Time is the first of three books acquired by Nimbus to be penned by Borden, the next two being a poetry collection called Africadian Mi’kmaq Songs in the Key of the Universal Anthem and a memoir entitled A Word or Two Before I Go. I look forward to learning more about Walter Borden’s life or, as he calls it in The Last Epistle of Tightrope Time, “some itty bitty madness between twilight and dawn.”
Deepwater world premiere from Villains Theatre
I gave the following member statement in the Nova Scotia Legislature on March 7, 2024:
Speaker, I rise today to draw attention to Villians Theatre’s new theatrical production Deepwater, which was written by Dartmouth North resident, Dan Bray, and directed by another Dartmouth North resident, Burgandy Code. The play will make its world premiere at the Bus Stop Theatre in Halifax from March 13th to 17th. Deepwater is an original, dark mystery, which takes place in Hants County, Nova Scotia. Audiences accompany a police inspector as she looks into a seemingly inexplicable tragedy involving a reclusive marine biologist and her young daughter. The play explores the unknowable nature of life and relationships, and the ways that humans and deep sea creatures alike must create our own light in the darkness. @brayowulf is the co-founder and artistic director of Villains Theatre. He is a Merritt Award-nominated and -whinning playwright, and interdisciplinary theatre and visual artist. Burgandy Code, a Merritt nominee and winner herself, is a 37-year veteran of the theatre in Nova Scotia - an actor, director, dramaturge, playwright, and teacher. I am thrilled that both of them have chosen Dartmouth North to call home. I wish them lots of good wishes and broken legs on the opening of Deepwater.