Nova Scotia’s Progressive Conservatives promised Tuesday to introduce a universal shingles vaccination program for people 65 and older if they are re-elected on Nov. 26, the latest in a series of targeted announcements in matters of health.

Party leader Tim Houston said the program would cost $27 million in the first year before falling below $3 million in the third year, as the focus would shift to those reaching the age 65 years old. Houston said the shingles vaccine should be free because statistics show only one in three people. will develop a painful rash, the risk of which increases with age.

“We have the tools to fight shingles with a vaccine that can reduce or eliminate the symptoms of this disease, but too many of our seniors are not getting the vaccine because of the cost,” he said, which he believes at around 100 dollars.

“I hear from seniors all the time that it (vaccine costs) is putting pressure on them in other areas of their finances,” he said.

This announcement followed previous Conservative promises on health care, such as the creation of a team of travel nurses to address staff shortages in the network, including in emergency departments, and the creation of a center of excellence to treat the symptoms of menopause.

Liberal Leader Zach Churchill, meanwhile, promised Tuesday to build a new six-lane bridge across Halifax Harbor to help ease traffic congestion in Atlantic Canada’s largest city. He said his plan would replace the MacKay Bridge with a larger span with dedicated bike and bus lanes.

He also criticized the Conservatives’ promise to scrap tolls on the city’s two port bridges.

“It’s the opposite of what we need right now,” he said. “Experts say this move will actually increase traffic congestion by 10 to 20 percent. These tolls generate revenue that we cannot afford to lose right now.”

Churchill reiterated his party’s promise, announced in September, to make public transit free across the province and expand municipal transportation services. He said a Liberal government would also promote flexible working arrangements to reduce the number of vehicles on the roads.

The Liberal leader was accompanied by Thomas Trappenberg, the former leader of the Nova Scotia Green Party, who is now running for Churchill’s party in the Halifax-area riding of Sackville-Uniacke. Trappenberg, who was leader of the Greens from 2016 to 2021, said it was Churchill’s promise of free public transport that initially attracted him to the party.

“It really resonated with me because I campaigned on this issue many years ago,” he said. “I still have green values, but I think the Liberal Party is much more organized and able to implement things.”

Housing remained a focus for the NDP Tuesday, as Leader Claudia Chender promised to create a compliance and enforcement unit to resolve disputes between tenants and landlords.

“Currently, the vacancy rate in Nova Scotia is 1 per cent,” Chender said in a statement. “If a landlord doesn’t maintain their property, tenants don’t feel like they have no options. The power disparity is often huge; the current system is neither balanced nor fair.”

Chender said unity is needed because the province doesn’t have the resources to handle disputes.

After releasing a $300,000 report in September, the Progressive Conservative government came out against creating an enforcement unit, saying it would lead to more red tape and longer resolution times for owners and tenants.

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