For Immediate Release
September 23, 2024
It’s Well-Being Week in the province, and NDP Leader Jim Dinn (St. John’s Centre) is calling on government to deal with the effects of the rising cost of living for people in the province.
“Well-Being Week was announced in 2023, and while the sentiment is good, government continues to ignore the issues that really impact people’s well-being,” said Dinn. “Last year, we called on government to address the social determinants of health, yet we continue to see people struggling to get by as costs for food, heat and housing continue to increase.
Actions speak louder than words, Dinn said, adding that to start addressing well-being, we must address the cracks that people continue to fall through in our province. That is why the NDP Caucus continues to call for:
1. Removal of the provincial portion of HST from all forms of home heating so that people don’t have to worry about going cold with the rising cost of heat;
2. Raising the minimum wage to reflect a living wage and implement a guaranteed basic livable income so that people do not have to work 2 or 3 jobs just to make ends meet;
3. Bring back the tuition freeze so that post-secondary students don’t have to worry about being weighed down by student debt;
4. Following the NL NDP Housing Plan that addresses the housing crisis, including the creation of more community/non-market housing, banning renovictions for REIT property owners, and implementing rent control.
“Well-Being Week should be about more than just rhetoric. It’s time for the government to step up and make real commitments, not just announcements. We have to tackle these issues head-on if we’re serious about improving the well-being of our communities.”
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For further information, contact Stephanie Curran, Media and Communications Officer, NDP Caucus at 330-0328 (o), or stephaniecurran@gov.nl.ca
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