Tim Halman won the Dartmouth East riding for the Progressive Conservatives in Tuesday’s election.
For Halman and his family, the last few months have been a roller coaster both on the campaign trail and at home.
“My wife passed away, basically a few weeks ago,” Halman told Global News.
“She had breast cancer three years ago but it was in remission. It came back in October and I was a nominated candidate for the PC party and obviously, I took a leave of absence. We thought at the time she had two or three years but it was only months.”
READ: Nova Scotia election: PC candidate Tim Halman elected in Dartmouth East
Halman has made a career as a high school teacher in Dartmouth. He said he became interested in politics when the McNeil government changed the film tax credit.
“I started to be vocal, attending rallies and then two years ago, I got a phone call from my friend Jamie Baillie saying, ‘you know what, you should think about putting your name forward.'”
Following his wife’s death, Halman took a leave of absence from being a nominated candidate, when the teachers’ strike happened.
“In order to deal with some of the trauma you might be going through, you got to keep busy. You got to work,” he said. “It dawned on me that I could either go back to the classroom, or try to fix the classroom and certainly that’s what I’m attempting to do and I intend to be a strong voice on education matters in the House of Assembly.”
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Halman said he wanted to continue with the campaign for a number of reasons, including for his children.
“It was our plan to show our kids no matter what, you push through, and that’s what part of this was to get back in and show them that work is important and that if you feel something is wrong in the community you have a responsibility to try and change that.”
Halman said health care will be his number one priority once he’s sworn-in as an MLA, but labour relations will also be high on the priority list.
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Halman said he wants to ensure the Liberals recognize that they crossed a line with unionized workers in the province.
“You know what, they got a lawsuit coming at them now and that’s what happens when you dictate, you get sued. And I’m hoping this government has smartened up and recognizes that you need to listen to people and you need to consult and you need to treat people in a professional, respectful way.”
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