This is billions of dollars, like, there’s no question the initial was a couple billion. That escalated to, I think, close to maybe in the range of $3 billion. But … I’m not looking to do anything cheap. This isn’t about how can we do it cheaper. This is about how can we do it better. How can we do it quicker. And that’s the focus of Nova Scotians. They know it’s going to cost money. It’s going to cost a lot of money, there’s no question about that.
That’s why we’ve offered virtual care to everyone on that list as the pilot. We’ll expand that pilot now. But hundreds of people every single day are getting what they need. Virtual care is not for everything, of course, but it is for a lot of things. I think when you look at some of the clinic structures around the province that we’re opening up in conjunction with some of the pharmacies, the Mobile Health Care Clinic — great, great reviews on that.
Very specifically, I’m in Pictou County today. I remember being on site for the opening of Coady’s Place there. That’s an initiative, a partnership with the province, so we invested in that, the federal government and community organizations. That’s a tangible example of investment in affordable housing. Just last week, we announced almost $20 million for investments in affordable housing. So, look, we’re tackling the issues as we see it.
So, investments in affordable housing, but really investments in making sure that houses can get built. That means we need more people working in the workforce. That’s why we have the MOST program , where anyone working in a skilled trade in this province under the age of 30 doesn’t pay any personal provincial income tax on their first $50,000. That’s an innovative program to address what we need in the labour force.
So, right now Nova Scotia Power is there. We’re willing to work with them in any way, shape or form. We want to have a positive relationship with them, but that positive relationship has to be built around reliable energy at a fair price. And that’s where our focus will always be, as are our obligations to the ratepayers.
The infrastructural investment in Mental Health and Addictions among others was fantastic to see. Not to mention consultations on universal mental health and the role of private clinics. mentalhealthishealth