Nova Scotia increases pay for continuing care assistants

Nova Scotia is increasing pay for continuing care assistants in a move that will make them the highest paid in Atlantic Canada.

Premier Tim Houston made the announcement during Wednesday's COVID-19 briefing, saying the province is investing $65 million in health authorities, long-term care and home care to increase pay for CCAs.

This will bump wages for unionized and non-unionized CCAs at all levels in the publicly funded sector by roughly 23 percent, effective Thursday.

Houston made a plea to those who left the profession because they felt undervalued.

“Please come back,” he said. “We need you now more than ever. We want you, we need you, we value you and we respect you. If we can get people to return to the industry, it will have an incredibly positive impact and help with capacity issues.”

Houston said one necessary step to increasing capacity in the health care system is working with the long-term care sector to open more beds as quickly as possible.

But he said they don't have the staff to open those beds as the continuing care sector is facing serious recruitment and retention issues.

Meantime, NDP Leader Gary Burrill released a statement, saying it is a good start to improving the situations of both workers and residents of long-term care.

But he added there are other workers in the sector who also need wages that reflect the importance of their work.