CUMBERLAND SOUTH (17)

Candidates:

Liberal: Harriet McCready NDP: Scott McKee PC: Murray Scott

Current MLA: Murray Scott, (PC) Speaker

Riding Profile: Cumberland South stretches from Ski Wentworth in the east to Advocate Harbour along the Minas Basin in the west. The largely rural riding includes the southern part of Cumberland County as well as the towns of Oxford, Springhill and Parrsboro. It's home to the only toll highway in N.S.

The population is 15,460 and the average income is $20,950. The major employers are the hospitals and school boards followed by several large manufacturers--Oxford Frozen Foods, Parrsboro Metal Fabricators and Ropak, a plastics firm in Springhill.

The area is also building a reputation as a tourism destination thanks to the Anne Murray Center in Springhill and the Joggins Fossil CLiffs and Fundy Geological Museum in Parrsboro.

Unemployment remains stubbornly high at over 11 per cent. Educational levels are lower than the provincial average.

Issues: Poor secondary roads affecting tourism, car insurance, Sunday shopping,centralization of services in Halifax, availability of medical services (hospitals and doctors).

Political History: Cumberland South was created from all of Cumberland Centre and nearly all of Cumberland West in 1993. Cumberland Centre was held by Liberal Guy Brown from 1974 until 1993 and Brown then won Cumberland South in 1993.

Cumberland West was held by the PCs for 20 years until LIB Ross Bragg won in 1988. Personal popularity tends to overshadow party loyalty in this neck of the woods.

1999: PC Murray Scott of Springhill took 71 per cent of the popular vote with 5,527. LIB MIke Uberoi was second with 1,000 votes and NDP Scott McKee had 941. 1998: PC MUrray Scott defeated LIB Mike Uberoi by 2,561 votes. 1993: LIB Guy Brown defeated PC Mac Bennett by 5143 votes.

Voter Turnout: 74 per cent in 1999.