A new family practice clinic has opened in Eastern Passage, N.S., as the province works to not only recruit doctors, but retain them as well. Eastern Passage Family Practice officially opened on Dec. 4 and currently has two nurse practitioners. 

NDP Leader Claudia Chender said she left a Tuesday meeting with Health Minister Michelle Thompson with serious questions about the government’s commitment to connect Nova Scotians with primary care providers. 

All three Maritime provinces consistently grapple with lengthy healthcare wait times, but they are a stark contrast to the national average. Nova Scotia leads the country with the longest wait times at 56.7 weeks for specialist treatment, that's followed closely by P.E.I. at 55.2 weeks and New Brunswick at 52.6 weeks. These figures come from new statistics from the Fraser Institute's(opens in a new tab) annual physician study, which shows wait times are up in Canada at record levels.