Nova Scotia·NewThe Nova Scotia government could be softening on a promised expansion of the Cobequid Community Health Centre in Lower Sackville that was announced almost three years ago.NDP presses government for answersMichael Gorman · CBC News · Posted: Nov 19, 2025 4:03 PM EST | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.The Cobequid Community Health Centre is located in Lower Sackville. (Michael Gorman/CBC)The Nova Scotia government could be softening on a promised expansion of the Cobequid Community Health Centre in Lower Sackville that was announced almost three years ago.The project was part of a massive health-care expansion plan announced by Premier Tim Houston in December 2022.Along with projects such as new beds and emergency departments at various sites around the province, the Cobequid was slated to get its first 36 in-patient beds and the emergency department would be assessed for expansion or replacement.A timeline provided during the announcement three years ago suggested the work could begin in 2025.From left: NDP Leader Claudia Chender, party health critic Rod Wilson, and Sackville-Cobequid MLA Paul Wozney held a news conference near the Cobequid Community Health Centre on Wednesday. (Michael Gorman/CBC)But with little news since then, members of the NDP caucus staged a news conference outside the hospital on Wednesday to draw attention to the lack of information since that initial promise.“This is a government that says that they are a government of action, that says that they have been elected to fix problems — in particular health care — and in this facility behind me, we have seen nothing,” NDP Leader Claudia Chender told reporters.“We have seen no fix and, in fact, things are getting worse.”Sackville-Cobequid MLA Paul Wozney said community members and the people who work at the hospital deserve answers.Government urged to keep promiseLower Sackville has grown exponentially in the last 15 years and visits to the Cobequid have climbed with it. It’s not uncommon for patients to travel from Halifax, Dartmouth, Windsor or elsewhere to seek services, adding strain to a site that does not have a 24-hour emergency department and must sometimes turn away patients.Earlier this month, Wozney drew attention to a day at the Cobequid where patients had to wait more than 70 hours for services due to overcrowding at the site. The situation prompted one doctor to contact Wozney, who in turn reached out to Health Minister Michelle Thompson on Nov. 5 about the situation.On Wednesday, Wozney told reporters he’s still waiting to hear back from the minister.“Tim Houston and Michelle Thompson need to keep their promise to fix health care and provide the people of Sackville with the peace of mind that they deserve.”Still assessing community needWhether that promise will be kept — or if it will even be the same — remains to be seen.An initial statement from the Health Department touted the government’s track record on health care but provided no status update for the Cobequid expansion.Pressed for further details, a Health Department spokesperson provided a followup statement that suggests nothing final has been decided.“Through the master planning process, we will gain a better understanding of the needs of the community and when we have that information work may begin at Cobequid Community Health Centre.”MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORMichael Gorman covers the Nova Scotia legislature for CBC, with additional focuses on health care and rural communities. Contact him with story ideas at michael.gorman@cbc.ca
Promised expansion of Cobequid Community Health Centre up in the air
