He may be battling cancer but Mike Olscamp says he isn't ready to slow down anytime soon.

"I feel great," said the Tantramar MLA on Monday morning during a chat at his riding office. "My office is still open for business and I'm still working hard for my constituents. I'm moving full speed ahead."

Olscamp was diagnosed last month with prostate cancer, which has also begun to spread to other parts of his body. But the Tory MLA said he plans to continue dedicating his time and energy towards tackling issues important to this area and he's set to head back to Fredericton when the Legislature resumes next month.

"If I didn't feel well enough, believe me I wouldn't be going back," he said.

The 61-year-old retired school teacher is currently undergoing radiation treatment and hormone therapy to slow down the spread of the cancer.

"So except for the odd hot flash, I'm doing just fine," joked Olscamp of the anti-androgen hormone pills he is taking.

With the treatments, including a possible surgery on his hip, the cancer is expected to go into remission but will never go away completely, he said.

But with a "great doctor and a wife that's been very supportive," Olscamp said he's prepared to take on whatever challenges come his way.

"And I want to thank the residents for all their words of encouragement over the past few weeks. That really means a lot."

Olscamp plans to return to his caucus meetings this week in preparation for next month's sitting of the legislature, in which his government anticipates a 'bad news' budget from the Liberals before the Christmas break. Although unsure of the specifics in the budget, he expects the bad news will come in the form of program cuts and increased fees.

"It's really a guessing game. Where will they try to reduce spending and at whose feet will the bad news be laid?" questioned Olscamp.

He said he will do his best to ensure the Tantramar region is treated fairly in the budget; although he already sees how this area has been affected by a government that he says seems to be ignoring the rural ridings in the province.

Dorchester residents, for instance, are growing increasingly frustrated with the lengthy hold-up in repairs to a culvert on Route 106, just outside of their village.

Work on the culvert is not expected to begin until next spring, leaving one lane of roadway open to traffic while the other will continue to be barricaded throughout the winter. Olscamp said he understands the residents' frustration and has continued to express his disappointment as well to the Minister of Transportation.

Unfortunately, he doesn't expect any work to get started on the culvert until next year but said he will be holding the government accountable to ensure that happens as soon as the ground thaws in the spring. For now, he's also lobbying to have flashing lights installed at the site but isn't so sure that's going to happen.

"They're trying to say it's not really a danger, but more of an inconvenience. I'm not so sure that's the case."

Another area that has seen cuts is the Tantramar Wetlands Centre, said Olscamp, a result of the government's cutbacks to its education budget.

A teacher now staffs the wetlands centre on a half-time basis instead of the usual full-time position. This means less time is dedicated to operate the programs as well as applying for grant funding from private donors for the centre, he said.

The decision of whether or not to maintain that position comes from the school district, but Olscamp pointed out the district office only has so much money from the government to spread around. But he said he is already starting the wheels turning to ensure that full-time position is restored next year.

Olscamp said the wetlands centre is an important educational resource in our community and played an integral role in Tantramar Regional High School being named a Model School by the province just last year.

"That's certainly a program worth saving," he said.

Meanwhile, Olscamp said anyone wishing to know more about any seniors' services (efficiency program, financial assistance, NB prescription drug plan, etc.) provided by the provincial government can visit his office at 45 Main Street or call 364-4774 for more information.

He also wants to give a heads up to make residents aware that out-of-province ambulance fees can be costly and are not usually covered by New Brunswick's health care plan.

Olscamp said he's recently heard concerns from several of his constituents who have faced this issue in the past year left with unexpected ambulance bills.

One such resident was visiting his son in P.E.I. and had to travel twice by ambulance from the St. Peters Bay area to Charlottetown when his hip popped out of joint (he had recently had hip surgery).

Upon returning home, he was surprised to learn he would need to pay a total of $1,200 for those ambulance rides.

Another resident, a woman from the Cape Tormentine area, was visiting her daughter in Halifax when she broke her ankle and required several rides in an ambulance, later getting a $1,600 bill.

"So this is just a heads up to beware when you're traveling out of province that health services could be high and you may not be covered," he said.