Nova Scotia to spend $1.7 million to attract and retain continuing care assistants

N.S. hiring health-care recruiters Nova Scotia is hiring six recruiters to help fill 2,000 staffing vacancies in long-term care. Jonathan MacInnis reports.

HALIFAX — Nova Scotia’s government is spending $1.7 million to recruit and train more continuing care assistants and other long-term care workers.

In a release issued Monday morning, the province’s Department of Seniors and Long-term Care announced that more than $600,000 of the funding will be used to hire recruiters that will provide human resources support to long-term care facilities and home-care agencies throughout the province.

"To provide Nova Scotians with the support and care they deserve as they age, we need a skilled workforce and facilities and agencies with the right staffing," said Barbara Adams, Minister of Seniors and Long-Term Care. "We're investing in supports to help the continuing care sector hire the staff it needs and help health care staff who work in the sector further develop their skills to improve the care of our loved ones."

The province will also spend $360,000 to create a skills development fund to help staff such as continuing care assistants, and another $360,000 to create an innovation fund that will help long-term care facilities find solutions to issues preventing potential new employees from accepting a job, including moving costs, transportation, housing and tuition for training.

"Individuals who want to build a career taking care of our seniors are special, caring people and there are jobs waiting for them as soon as they complete their training,” says Jill Balser, Minister of Labour, Skills and Immigration. “Continuing care is a specialty field that offers a challenging and rewarding career path for those who wish to make a positive impact on the lives of the community members they care for and their families. We need to recruit and retain more health care professionals, including locally and internationally, and we look forward to supporting and welcoming them here in Nova Scotia."

The province says Health Association Nova Scotia will hire the recruiters and administer the two funds.

Bill Vangorder, spokesperson for the Canadian Association of Retired Persons (CARP), says he is glad to see help is on the horizon.

"Finally, we're getting some direct action, some direct, not just promises, but some specifics that can be tracked and measured," said Vangorder.

The leader of Nova Scotia's NDP is also applauding the investment, but says government is still avoiding the main issue of wages.

"You can't expect people to go into this very important, very demanding work for $14, $16, $18 an hour," said Gary Burrill, Nova Scotia NDP leader. "They have to be paid a living wage that reflects the value of the work."

According to Adams, wages is something the province is also looking in to.

"We are certainly meeting to discuss all of those options right now. Actually, we leave here today, that’s exactly what we’re going to be doing," said Adams.