Latest news with #SusanHolt
CTV News
17 hours ago
- Health
- CTV News
N.B. premier says Horizon didn't follow directive to consult with nurses on staffing changes
N.B. Premier Susan Holt says Horizon Health staff positions won't change until employees have their say. New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt says the Horizon Health Network must step up its consultations with nurses, one day after announcing 'a stop' within the health authority on potential changes to mental and public health staffing. 'How do we make public health better? How do we make addictions and mental health better? The people on the front lines have the clearest view to that, and that engagement hasn't happened yet,' said Holt in an interview Friday. On Wednesday, Horizon Health officials met with nurses to discuss what it called 'a transformation' of how public health, mental health and addiction services would be delivered by the health authority. Premier Holt said the provincial government didn't give Horizon officials approval to outline the plan as it did to nurses, calling it 'unexpected.' 'I believe Horizon told registered nurses in public health, mental health, and addictions that they would be replaced by licensed practical nurses over the next one to two years. So, it's that act that is going to stop,' said Holt. 'That plan, to do that full scale replacement, is going to stop.' Horizon didn't respond to a request for comment on Friday. On Thursday, the health authority scheduled a media availability on the topic before it was cancelled an hour beforehand. Horizon later released a statement saying it was 'committed to engaging in ongoing, two-way dialogue with our staff and all relevant stakeholders.' The topic first came to light in the provincial legislature last month, when interim Progressive Conservative Leader Glen Savoie said some nurses had been given ultimatums to either accept new roles or face potential layoffs. Previously, both Premier Holt and Health Minister Dr. John Dornan have said their objective to move some nurses to 'the right place' wouldn't result in layoffs. Paula Doucet, president of the New Brunswick Nurses Union, said Holt's decision to pause the plan was 'the right call.' 'Consultation with stakeholders should've taken place long before Wednesday,' said Doucet. 'You don't take a philosophical idea and try to implement that without meaningful conservation and back-and-forth dialogue.' Susan Holt New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt speaks with reporters in Doaktown. (Source: Nick Moore/CTV News Atlantic) For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTV News
a day ago
- CTV News
New Brunswick Day official celebrations to be held in Doaktown
New Brunswick's provincial flag flies on a flag pole in Ottawa, Monday July 6, 2020. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld The official New Brunswick Day celebrations will take place in Doaktown on Aug. 4 this year. 'New Brunswick Day is our chance to celebrate the very best of our province: our people, our culture and accomplishments,' said Premier Susan Holt. Doaktown is named after the Doak family who emigrated from Ayrshire, Scotland, in the 19th century to the upper Southwest Miramichi River valley. Premier Holt said the village is famous for its hospitality, relaxed pace of life and salmon fishing along the Miramichi River. 'I invite all New Brunswickers to join us by the river to enjoy the hospitality of our residents and take part in family-friendly activities set against the beautiful backdrop of the majestic Miramichi River,' said Doaktown Mayor Arthur O'Donnell. The village is home to two museums: the Doak Provincial Heritage Site and the Atlantic Salmon Museum. The longest suspension footbridge in New Brunswick, the Priceville Footbridge, and the province's oldest covered bridge, the Nelson Hollow Bridge, are also nearby. 'This year, Doak House proudly celebrates its 200th anniversary, a testament to the rich history that defines the Doaktown region,' said Tourism, Heritage and Culture Minister Isabelle Thériault. 'New Brunswick Day provides the perfect opportunity to honour what makes our province truly unique.' The host community for the official New Brunswick Day celebrations can apply for funding of up to $30,000 to support the event, a news release from the province read. More details about the celebrations will be announced in the coming weeks. For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTV News
2 days ago
- Health
- CTV News
N.B. premier pauses plan to move mental, public health nurses to different roles
The New Brunswick nurses union says members fear layoffs amid planned changes at Horizon Health. New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt has paused a plan to change mental and public health staffing within the Horizon Health Network following calls from the nurses' union for clarity and consultations. Holt said she 'asked that there be a stop to these activities until meaningful consultation' were completed in a social media post Thursday afternoon. Holt said she was 'extremely concerned to hear about the potential changes,' one day after a presentation was made to nurses and other Horizon staff. A media availability with Horizon about changes to mental health and public health services was cancelled on Thursday about an hour before it was set to start. Horizon president Margaret Melanson and vice-president of community Natasha Lemieux were scheduled to participate. A statement from Horizon later in the day said it was in the 'early stages' of making changes to mental health and public health, but didn't provide any details. Horizon's statement said it was committed to 'engaging in ongoing, two-way dialogue with our staff and all relevant stakeholders.' New Brunswick Nurses Union president Paula Doucet said the plan's rollout has bungled by Horizon for the past few weeks. 'They've really created a lot of chaos that was unnecessary, had they done meaningful consultations and thoughtfulness around how they were going to roll out this information,' said Doucet in an interview Thursday, just before Holt's announcement of the plan's pause. Doucet said the union has been trying to learn more about the planned changes ever since they were first brought up by the Official Opposition during question period in May. Doucet sent an email to nurses on Wednesday, objecting to what she called Horizon's false suggestion to its membership that the union had given its support for the plan. 'At no point did we endorse a plan, nor see a plan, nor were we consulted,' said Doucet. 'There was no plan document shared with us. There was no back and forth. There were no numbers. It was not a true consultation, absolutely not.' A statement from the Department of Health on Wednesday said Horizon was leading the file, and that the health authority had been directed by the province to be fully transparent with frontline staff. On May 13, Premier Holt said nobody was going to lose their job under any proposed changes, dismissing claims from interim Progressive Conservative Leader Glen Savoie that some nurses had reported being given ultimatums to either accept new roles or face potential layoffs. Susan Holt New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt is pictured speaking with reporters in Fredericton on June 5, 2025. (Nick Moore/CTV Atlantic) For more New Brunswick news, visit our dedicated provincial page.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Health
- Yahoo
Premier orders Horizon to halt changes to nursing roles
Premier Susan Holt has halted a plan by Horizon Health that would have seen registered nurses and other professionals shuffled into new roles in the areas of public health and mental health and addictions. Holt said in a statement on social media that she was "extremely concerned to hear about potential changes" that were presented to Horizon nurses and other staff at two meetings on Wednesday. The health authority's CEO Margaret Melanson had planned to speak to reporters at noon on Thursday about "changes to strengthen Horizon's Public Health and Addiction and Mental Health services." But that availability was abruptly cancelled with an hour's notice. In her statement, the premier said she and her ministers "have asked that there be a stop to these activities until meaningful consultation is done" with front-line staff. Speaking to CBC News before Holt posted her comments, New Brunswick Nurses Union president Paula Doucet said the two Wednesday meetings were billed as being about "transformational" changes to community care. But the presentations "left more questions than answers," Doucet said. She also said there was information that was "not accurate" about what rights employees had under their union contracts, and about how much the union had been consulted. "I felt very much slighted and disappointed with the misrepresentation of information yesterday, giving the idea that NBNU was part of a consultation process and that we supported this plan," she said. "In reality, we weren't consulted and, number 2, we've not seen any plan." The Holt government has delivered mixed messages on the issue since the opposition first raised it in the legislature last May. The premier accused Opposition Leader Glen Savoie of "fear mongering" when he asked questions about public health nurses being moved into other roles and replaced by licensed practical nurses. Holt promised to consult nurses and their unions, telling Savoie, "We are not doing anything without them." But she also acknowledged that there would be movement. "Change is hard and I can't tell everyone we're going to keep the system as it is, with everyone in exactly the same jobs, because we do not want exactly the same results," she said May 14. Health Minister John Dornan said at another announcement Thursday that officials were looking at how to deliver better care with "a better skill mix group." That could involve the movement of registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, social workers and nurse practitioners, he said — but only after consultation. "We need to speak to the front-line people. Yes, there will be movement in our health-care system. Yes, we will do that after appropriate consultation." He gave no indication the government would be putting a stop to Horizon's plan within the hour. Following Holt's statement, Melanson issued her own statement saying Horizon was in "the early stages of a transformation" to improve public health and addiction and mental health services. "We remain committed to engaging in ongoing, two-way dialogue with our staff and all relevant stakeholders. This transformation will not happen overnight, and it will not happen without the voices of our teams at the table," the statement said. PC Opposition health critic Bill Hogan said he's heard from nurses working in public health who were upset after being told they were being moved and would be replaced by licensed practical nurses. He said Holt's statement was "kind of like on-again, off-again" with no clear indication if changes would happen or not. "I think it's unfortunate they've taken something and made a mess out of it," he said.
Hamilton Spectator
2 days ago
- Hamilton Spectator
N.B. sees tourist uptick as premier champions local adventures
Tourism heats up as Susan Holt highlights community pride and natural beauty on Meduxnekeag River On Monday, June 23, New Brunswick Premier Susan Holt took time out of her busy schedule to join the Woodstock Paddling Club for a row on the Meduxnekeag River. 'You could just see the positive energy of the paddlers, and what a beautiful place to do it. Under the bridges, right in the heart of Woodstock. It's really impressive what the community has built here so quickly,' said Holt. The dragon boat festivals around New Brunswick have been one of the leading tourist attractions in the province, bringing people from out of town and out of province to see the decorated boats race. Tourism visits and bookings in New Brunswick are higher than usual this year. Holt says she is thrilled that there are more bookings than usual this time of year. 'We hope that that's both New Brunswickers who are realizing how much there is to discover in their backyard, but also our neighbours in Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario and Maine and further afield in the U.S. and Canada, coming to realize how special New Brunswick is,' said Holt. A leading reason for this increase is the anti-U.S. travel sentiment. Holt said she and her family will enjoy what New Brunswick offers during her free time. 'My kids love Bathurst, so we'll be headed up to Yahal Beach. And getting out on the water somewhere and enjoying New Brunswick's beautiful, beautiful nature,' said Holt. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
