Cabinet Post Takes Rushton Far and Wide
It was a busy month for Cumberland South MLA Tory Rushton, also the Minister for Natural Resources, with raging wildfires, displaced Nova Scotians, and to top it off, an international fund-raising concert in Halifax that raised $330-thousand for wildfire victims.
A regular guest on Six Rivers Morning Talk each Wednesday, Rushton said the concert was a great opportunity to meet with the front-line workers who had stepped up to fight the fires over these past few weeks, and to meet some of the evacuees as they felt the support of the people across the province.
Radio host Bill Martin brought a matter of highway conditions to the attention of the Minister, spurred by a call from an unlikely source: the uncle and former campaign manager for Cumberland North MLA Elizabeth Smith-McCrossin.
Martin says over the course of an hour-long conversation, Cecil Smith said that sitting as an independent, with broken ties to the governing party, Smith-McCrossin can’t “get it done” when it comes to pushing the provincial government.
Of specific concern was the condition of Route 6 from Amherst to Pugwash, a major transport route for residents as well as tourists.
Rushton says there is only so much money to go around, and it’s a tough battle — it’s not as easy as a snap of the fingers.
The Minister noted that in his own riding there are more kilometres of roadway than any other constituency in the province, making specific mention of Hansford Road, the Wentworth-Collingwood Road, and the roads leading past Big Lake as being in particular need of attention.
Rushton, who represents Cumberland South, says every MLA has an opportunity to meet with the Department of Engineering staff and advocate for paving needs in their constituency.
He notes that while his priority is his own riding in that regard, as a cabinet minister he feels the responsibility to represent all Nova Scotians. In the end, he says “we have to work together and collaborate” to serve the needs of our constituents.
Monday’s radio guest will be Premier Tim Houston who appears on the third Monday of each month. Listen about 9:45.
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