Category: Nova Scotia

Although there’s uncertainty around her future as a school librarian, Kristin Welbourn is certain of one fact: she loves her job.

“It’s one of the most rewarding jobs,” she told The Chronicle Herald. “There’s so much more to it than just books. I help our community raise great kids.”

But a recent decision by Halifax regional council could see funding for Welbourn’s job in jeopardy, with dozens of other librarians across the Halifax Regional Centre for Education (HRCE) sharing concerns about their livelihood.

Halifax Regional Municipality was asked to comment on the potential cuts to HRCE’s funding, which were originally shared by Education Minister Brendan Maguire on social media, but wouldn’t confirm them.

“The Halifax Regional Municipality is in ongoing discussions with the province, through the Halifax Regional Centre for Education, about the supplementary funding agreement,” said HRM spokesperson Sarah Brannen. “As a consequence, the municipality is not in a position to provide further comment at this time.”

A HRCE spokesperson also said they remain in talks with the municipality.

“HRCE is currently working a new supplementary funding agreement with HRM and while we do so, we won’t be making any additional comments,” said Lindsey Bunin, communications officer for HRCE, in an emailed statement.

CUPE Atlantic Local 5047, which represents HRCE’s librarians, was also contacted for comment but did not immediately respond.

How do school libraries work?

School librarians, or library support specialists, as they’re referred to by government, are positions supplemented in HRCE through an agreement with the municipality.

An HRCE report from last year said school librarians are one of several programs made possible through supplementary funding. Roughly 75 librarians were employed in 2024-25 thanks to $2.5 million in funding.

Welbourn said those dollars are well spent, as her library welcomes anywhere from 200 to 300 students every day and helps them with everything from research and assisting with a resume to picking out books.

The 15-year HRCE library veteran said she reads 200 young adult books every year to better help her students.

“Kids come into my library looking for a book and they need to see themselves reflected in the literature. I have to make sure every kid who comes into my library, whether they’re a hockey player or part of the LGBTQIA+ community, can find themselves in a book,” said Welbourn.

When asked about Maguire’s statement that HRM council was looking to cut school library funding because of duplication with public libraries, Welbourn noted they play very different roles.

“I’m programming to improve their literacy, not to provide books and social programs; there’s some overlap but (public libraries) and (school libraries) are night and day,” she said.

Local 5047 called to action

The Chronicle Herald confirmed that CUPE Atlantic sent an email to members of Local 5047 in anticipation of the proposed cuts and tasked members with calling their city councillor and Mayor Andy Fillmore to ask them to support school libraries.

“Rumours are circulating that HRM plans to cut city funding for education that’s been in place since the 1990s,” stated the email.

“If not opposed and defeated, these budget cuts will remove library support specialists and school librarians from our school communities. Although there has been no official announcement from HRM, city council has not committed to this funding past March 31 of this year.”

Source: Chronicle Herald

In our commitment to transparency and to supporting Nova Scotia’s arts and culture community, we have prepared and sent an open letter this morning to the Premier and Members of the Nova Scotia Legislature regarding the proposed provincial budget cuts.

We encourage you to share the attached letter and social posts widely within your libraries and throughout your communities.

__________

March 6, 2026

Open Letter Regarding Proposed Provincial Budget Cuts in Nova Scotia

Dear Premier Houston,

The news of the impending cuts, specifically towards arts and culture, to the Nova Scotia provincial budget was met with distress and disbelief by the members of our association. APLA represents approximately 400 library workers and library supporters across the Atlantic region. I am writing on their behalf to ask that you reconsider the proposed cuts to these sectors that are not only foundational for the community, but are critical to our regional economy.

The importance of arts and culture in our province cannot be overstated. Art programs and cultural organizations are crucial to lifelong learning and skills development for Nova Scotians of all ages. The loss of community arts programming, especially youth-focused education initiatives, will narrow access to creative learning opportunities across the province. Beyond the immediate impact on these sectors, these cuts threaten long-term negative impacts on cultural life, social cohesion and the broader economy of Nova Scotia.

The consequences of these cuts will be felt immediately in our libraries. All libraries – public, academic, special – rely on a vibrant local publishing ecosystem to build collections that reflect Nova Scotian voices and stories. Reductions to publishing grants and cultural funding weaken the very supply chain that sustains literacy, local authorship, and access to diverse Canadian content in our communities. While the Minister of Community, Culture, Tourism, and Heritage stated that “library funding was not cut”, the elimination of emergency bridge funding effectively reduces operational capacity, particularly for rural and regional libraries already managing rising costs of library materials. For many communities, even modest funding losses translate into reduced hours, fewer programs, delayed acquisitions, and staffing shortages. Libraries and arts organizations operate in partnership; when cultural programming shrinks, libraries are left to absorb increased demand with fewer resources.

While we acknowledge the fiscal pressures facing the province, it is difficult to accept that reductions to arts funding  represent prudent long-term solutions. Cost savings achieved through deep cuts – specifically to arts and culture, are offset by broader economic and social consequences. The question must be asked: will the projected savings outweigh the cultural vibrance and energy of local publishers, theatres, galleries, and festivals? Youth will lose access to creative and educational opportunities. Emerging writers and artists may be forced to leave the province in search of sustainable support. The arts sector contributes significant GDP and supports thousands of jobs across Nova Scotia. Weakening this sector undermines not only Nova Scotia’s cultural vibrancy but economic adaptability.

The concerns we raise here are shared widely across the sectors we help to promote, and the communities we serve. We respectfully urge you to reconsider these proposed cuts, recognizing the profound and lasting impact they would have on individuals, artists, organizations and the broader economy of Nova Scotia. We thank you for your attention to this matter and remain ready to engage in constructive dialogue toward a resolution.

Sincerely,

Terri Winchcombe
APLA President

Change is coming to Halifax’s North Memorial Public Library where no significant renovations have been completed since its opening in 1966.

The $34.5 million project will modernize the library, lining up the building’s accessibility features with the Rick Hansen Foundation’s gold standards and improving the building’s energy efficiency.

“It is a major renovation but our goal is to keep it familiar to the community,” said Megan Gainer, director of facilities with Halifax Public Libraries.

Gainer said the library has about 1,000 users per day with only one program room and one small meeting room, both of which are booked around the clock. The renovations will double the space accessed by the public by making use of the building’s lower level which has become a private area for library services such as the IT department.

“The plan is to actually take over that whole lower level again and give it back to the public,” Gainer said.

The project’s design is being guided by public input to ensure the library’s historic and community value is preserved through the renovations.

The library was built around the same time African Nova Scotians were displaced from the city’s historic Africville community. It became an important community space and saw the birth of the Black History Association in 1987. The library continues to be important to the community today; in 2019, the space was used to discuss illegal and discriminate street checks by police.

“The residents were displaced, they were put into a home that didn’t feel like home, and so they really turned the library into their home,” Gainer said. “We want to make sure that it remains that familiar anchor within the community, so things will change but things will also stay the same.”

The project is still in its design phase which is expected to wrap up this year. The plan is to begin renovations in 2027 with a 2029 completion. During that time the building will be closed but a separate, temporary location will be leased nearby so the public can continue to have library access.

A community engagement session will be held at the library on Saturday, Feb. 28 from noon to 4 p.m. to discuss the project and receive feedback from the community. There is also a survey available on the project’s website.

Source: CBC Nova Scotia

This year’s provincial budget is defunding Nova Scotia books.

The Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage sent letters yesterday informing Nova Scotia publishers that it is eliminating a $700,000 fund that helps local publishers publish new books by local authors.

“It’s drastic and devastating,” says Nimbus manager Terrilee Bulger. “Books are an important pillar of our culture. This budget decision by Premier Tim Houston’s government will mean that fewer Nova Scotian creators will get their books published. Not only that, Nova Scotian publishers will be forced to lay off staff, and spend less on local freelancers.”
Nova Scotia publishers release more than 100 new books, most by local authors, every year.

“We need a government that will defend Nova Scotia books, not defund them,” adds Bulger. “New books are vital for local booksellers and their business. They bring people to public libraries too.”

Nova Scotia’s Publisher Assistance Program parallels similar funding available to locally owned publishers in all nine other provinces. Nova Scotia’s program was already less generous than in most other provinces.

“This budget cut will make Nova Scotia the only province to cancel support for publishing books that is the backbone of our entire industry,” she adds.

Among the other publishing companies affected are Breton Books, Macintyre Purcell Publishing, Formac Publishing, Pottersfield Press, Conundrum Press, and Fernwood Publishing.

“Without this provincial support, we’ll have to cut new titles from 15 to 7,” says Formac CEO Jim Lorimer. “Books won’t get written, they won’t get published, and they won’t be there for readers to enjoy.”

“It’s a small, proud, and diverse industry, encompassing everything from graphic novels to children’s books to scholarly works, employing local artists, authors, staff, and more,” states Jeff Cox, President of MacIntyre Purcell Publishing. “Removing 100% of provincial support leaves Nova Scotia as the ONLY province in Canada that does not support its book publishers and authors.

Lesley Choyce, prolific author and the Publisher of Pottersfield Press states: “Since Pottersfield Press was founded in 1978, provincial publishing support has allowed us to publish a wide range of Nova Scotia authors that includes Maxine Tyne, George Elliott Clarke, Joan Baxter, Rita Joe, Harry Bruce and at least 100 others, many of whom were first time authors. The loss of the Publishers Assistance Fund will be devastating to the continued growth of culture in the province and silence many new creative voices that need to be heard.”

The publishers are hoping that Premier Tim Houston and Finance and Treasury Board Minister John Lohr will remember the lessons of the disastrous film tax debacle created by the previous government more than 10 years ago.

“One of Tim Houston’s best qualities as a leader is that he has the courage to listen and the courage to change a government decision,” notes Bulger. “I am hopeful that he will consider the damage this budget decision will have on local book publishers, the broader Nova Scotian cultural economy.”

Source: Atlantic Publishers Marketing Association

An Amherst, N.S., public library employee warns that reduced staff hours will slow services and book deliveries between libraries, negatively impacting users.

Adam Davies, a library assistant at the Four Fathers Memorial Library, told CBC News on Friday that he received a letter earlier in the week telling him and seven other employees they will be working 10 per cent fewer hours.

“We’ve taken on so many other responsibilities, especially after COVID,” he said. “A lot of our public libraries are focused on social cohesion. We’re focused on well-being. We were really developing programs that engage our youngest readers.”

The person responsible for children’s programming at the branches saw their hours cut, said Davies.

The cuts affect employees who work at the headquarters for Cumberland Public Libraries, of which there are seven branches.

“The job is pretty full and pretty demanding and there’s lots of things to do … We’re not having the time to get these things accomplished,” said Davies.

CBC News contacted the Cumberland Regional Library Board for comment, but did not receive a response.

Ashley Nunn-Smith is the chair of the Council of Regional Librarians, which represents the nine regional library systems. She said over the past few years, libraries around the province have been silently making cuts, but that “2026 represents a real cliff.”

“We have stretched our budget as far as it can be stretched. There is no way to stretch it any further,” said Nunn-Smith.

A year ago, the council requested an additional $1.6 million in emergency funding, which was granted by the province.

However, the council’s request to change a funding formula that better reflects higher costs and inflationary pressures has not happened.

What the province is saying

The province said it is reviewing the recommendations.

“The annual budget is currently underway and decisions about library funding are made through this process,” wrote a spokesperson for the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage in an emailed statement.

“More information will be available when the provincial budget is tabled.”

The budget will be released during the upcoming sitting of the legislature, which begins Feb. 23.

Public libraries received $16.4 million in from the province in the 2024-25 fiscal year, with the same amount budgeted for 2025-26.

Financial pinch

As for Davies, he said the reduced hours will cost him $5,000 annually.

“My son just started university, he’s in his first year of university,” he said. “We’re all kind of feeling that financial pinch and this is one that we’re going to have to make some adjustments to build into our financial plan now.”

Source: CBC Nova Scotia

The head of a regional library service in western Nova Scotia says that without increased funding from the province and municipalities, branches will have to reduce operating hours and services, and even cut staff or close some locations.

The Annapolis Valley Regional Library considers the situation so grim that it is placing posters in its 11 branches asking people to contact their MLA and municipalities and “share [their] story about why the library matters to you.”

“The library board is very aware of the time-sensitive nature of making these [funding] decisions,” said Julia Merritt, the CEO of the regional library that serves West Hants, Kings and Annapolis counties.

“We want to make sure that people have enough time, enough notice to be able to have this conversation with their elected officials should they wish to.”

For Temma Frecker and her children Nico, 9, and Teo, 12, potential cuts could have a big impact on their lives. The New Minas family goes to the library at least once a week, and the kids quickly go through comic books and graphic novels that they take home.

“There’s no way that I could afford to keep my kids in books, the quantity that they read,” said Frecker, speaking about the importance of the library system. “It’s something that we rely on so much.”

Earlier this year, the Council of Regional Libraries, which represents all nine regional libraries, asked for $1.6 million in emergency funding from the province to stabilize the public library system.

The province provided a top-up of $800,000 for the 2024-25 fiscal year and another $800,000 for the current fiscal year.

The libraries have also asked for a change in the funding formula, saying the current system was designed before 2020 and doesn’t take into account inflation that followed the pandemic and the uptake in use in recent years.

Libraries get 71 per cent of their funding from the province, 26 per cent from municipalities and need to fundraise the remaining three per cent. The exception is libraries within Halifax Regional Municipality, which are primarily funded by the municipality.

The Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library posted information on its website to explain to library users what could change in 2026 if it does not get “sustainable funding from the province.”

Eric Stackhouse, the chief librarian for Pictou-Antigonish, says he wants the public to know ahead of time before their resources change.

“I don’t know where people will go” if libraries start cutting programs or reducing hours, he said.

Ashley Nunn-Smith, the head of the Council of Regional Libraries, said with the provincial deficit forecasted to hit $1.2 billion, she’s aware libraries may face a challenge getting the funding they need.

Still, she hopes the province will hear them.

“There was no significant additional investment when economic times were good,” she said. “Now that times are tough and the province is facing a large deficit, decades of underinvestment have really left libraries unable to weather the storm.”

A spokesperson for the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage said in a statement that it values the role libraries play in communities and it acknowledges their financial challenges.

“We’re still early in the provincial budgeting process, and the financial situation remains challenging. Libraries’ requests and concerns have been received and will be considered as government prepares next year’s budget,” the department said.

The department could not accommodate an interview with CBC News.

As for Frecker’s children, the two boys are helping in whatever way they can. Over the weekend, they did a bottle drive through their neighbourhood to raise money for the libraries.

They both said they’d be disappointed if the libraries they go to in Kentville and Port Williams had to change how they operate.

“I’d be sad,” said 12-year-old Teo. “Not only because they had to cut down their staff, but also because that would mean that the situation is so dire that they just can’t keep up the people that they have.”

Source: CBC Nova Scotia

There’s a new library serving the Advocate Harbour, N.S., area less than a year after the previous branch was demolished due to safety concerns.

Carly Cleveland of the Advocate District Development Association said the condition of the local community centre had deteriorated. The Cumberland Public Libraries branch was in the basement.

“Ultimately it came down to a determination that the building was, in fact, not safe for community occupancy,” Cleveland said.

Demolition began in May. “So, that was a really kind of dark time in our community.”

Cleveland said the development association’s first priority was to return library services to the community, located more than 90 kilometres from Amherst.

However, space in the community was limited and did not meet the municipality’s standards.

A decision was made to construct a building that is less than 1,000 square feet to house the library. Cleveland said the eight-month project cost about $118,000.

The building is on pillars so it could be relocated in future.

“Our community members are a huge part of what has made this possible,” she said. “So, we really appreciate them.”

The project received $26,000 in grants from both the Municipality of Cumberland and Christie-Smith Community Fund, in addition to interest-free loans and private donations.

“There’s a whole crew of people down there that have been involved in this from Day 1 and they have worked extremely hard,” said Cumberland Mayor Rod Gilroy.

Gilroy said library services were offered at the fire hall in Advocate Harbour on an occasional basis in the interim.

The development association plans to build a larger community centre that will also include a bigger kitchen, gym and a space for events. It will be attached to the library.

Gilroy said council is expecting to discuss financial support to replace Advocate Harbour’s community centre in next year’s budget deliberations. The municipality is also working on an approximately $3-million community centre in Parrsboro on the heels of a nearly $2.2-million library branch completion in Pugwash.

Cleveland said there is no timeline for the Advocate Harbour community centre, which could cost up to $5 million.

A grand opening ceremony for the new Advocate Harbour library branch is planned for Nov. 22.

Source: CBC Nova Scotia