Updated November 24, 2011
Page révisée le 24 novembre 2011

[ Go to Canadian Social Research Links Home Page ]

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Jump directly further down on the page you're now reading: * Key Welfare Links in NS (scroll down to the grey box below, right column) * Latest NS Budget - April 5, 2011 * Poverty reduction in NS * Non-governmental sites in NS * Nova Scotia Provincial Election 2009 "Nova Scotia voters elect 1st NDP government" - June 9, 2009 * Nova Scotia Report Card on Child and Family Poverty 2009 (November 2009) - Campaign 2000

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2011 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Nova Scotia: 1989-2009 (PDF - 690K, 11 pages)
November 2011
Clearly, the goal was not achieved; in fact, in 2000 the child poverty rate in Nova Scotia was higher than in 1989, the year the promise was made. Did nine additional years bring us any closer to the goal? While child poverty rates did show a steady decline after 2003, our most recent figures (regardless of the poverty measured used) now show a reversal of this trend. With 14,000 children living below the After-Tax Low-Income Cut Off (LICO-AT) in 2009, progress has stalled and we are far from realizing child poverty eradication.

Source:
Nova Scotia Office of the
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Related link
from Campaign 2000:

Revisiting Family Security in Insecure Times:
2011 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Canada (PDF - 2.8MB, 16 pages)
[The national report]
November 2011
All we are asking is to give children a chance. Campaign 2000 is looking for a real commitment from this Parliament to reduce poverty by at least 50% by the year 2020, creating a pathway to eventual eradication. The federal government, in our view, must play a lead role.
Source:
Campaign 2000
Campaign 2000 is a non-partisan, cross-Canada coalition of over 120 national, provincial and community organizations, committed to working together to end child and family poverty in Canada.

NOTE: If you wish to see 2011 child and family poverty reports for all participating Canadian provinces on one page (+ links to last year's reports), go to the Children, Families and Youth Links (NGO) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnngo.htm

From Food Banks Canada:

Hunger Count 2011 (PDF - 4.2MB, 36 pages)
A comprehensive report on hunger and food bank use in Canada, and recommendations for change

Selected HungerCount Information 1999-2011 (Microsoft Excel 2007 file - 626K)

Chart : Food bank use in Canada (March 2011)
Food Banks Canada has released data detailing how many Canadians used food banks across the country in March 2011. Hover over the chart to read how many people used food banks in each province that month, and what percentage of those people were children.

Provincial HungerCount 2011 Reports
Click this link to access all HungerCount reports for 2011 as well as reports for 2008 to 2010.
NOTE: HungerCount 2011 reports are available for the following provinces only:
* British Columbia * Alberta * Saskatchewan * Manitoba * Ontario * Nova Scotia

Source:
Food Banks Canada
Food Banks Canada is the national charitable organization representing and supporting the food bank community across Canada. Our Members and their respective agencies serve approximately 85% of people accessing food banks and food programs nationwide. Our mission is to help food banks meet the short-term need for food, and to find long-term solutions to hunger.

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Media coverage:

Food bank use stays high
November 1, 2011
Food bank use across Canada remained more than 25 per cent above pre-recession levels in March, the group representing food banks said Tuesday. Food Banks Canada said an annual survey of its members showed a slight decrease in the number of food recipients from the same month a year earlier — two per cent to 851,014 — but little change over all. The steady numbers show the effects of recession are still being felt across Canada, and the organization says that means economic recovery isn't working for everyone.
Source:
CBC News

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Stretched food banks a measure of Canada’s frail recovery
By Tavia Grant
November 1, 2011
The number of Canadians using food banks has declined slightly, but persistent demand indicates many are struggling in a frail economic recovery. More than 851,000 individuals visited a food bank in March alone, a number that’s little changed from last year’s record and still 26 per cent above prerecession levels, Food Banks Canada’s annual survey, to be released Tuesday, shows.

[ 397 comments ]

Related Globe and Mail articles:

* Feed a student, feed the future
* Food bank use drops, but still higher than before recession
* It's time to close Canada's food banks

Source:
Globe and Mail

Young parents squeezed for time and money, report finds
A University of British Columbia study found that it's much more expensive to raise a family than it was a generation ago.
October 18, 2011
By Andrea Gordon
Canadian parents are raising children with far less money and time than their baby boomer predecessors, despite the doubling of the Canadian economy since 1976, says a report from the University of British Columbia. At the same time, Canadians approaching retirement are wealthier than ever before, setting up an intergenerational tension that threatens young families, according to the study, released Tuesday.
Source:
Toronto Star

The report:

Does Canada work for all generations?
By Paul Kershaw and Lynell Anderson
October 18, 2011

National Summary (PDF - 814K, 4 pages) / (Version française - format PDF)
Fact Sheet

Excerpt from
the national summary report:
Canada is not currently working for all generations. There is a silent generational crisis occurring in homes across the country, one we neglect because Canadians are stuck in stale debates. My colleagues and I hope the 2011 Family Policy Reports for all provinces will refocus public dialogue on one of the most pressing social and economic issues of our time: Canada has become a far more difficult place to raise a family.

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Provincial Family Policy Reports:
NOTE: The provincial files below are in
PDF format; each file is just under 2MB and 22 pages in length.

* Alberta
* British Columbia
* Manitoba
* Newfoundland and Labrador
* New Brunswick

* Nova Scotia

* Ontario
* Prince Edward Island
* Quebec
* Saskatchewan

Related resources:

* New Deal for Families blog
* YouTube video "New Deal for Families"

Source:
Human Early Learning Partnership
The Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP) is a collaborative, interdisciplinary research network, based at the University of British Columbia. HELP’s unique partnership brings together many scientific viewpoints to address complex early child development (ECD) issues. HELP connects researchers and practitioners from communities and institutions across B.C., Canada, and internationally.
[ University of British Columbia ]

October 5, 2011
Thanks to the Canadian Social Research Newsletter subscriber who notified me to say that I'd missed a change in Nova Scotia's Employment Support and Income Assistance effective in August of this year.

Clear, Consistent Access to Special Needs
Funding for People on Income Assistance
August 8, 2011
Clearer regulations now make it easier for income assistance clients to understand what special needs funding they can receive, and ensure funding decisions are consistent and fair provincewide. The amended Employment Support and Income Assistance Regulations Around Special Needs funding take effect today, Aug. 8.
(...)
Over the years, the department has received special needs requests for items and services like hot tubs, gym memberships, and humming touch therapy. These were never intended to be covered under special needs, but because the regulations were not clear, about 20-25 of these requests were approved either by a caseworker or through an appeal. The department has also received a number of special needs requests for medications and substances, such as medical marijuana. The amendments now make it clear that Community Services can only cover medically related items and services that are covered by MSI or listed on the Nova Scotia Pharmacare Formulary. This is consistent with how other provinces handle requests for medical marijuana.
Source:
Government of Nova Scotia News Service

See also:

Media coverage:

No medical marijuana for N.S. welfare recipients
August 9, 2011
Community Services won't cover medical marijuana because it's not covered by the provincial Pharmacare program. Nova Scotians on social assistance will no longer be able to get medical marijuana, gym memberships or hot tubs as a special need. The Department of Community Services is tightening the rules for its special needs funding.

[ 324 comments ]

Source:
CBC Nova Scotia

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Something similar in Ontario:

NOTE : Check out some of the links in this Google.ca Web Search Results page using the terms "Ontario Special Diet Allowance" , to see some similarities between the two provinces' recent changes to their special allowance policies. The Ontario Coalition Against Poverty and the Income Security Advocacy Centre were heavily involved in that battle.
Below, you'll find a few related links :
* http://www.mcss.gov.on.ca/en/mcss/programs/social/special_diet_apply.aspx
* http://ocap.ca/search/node/special+diet
* http://www.incomesecurity.org/specialdietwhathappened.htm

From the
National Council of Welfare:

Welfare Incomes 2010
September 2011
The Welfare Incomes report reflects the estimated incomes (in constant and current dollars) for 2010 of four typical welfare households in each province and territory:
- a single employable person
- a single person with a disability
- a lone parent with a 2-year-old child
- a two-parent family with two children aged 10 and 15
Click the link above, then move your cursor over each province or territory to view welfare incomes by household type for 2010 .
Click on a province or territory to see a chart of welfare incomes over time for that jurisdiction. This feature requires Macromedia Flash; if you don't have Flash or if you've disabled it, click the link below the map of Canada to access the same information in HTML.

Adequacy of Welfare Incomes
Compare welfare benefit levels for all jurisdictions and all household categories for all years from 1986 (1989 for a person with a disability) to 2010 using any one of five measures of adequacy: After-tax average income - After-tax LICO - After-tax median income - Before-tax LICO - Market basket measure (MBM).

Earlier editions of Welfare Incomes (annual)

Source:
National Council of Welfare
[ Conseil national du bien-être social ]
Since the Government Organization Act of 1969, the National Council of Welfare serves as advisory group to the federal Minister responsible for the welfare of Canadians - in 2010, that's the Hon. Diane Finley, Minister of Human Resources and Skills Development Canada - regarding "any matter relating to social development that the Minister may refer to the Council for its consideration or that the Council considers appropriate."

Minimum Wage: Current and Forthcoming Minimum Hourly Wage Rates for Adult Workers in Canada - federal govt. site --- the best resource for info on current and upcoming minimum wage levels Source : Minimum Wage Database

 

 

Health
- incl. links to : About the Department - Media Releases - Employment Information - Programs and Services - Links - Reports - FAQs - Key Health Initiatives - Site Map

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Service Nova Scotia and Municipal Relations

Online interactive and information services of the Government of Nova Scotia

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Finance

Home page/sitemap
Budget Documents (1995-96 to date, all on one page) 
Public Accounts - 1996 to date 
Economic Indicators
News Releases
Publications

Nova Scotia Budget 2011 --- Making Life Better for Families April 5, 2011 - main budget page, includes links to highlights by theme and target group Budget Documents - includes the Budget Address (small PDF file), Budget Highlights, Budget Bulletins, Estimates, and other relevant documents. Budget 2011 Advances Province's Priorities News Release (social media version) April 5, 2011 Finance Minister Graham Steele tabled the 2011-12 provincial budget today which builds on the province's plans to make life better for families. - includes Quotes - Key Budget Initiatives - Quick Facts More news releases... --- Helping Families and Seniors Make Ends Meet (PDF - 484K, 2 pages) Budget Bulletin Budget 2011 builds on the province’s plan for change by helping families, students, and seniors make ends meet. - Fixing Canada’s Weakest Student Assistance System By investing $42.5 million this year to fix our student assistance system, the government will: • Keep Nova Scotians’ tuition below the national average by investing $30 million in student bursaries • Create the first “debt cap” (the maximum amount of debt a student may carry) in the province’s history. • Offer up to $612 per year in additional grants, through an increase in the loan-to-grant ratio • Double the in-study earnings exemption on student loans—from $50 per week to $100 per week. • more... - Government will provide targeted support to help approximately 75,000 Nova Scotia seniors, and others who live with low incomes, make ends meet. (...) Through investments made in this budget, government will do the following: • Support people to enter and stay in the workforce by allowing people on income assistance, including people with disabilities, to keep more of their earned income [allowing income assistance recipients to keep $150 per month of employment income, in addition to the 30 per cent income exemption already in place; doubling the flat-rate income exemption for persons with disabilities to $300, in addition to the 30 per cent income exemption already in place.] • Increase income assistance personal allowances by $15 per month as of July 1, 2011 • Increase the Basic Personal Amount—the money people can earn before they have to start paying taxes—by $250. • Introduce fair drug pricing legislation to help reduce drug costs for Nova Scotians who depend on Pharmacare, and provide an additional $3 million in Pharmacare funding. • Index the new Affordable Living and Poverty Reduction tax credits to help low-income Nova Scotians make ends meet. Related links: Affordable Living and Poverty Reduction tax credits Nova Scotia Affordable Living Tax Credit (ALTC) The Affordable Living Tax Credit provides tax-free quarterly payments to eligible Nova Scotians beginning July 1, 2010. Individuals and couples will receive a base amount of $240 and $57 per child each year. The credit is reduced by $0.05 for every dollar of adjusted family income over $30,000. To qualify, you must be a Nova Scotia resident, and you must file an income tax return each year and meet the eligibility criteria to continue receiving ALTC payments in future years. * more info about the Affordable Living Tax Credit The Poverty Reduction Credit (PRC) The Poverty Reduction Credit will provide tax-free quarterly payments to eligible Nova Scotians beginning July 1, 2010. Individuals and couples that have received income assistance, have no children and have annual adjusted income below $12,000 may be eligible. The Poverty Reduction Credit provides $50 payments each quarter during the year ($200 annually). You must file an income tax return each year and meet the eligibility criteria to continue receiving PRC payments in future years. [ PRC Question & Answer (small PDF file) ] Source: Nova Scotia Department of Finance ---------------------------------------- TD Bank Financial Group Analysis of the Budget: Give and Take to Live Within Nova Scotia's Means (PDF - 185K, 2 pages) A $447 million surplus (or 1.2% of GDP) is the obvious headline coming out of the 2011 Nova Scotia budget. Unfortunately, the good times and the black ink are not expected to last. The Province plans for shortfalls in FY 11-12 and FY 12-13, before once recording to a surplus in FY 13-14. Source: 2011 Federal, Provincial and Territorial Budgets [ TD Bank Financial Group ] ---------------------------------------- Selected media coverage: From CBC News: N.S. budget squeezes out help for students April 5, 2011 The Nova Scotia government plans to run a deficit this year as it squeezes departments in order to find money for university students and rural health. The New Democrats introduced a stand-pat budget on Tuesday, essentially freezing government spending for 2011-12 while revenue remains flat. --- Student federation rejects NDP plan to cap student debt CFS calls for tuition fee reductions instead April 5, 2011 The Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) says the NDP’s plan to cap student debt won’t do much to help Nova Scotia post-secondary students. The debt-cap scheme was outlined in the provincial budget introduced today at the legislature. (...) The NDP budget, introduced today, promises to forgive the Nova Scotia portion of any student loans above $28,560 beginning in four years time. The province estimates the measure would cost just over $8 million in the first year. At the same time, however, the government is raising tuition fees by three percent in each of the next three years. It’s also reducing its grants to universities in the coming year by $14 million. Source: The Coast - Halifax's website --- Nova Scotia Alternative Budget 2011 - from the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Excerpt from Alternative Budget 2011: Fast Facts: Let's Make Poverty Reduction a Priority (PDF - 165K, 2 pages) (...) Overall progress on poverty reduction has been slow for many reasons, including the lack of federal commitment to poverty reduction and the weakness of Nova Scotia’s poverty reduction strategy. In addition, we are told governments have no choice but to focus on balancing budgets and paying down deficits as quickly as possible. As the Alternative Federal Budget and the Nova Scotia Alternative Budget have shown year after year, governments do have a range of choices that remain fiscally responsible. NOTE: On this page, you'll find information about the latest provincial budget only. To avoid unnecessary duplication of budget links on multiple pages, I've moved links to all earlier budgets over to the pages below, organized by fiscal year. The pages below include links to media analysis and selected critique from NGOs on the budgets, and the amount of coverage varies across jurisdictions and over the years. Go to Canadian Government Budgets 2010 Go to Canadian Government Budgets 2009 Go to Canadian Government Budgets 2008 Go to Canadian Government Budgets 2007 Go to Canadian Government Budgets 2006 Go to Canadian Government Budgets 2005 Go to Canadian Government Budgets 2004

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Environment and Labour

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 Nova Scotia Legislature

Consolidated Public Statutes of Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia Regulations

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 Justice

Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission

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Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women (NSACSW)
The Advisory Council was established in 1977 to educate the public and advise the provincial government on issues of interest and concern to women. Check out the home page (by clicking above) or go to the Council's Publications page - it offers an impressive choice of reports, fact sheets and media releases, including:

Building Transitions to Good Jobs for low Income Women
July 7, 2004
By Stella Lord and Anne Martel
"This report is about low-income women in Nova Scotia and their options for moving out of poverty. It was prepared for the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women on the recommendation of its Round Table on Women’s Economic Security. The report focuses on what kind of transition-to-employment strategies and best practices would provide a better foundation to enable women in Nova Scotia to move out of poverty into more stable, well-paid employment."

Complete report (PDF file - 249K, 70 pages)
Summary and Recommendations (PDF file - 150K, 7 pages)

Report Highlights Women's Economic Inequality Double Workload
June 14, 2004
Status of Women
"Nova Scotia women are still striving for economic equality and a better balance of responsibilities at work and at home, according to a statistical report released today, June 14. Women's Paid and Unpaid Work is the fifth report in a series from the Advisory Council on the Status of Women."
News Release
Backgrounder (PDF file - 8K, 2 pages)

Complete report:

Women’s Paid and Unpaid Work (PDF file - 169K, 67 pages)
Women in Nova Scotia (Part 5 of a Statistical Series)

Advisory Council Publications - impressive list of reports, studies, briefs and statistics, including Informational and Statistical (where you'll find links to earlier reports in this statistical series)

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Employment Insurance Changes Needed
Status of Women
May 7, 2004
"Mothers need better support from the federal government to help care for their families, the chair of the Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women says in an open letter to Liza Frulla, Minister of Social Development, and Joseph Volpe, Minister of Human Resources Development."
- incl. a copy of the open letter
Source:
Nova Scotia Advisory Council on the Status of Women
[ Government of Nova Scotia ]

Related Link: Maternity benefits not available to those who need them most Richard Shillington May 2, 2004 "Canada's approach to Maternity Benefits illustrates two disturbing impediments to democracy and effective social policy. Those impediments are control by government officials of data and research to make governments look good, and the three tier nature of Maternity Benefits." Source: Straight Goods

Time for a New Royal Commission on the Status of Women?
News Release
October 22, 2002
"The national coalition of provincial and territorial advisory councils on the Status of Women is calling on the federal government to re-examine the state of women's equality in Canada."

Women and Healthcare: A Brief to the Commission on the Future of Health Care in Canada
June 2002

Rebuilding the System (January 1999)
Response of the NS  Advisory Council on the Status of Women to the Department of Community Services' Social Assistance Restructuring Initiative

Brief to the Federal Standing Committee on Finance (August 1998)
- includes information on the CHST and the social deficit, the NCB, the impact of social program reforms on women in the Atlantic provinces, senior women and Aboriginal women and their children

NSACSW Web Links
Over 200 links organized under the following headings: Children and Child Care - Legal and Justice issues - Education - Policy and Research - Employment/ Business - Women in Science and Technology - Equity Groups (ie: women of colour, women with disabilities) - Women's Organizations/Agencies - Government Nongovernmental - Health issues
Violence Prevention

NSACSW Links to Women's Organizations
- large collection of links to NGOs, sites about children and child care, policy and research sites, education, employment, business and more. All links except those to government sites include a short site description

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Office of the Auditor General

Annual and Other Reports

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 Nova Scotia Disabled Persons Commission

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Other Nova Scotia Sites - Autres sites de Nouvelle-Écosse
(mostly in reverse chronological order)

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From the Nova Scotia Office
of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA):

The Nova Scotia Child Poverty Report Card 2010 : 1989–2008 (PDF - 816K, 27 pages)
by Lesley Frank
November 24, 2010
This year’s report card examines the period 1989 to 2008, the year for which the most recent data is available. It also reviews changes for a later period (1997 to 2008) to assess the impact of the 1998 National Child Benefit initiative, which is specifically aimed at preventing and reducing child poverty.

News Release:

14,000 children in Nova Scotia still living in poverty is 14,000 too many
November 24, 2010
HALIFAX, NS –Twenty-one years ago (in 1989), the government of Canada promised to end child poverty by the year 2000. In 2000, not only had they not kept the promise - the child poverty rate was even higher. Today, ten years after the goal date, the broken promise remains. This year’s annual report published by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives –Nova Scotia and Campaign 2000 reports that 14,000 Nova Scotia children were living in poverty in 2008. Based on the most recent available data (for 2008), the report card shows that there has been some progress made, however.

NOTE: This is one of a series of provincial reports all released under the Campaign 2000 banner on November 24 (2010), the anniversary of the 1989 unanimous House of Commons resolution to end child poverty by the year 2000. For links to the complete collection of federal and provincial reports and (selected) related media coverage, go to the Children, Families and Youth Links (NGO) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/chnngo.htm

Earlier related report
from the CCPA Nova Scotia Office:

The Cost of Poverty in Nova Scotia
October 26, 2010
Did you know that poverty costs Nova Scotia at least $1 billion per year?
A new report released by the CCPA-NS puts numbers to the cost of poverty in Nova Scotia for the very first time.
The Cost of Poverty in Nova Scotia, written by Angella MacEwan and Christine Saulnier, reveals that the cost of poverty in Nova Scotia is an estimated 5-7% of GDP, or $1400 to $1700 for each Nova Scotian household.

Complete report:

The Cost of Poverty in Nova Scotia (PDF - 822K, 34 pages)
By Angella MacEwen and Christine Saulnier
October 16, 2010
The Nova Scotia Government’s 2009 Poverty Reduction Strategy sets out dual goals of reducing poverty and creating opportunities for prosperity. Inherent in this vision is an understanding that when we help those in need, we make Nova Scotia a better place to live for everyone. As has been so aptly demonstrated by the research of Richard Wilkinson and Kate Pickett in their book The Spirit Level [Facebook link], money spent on reducing poverty and inequality is an investment in all of our futures. [Excerpt from the Introduction]

News Release:
Poverty costs Nova Scotia over $1billion a year
October 16, 2010
HALIFAX- The total economic cost of poverty in Nova Scotia is at least $1.5 to $2.2 billion dollars per year, accounting for between 5% - 7% of Nova Scotia’s GDP in 2008. The portion of the total cost borne by society (the social cost) is at least $500 to $650 million dollars. This corresponds to 6% - 8% of Nova Scotia’s 2007/2008 budget, or around $1,400 to $1,700 for each Nova Scotian household

Source:
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) - Nova Scotia Office
[ CCPA National Office ]
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives is an independent, non-partisan research institute concerned with issues of social, economic and environmental justice. Founded in 1980, the CCPA is one of Canada’s leading progressive voices in public policy debates.

Also from the
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives:

Related materials:

Fast Facts: The Cost of Poverty in Nova Scotia (PDF - 400K, 2 pages)
October 2010
The estimated economic costs of poverty for 2008 are broken down as follows:
1. Health Care Costs: $241 million or 6.7% of the Nova Scotia government’s health care budget.
2. Crime Costs: between $30 and $60 million represents Nova Scotia’s costs as a per capita share of the national cost of crime.
3. Cycle of Poverty or Intergenerational transfer of poverty costs: between $12 and $21 million in social costs and $91 to $160 million/year after taxes in private costs.
4. Lost productivity – $135 to $200 million in lost government revenue (the social cost) and $930 million to $1.3 billion in lost market income (the private cost).

Source:
CCPA Nova Scotia Office
[ Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA)

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Nova Scotia
Provincial Election Resources
Source:
Election Almanac
- complete coverage of federal, provincial and territorial elections in Canada including election results, public opinion polls, ridings and candidates, election news, electoral history, links, and more

- Go to the Political Parties and Elections Links in Canada (Provinces and Territories) page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/politics_prov_terr.htm

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Vital Signs reports released in 15 Canadian cities
October 5, 2010
Vital Signs is part of a growing nation-wide initiative by Canadian community foundations to measure quality of life and take action to improve it.
On October 5, fifteen local Vital Signs report cards were released by community foundations across Canada.

Local Reports
Click the link above to access
reports for each participating city and area:
* Saint John (NB) * Lunenburg County (NS) * Montreal * Ottawa * Toronto * Hamilton * Kingston * Kitchener & Waterloo, Cambridge & North Dumfries * London * Calgary * Medicine Hat * Southeastern Alberta * Red Deer & District * Victoria * Vancouver

* Lunenburg County Community Fund, Community Foundation of Nova Scotia : Vital Signs 2010

National Report:
Canada's Vital Signs 2010 (October 2010)

Source:
Vital Signs
Vital Signs is an annual check-up conducted by community foundations across Canada that measures the vitality of our communities, identifies trends, and shares opportunities for action in at least ten areas critical to quality of life. Since Toronto's first Vital Signs publication, the Report has been adopted by 16 communities across Canada and is now conducted nationally by Community Foundations of Canada.

Related link:

Community Foundations of Canada
We are the Canadian movement for community vitality, representing 174 Community Foundations across the country. Together, we help Canadians invest in building strong and resilient places to live, work and play.

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Nova Scotia Report Card on Child and Family Poverty 2009 (PDF - 214K, 23 pages)
November 2009
While Nova Scotia remains within the group of provinces with lower rates of child poverty, policymakers and elected representatives (those with the power to legislate the end of poverty) must act quickly and decisively to expand the progress achieved in recent years. Specific, targeted policies are needed to ensure that poverty rates and gaps are The Nova Scotia Child Poverty Report Card 2009 Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives–Nova Scotia 18 reduced for particular groups where there is greater risk of children and their families being exposed to poverty and the potential harm it carries. Most notably, income assistance rates need to be increased to a level that will provide families with children, who depend on welfare income, an annual income that will raise families out of poverty.

15,000 Nova Scotia children still in poverty
Press Release
November 23, 2009
HALIFAX, NS - Nova Scotia Child Poverty Report Cards have recorded changes in child poverty since 1999. Each annual card has tracked progress on the government of Canada’s 1989 promise to end child poverty. The report released today, by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Nova Scotia, is the tenth card, and is being released on the 20th anniversary of Canada’s promise to eliminate poverty by the year 2000.

Source:
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) - Nova Scotia Office
[ CCPA National Office ]

Related link:

Campaign 2000

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Province of Nova Scotia Financial Review
Interim Report
7 August 2009
The people of Nova Scotia elected a new Government on 9th June 2009, and the newly appointed Executive Council was sworn in on 19th June, 2009. During the election campaign the new Government committed to an immediate review of the Province.s finances upon entering office. Deloitte & Touche LLP has been contracted to assist the new Government of Nova Scotia with an independent review and analysis of the Province of Nova Scotia.s current and future financial position.
Source:
Deloitte & Touche LLP

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Cost and Affordability of a Nutritious Diet in Nova Scotia:
Report of 2007 Food Costing (PDF - 1.3MB, 28 pages)
A project of the Nova Scotia Food Security Networking partnership with community partners,
the Department of Health Promotion and Protection, and Mount Saint Vincent University
Released April 2008

"(...) The reasons for concern about income-related food insecurity can be understood when we examine the following statistics:
• 14.6% of Nova Scotians households (approximately 132,400 households) reported either moderate or severe income-related food insecurity in 2004. Nova Scotia is the only province with significantly higher levels than the national
average (9.2%).
• Although Nova Scotia has seen modest increases in minimum wage and Income Assistance rates in the past couple of years, these rates have consistently been shown to be inadequate to allow individuals and families to meet their basic needs.
• 18,417 Nova Scotia citizens accessed a food bank in March 2007.5 Research shows this represents only 1/4 to 1/3 of those experiencing food insecurity."

[ More reports and publications
about food security and food costing ]

Source:
Nova Scotia Food Security Network

- Go to the Food Banks and Hunger Links page: http://www.canadiansocialresearch.net/foodbkmrk.htm

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Homeless in Halifax: New report card
March 24, 2009
By Michael Shapcott
A total of 1,252 people stayed in homeless shelters in Halifax, Nova Scotia, in 2008, according to the first-ever Halifax Report Card on Homelessness 2009, which was released today. The report, prepared by Community Action on Homelessness, provides a grim accounting of the poor health and terrible conditions facing people who are homeless in a community that is, for many Canadians, a picturesque port city on Canada's eastern coast. The report documents the meagre investments in affordable homes by federal and Nova Scotia governments, and sets out a series of practical and pragmatic actions to end homelessness in Halifax.
Source:
Wellesley Institute Blog:
[ Wellesley Institute ]

Related links:

Halifax Report Card on Homelessness 2009 (PDF - 10MB, 20 pages)

Community Action on Homelessness (Halifax)
Our mission - to work in partnerships within our community, to advance community solutions
that address homelessness, and the right to a home as a key to the 'quality of life' for everyone in our community.

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Report on child poverty in NS (PDF - 110K, 2 pages)
November 2008
By Pauline Raven

Related links From Campaign 2000:

Family Security in Insecure Times:
The Case for a Poverty Reduction Strategy for Canada -
2008 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Canada (PDF - 167K, 6 pages)
[ version française:
Rapport 2008 sur la pauvreté des enfants et des familles au Canada (PDF - 565K, 8pages) ]

Poverty Reduction a Strategic Move in Downturn--Campaign 2000 Released New Report Card
Press Release
21 November 2008
OTTAWA – The federal government would make a timely strategic move if it invested now to reduce stubborn poverty rates in Canada, says a new report by Campaign 2000. The 2008 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Canada, available at www.campaign2000.ca, shows the nation’s child poverty rate is almost what it was in 1989 when Parliament unanimously resolved to end child poverty by the year 2000.

Provincial report cards
- includes links to the latest report and earlier years for : * British Columbia * Alberta * Saskatchewan * Manitoba * Ontario * New Brunswick * Nova Scotia

Campaign 2000
Campaign 2000 is a cross-Canada public education movement to build Canadian awareness and support for the 1989 all-party House of Commons resolution to end child poverty in Canada by the year 2000.

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11,000 Atlantic millionaires and 77,000 households
mired in debt: Rich-poor gap grows as region loses wealth
September 2008
Press Release
A new report entitled Financial Security and Debt in Atlantic Canada examines trends in household wealth since the 1980s—in Canada as a whole and in the Atlantic region. In particular, it looks at trends in wealth distribution, including Atlantic Canada’s share of national wealth and in the portion of wealth owned by the top, middle and lower wealth groups.

Financial Security and Debt in Atlantic Canada
September 2008
By Kimberley Tran and Ronald Colman
Complete report (PDF - 7.1MB, 136 pages)

Source:
GPI Atlantic
GPIAtlantic is an independent, non-profit research and education organization committed to the development of the Genuine Progress Index (GPI) – a new measure of sustainability, wellbeing and quality of life.

Related link:

Poverty issue still percolating
Editorial
September 8, 2008
The latest report from GPI Atlantic on poverty in the region reaches back 21?2 millennia to quote Aristotle’s observation that “revolutions arise from inequalities.” That’s followed with a more contemporary reference to 2005 riots in France, “a poignant reminder of the potential consequences of marginalizing the poorest households.”
Source:
The Cape Breton Post

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Economic Security in Nova Scotia (PDF - 1.7MB, 66 pages)
July 16, 2008
The report uses an aggregate index, based on security from the economic risks imposed by four key factors – unemployment, illness, old age, and single parenthood – to examine trends in economic security in Nova Scotia from 1981 to 2007. It concludes that economic security in Nova Scotia decreased during the 1981-2007 period.
Source:
Centre for the Study of Living Standards (CSLS)

Other CSLS reports - 50+ links to reports going back to 1997

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Cost and Affordability of a Nutritious Diet in Nova Scotia:
Report of 2007 Food Costing (PDF - 1.3MB, 28 pages)
Released April/2008
A project of the Nova Scotia Food Security Network in partnership with community partners, the Department of Health Promotion and Protection, and Mount Saint Vincent University

Related link:

Rising food costs hitting home
Already many in Nova Scotia can’t afford to eat properly
June 11, 2008
"(...) The 2007 food costing research found that many households in our province, especially families who are getting by on low-wage incomes or social assistance, simply cannot afford to fill their cupboards and refrigerators with healthy foods.
(...) A woman raising two children on a minimum wage paycheque is at especially high risk for food insecurity, according to the project’s 2007 findings released this spring. Every month, after all the expenses of shelter, utilities, transportation, clothing and food are factored in, this young mother would be in a deficit of $8.31. She’d be even worse off when her little girl turned six and she no longer received the Universal Child Care Benefit of $100 a month. If that same woman were on welfare, she would have $127.96 a month to spend on "extras," but only if she were receiving additional financial assistance to go to school or look for work. Without that extra money, she would be even further behind...."
Source:
Halifax Chronicle-Herald

COMMENT : The Welfare Wall
[By Gilles]
The preceding paragraph comparing the financial situation of a woman with two kids on welfare vs minimum wage income is a good illustration of what is called "the welfare wall" in welfare reform parlance. All Canadian welfare programs offer some types of non-cash assistance assistance to their clients, such as coverage for prescription drugs, dental and vision care - although these types of aid are generally limited by restrictive terms and conditions (e.g., some provinces require an employable person to be in receipt of welfare for a specified time period before they qualify for non-emergency dental care).

In the above example, the household on welfare would have just under $130/month left after paying for shelter, utilities, transportation, clothing and food. If the head of that household gets a full-time job at minimum wage (which is not likely, since most minimum wage earners don't work for the full year), the family would be $8 in the hole each month --- hardly an incentive for someone to make the leap to the workforce. Recognizing this, several jurisdictions offer special work-related allowances for such things as transportation and work-appropriate clothing to encourage people to join or rejoin the labour force, and many also offer extended coverage for some non-cash health-related benefits. Note that these are not new options in the ongoing efforts to reform Canadian welfare programs --- the Canada Assistance Plan (federal legislation that enabled federal contributions to provincial welfare costs) shared in the cost of these incentives from 1966-67 until it was replaced in 1996 by the Canada Health and Social Transfer.

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Child poverty in Nova Scotia: The facts (PDF file - 370K, 9 pages)
November 24, 2007
By Pauline Raven, Lesley Frank and Renee Ross

Related link:

Campaign 2000 Report on Child and Family Poverty in Canada
Main page - includes links to both the French and English media releases and reports, as well as links to national report cards for previous years and for selected Canadian provinces.
[ Campaign 2000 ]

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How to reduce poverty? Begin by knocking down barriers
By Katherine Reed
Letters/Opinion
September 26, 2007
It won’t be difficult to identify the causes of poverty in this province and to lay out strategies for dealing with them. Just ask a few poor people what would turn their economic fortunes around. You’ll probably come away with a list like this: a higher minimum wage, more affordable housing, a better welfare system, reforms to the Employment Insurance system so that most (instead of less than half) of the unemployed can get benefits, a provincewide affordable and accessible public transportation system, affordable post-secondary education, affordable child care, and sustainable rural economic development.
Source:
The ChronicleHerald.ca - Halifax

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Service Canada Regional Information:
Nova Scotia
This page provides information on region-specific services for Individuals, Business and Organizations.
Services include: Jobs * Financial Benefits * Employment Insurance * Taxes * Training and Careers * Identification Cards * Travel and Passports * Health * Consumer Information * Canada and the World * Environment and Resources * Economy * Public Safety * Culture and Recreation * Science and Technology.
Source:
Service Canada
Human Resources and Social Development Canada

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Council of Atlantic Premiers
This web site provides information on:
* the Council of Atlantic Premiers (CAP),
* the Council of Maritime Premiers (CMP), and
* the Conference of New England Governors and Eastern Canadian Premiers (NEG/ECP)
The website also provides convenient online access to Council publications, employee contact information, and to regional agencies and organizations as well as providing information on Working Together for Atlantic Canada: An Action Plan for Regional Co-operation (PDF- 492k, November 8, 2001).

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Nova Scotia Public Interest Research Group (NSPIRG)
NSPIRG is a non-profit, non-partisan social and environmental justice research and resource centre. Our mandate is to empower, educate, and inspire action on social justice and environmental issues at Dalhousie University, as well as in the broader Halifax community and Nova Scotia generally. We are a student and volunteer-driven organization working within an anti-oppression framework, and providing a range of events, opportunities, working groups, and campaigns to community members.
- incl. links to: Home - About Us - Events Calendar - Working Groups - Library - Funding - Links - Media - Contact Us - Advanced Search - Single Mothers' Survival Guide

Single Mothers’ Survival Guide - (Nova Scotia focus)
2006
In 1989, single mom and activist Brenda Thompson, published the first Single Mothers’ Survival Guide. The guide recognized the economic, social, and political hardships experienced by single mothers and offered specific and practical information on how to cope when living in poverty in the metro-Halifax area. This is the online version of the fifth edition of the book.

- incl. links to : Introduction - Single Mothers and Poverty Laws in NS - Social Assistance - Attitudes Towards "Welfare" Mothers - Legal Aid - Maintenance and Child Support - Children's Aid and Child "Welfare" - Employment - Education - Daycare - Housing - Transition Houses - Food and Food Banks - Sex Lives of Single Moms! - How To Become Politcally Active - Single Mothers Speak - Numbers to Know in Nova Scotia

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Workfare program fails women: report
May 25, 2006
"Provincial rules designed to get people off welfare and into the workforce are not working, according to a new study.The research project was done on behalf of women's centres in Antigonish, Sydney and Pictou County. The report, Struggling to Survive, was released Wednesday.Co-ordinator Rene Ross travelled to 11 communities last summer and spoke with 91 women who were on or had been on the Employment Support and Income Assistance (ESIA) program. (...) The report makes several recommendations, including abolishing the parental leave policy, raising the allowance rates by $75 a month, and letting women keep a greater share of their earnings."
Source:
CBC News Nova Scotia

Related Link:

Poverty group: Welfare system needs reform
Source:
The Chronicle Herald

Complete report and companion document:

Struggling to Survive: Women on Employment Support & Income Assistance (ESIA) in
Nova Scotia Provide Their Key Recommendations for Policy Reform (PDF file - 406K, 30 pages)
January 2006

Survival Strategies: Women on Employment Support & Income Assistance (ESIA) in
Nova Scotia Provide Their Key Recommendations for Policy Reform (PDF file - 250K, 21 pages)
May 2006

Partnering Women’s Centres:

Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre
Pictou County Women’s Centre
Every Woman’s Centre, Sydney
Funded by
Status of Women Canada, Women’s Program
May 2006

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Nova Scotia Office - Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Publications

Low-Income Families With Children Owed First Call on Government Surpluses
Press Release
November 24, 2006
HALIFAX - Authors of Nova Scotia's Child Poverty Report Card say each tax cut for an economically secure Canadian is a broken promise to a child living in poverty. The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives releases an annual report to record changes in the rates of child and family poverty each November. This year gives statistics for 2004, and shows there were well over one million (1,195,804) Canadian children living in families where income was below the Low-Income Cutoff — 33,791 living in Nova Scotia.

Complete report:

The Nova Scotia Child Poverty
Report Card 2006: 1989-2004 - PDF File, 358K, 29 pages)
by Pauline Raven, Lesley Frank & Rene Ross
November 24, 2006
Source:
Nova Scotia Office of the
Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives

Related Links from Campaign 2000: Canada’s Child Poverty Levels not Budging - New report shows child poverty “entrenched” in Canada over 25 Years Campaign 2000 23 November 2006 The rate of child and family poverty in Canada has been stalled at 17-18% over the past 5 years despite strong economic growth and low unemployment, according to a new report by Campaign 2000.

Single parent students have to choose between family needs and attending university
Press Release
December 8, 2005
"HALIFAX: Single parents face a monthly shortfall of between $180 and $415 while attending university according to study released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. The study, “Fairness in Education for Single Parents in Nova Scotia,” presents the first detailed examination of income and expenses for single parent-university students in Nova Scotia. The author, Katherine Reed, of the Antigonish Women’s Resource Centre, examined what would be the income and expenses of several single parent families, if the heads of the families were university students."

Complete report:

Fairness in Education for Single Parents in Nova Scotia (PDF file - 261 K, 20 pages)
December 2005

Source:
Nova Scotia Office
[ Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives - CCPA ]

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Nova Scotia makes poor showing on child poverty – report
Press Release
November 24, 2005
"HALIFAX: Child poverty in Nova Scotia has increased for the fourth year running and now stands at 20.7 percent, according to a report released today by the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives. The Nova Scotia Child Poverty Report Card, published annually since 1999, says this now puts one in five Nova Scotia children at risk of the many negative outcomes related to poverty, including poorer nutrition, poorer health, greater likelihood of failing in school and decreased economic prospects as they enter adulthood. Nova Scotia children in female lone-parent families are four times more likely to be affected than those in two-parent families. The report also finds that Nova Scotia continues to make less progress in reducing the rate of child poverty than any other province in the region."

Complete report:

The Nova Scotia Child Poverty Report Card 2005: 1989–2003 (PDF File - 508K, 20 pages)

Source:

The Nova Scotia Child Poverty Report Card 2004 (30pp, 839KB) November 2004 Source: Nova Scotia Office - CCPA - Publications Related Link: Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA) - National Office "The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives is an independent, non-partisan research institute concerned with issues of social and economic justice. Founded in 1980, the CCPA is one of Canada’s leading progressive voices in public policy debates. By combining solid research with extensive outreach, we work to enrich democratic dialogue and ensure Canadians know there are workable solutions to the issues we face. " Related Links: Child poverty: setting new goals November 24, 2004 CAROL GOAR "Giving up is not an option. But clinging to a faded dream is not a solution. So today, on the 15th anniversary of his parliamentary resolution to end child poverty by 2000, Ed Broadbent will set a new goal. He will challenge Canadians to reduce the child poverty rate to 5 per cent within 10 years. His new target lacks the tidy finality of the one he persuaded all MPs to endorse on Nov. 24, 1989, shortly before his retirement as leader of the New Democratic Party. It is less ambitious, less appealing.But Broadbent, who returned to active politics this year, believes it is realistic and achievable. He calls it 'a new agenda for a new time.' The child poverty rate currently stands at 15 per cent. It was 15.2 per cent when Broadbent issued his clarion call 15 years ago." Source: The Toronto Star Complete report: One million too many: Implementing solutions to child poverty in Canada 2004 report card on child poverty in Canada [pdf, 12pp, 186KB] November 24, 2004 Source: Provincial Child Poverty Report Cards: British Columbia, Alberta, Saskatchewan, Manitoba, Ontario, Nova Scotia NOTE: click the link above to access current and historical poverty reports for all six provinces. Source: Campaign 2000

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Employment Support and Income Assistance Report Released - Nova Scotia (welfare) "The Community Advocates Network, an alliance of people on assistance, their organizations, advocates and allies, in partnership with the Nova Scotia Association of Social Workers, conducted a study of the effect of the Employment Support and Income Assistance program which has been in effect for more than two years. The report arising from this study was released at a press conference on December 16th, 2003." Source: News and Events [ Nova Scotia Association of Social Workers ] IMPACT! The effect of Nova Scotia's new income assistance system on people who need assistance Complete report (PDF file - 155K, 23 pages) November 2003

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Homelessness in Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM): A Portrait of Streets & Shelters
January 2004
"The Halifax Regional Municipality Planning and Development department has recently instituted a webpage devoted to housing and homelessness in the Halifax area. In PDF format the 89 page report The Portrait of Streets and Shelters represents the first effort of the Halifax Regional Municipality to support the need for base knowledge on homelessness and related social issues."
[ Halifax Regional Municipality ]
Source:
PovNet (BC-based poverty network)

Complete report:

The Portrait of Streets and Shelters (PDF file - 3.2MB, 89 pages)
January 2004

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A Workbook on Food Security & Influencing Policy
Developed by the Food Security Projects
- incl. links to: Intro (Food for Thought) - What are we talking about? - Why care about food insecurity - What can we do about it? - What is policy? - How can we influence policy? - Strategies for Action - Resources and Tools - Fact Sheets and Handout - About this Workbook - How to use this Workbook - Questions Behind the Workbook - Acknowledgements - Bibliography

Bibliography and Useful Resources
- links to 50+ sites organized under the following headings : General Food Security Websites - Defining Food Security - Food Security, Families & Children, Communities, & Health - Food Security, the Environment and the Economy - Addressing Food Security - The Policy Process, Implementing Policy & Influencing Public Policy - Provincial/Territorial Food Security Groups

Source:
Atlantic Health Promotion Research Centre
Nova Scotia Nutrition Council

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Nova Scotia Government and General Employees Union (NSGEU)

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Nova Scotia Child Poverty Report Card
November 2000 
From the Annapolis Valley-Hants Community Action Program for Children 
Excellent report - Includes links to the following: What - Define - How? - Statistics - Causes - Impacts - Ending - Contacts
View the report card online by clicking above, or... 
Download the complete report (Word format, 17 pages, 376K) 

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GPI Atlantic - Genuine Progress Index for Atlantic Canada
"GPI Atlantic is a non-profit research group, founded in 1997, to develop an index of sustainable development and well being - the Genuine Progress Index. The Nova Scotia GPI consists of 22 social, economic and environmental components, including: Time Use - Natural Capital - Environment/Quality - Socioeconomic issues - Income Distribution - Social Capita"
- incl. links to : About Us | GPINews | Publications | Presentations | Articles/Press Releases | Media Clippings | Community GPI | Membership | Current Activities | Services | Directors/Researchers | Book Store | Search | Links | Environment | RealityCheck

 

Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)  ACOA  is a federal government agency headquartered in the Atlantic Region. ACOA's goal is to improve the economy of Atlantic Canadian communities through the successful development of business and job opportunities.  Five year report to Parliament, 1998-2003 (PDF file - 1.7MB, 86 pages)

 

Another Look at Welfare Reform Autumn 1997 - an in-depth analysis by the National Council of Welfare of changes in Canadian welfare programs in the 1990s. The report focuses on the provincial and territorial reforms that preceded the repeal of the Canada Assistance Plan and those that followed the implementation of the Canada Health and Social Transfer.  Complete report online (PDF - 6.75MB, 134 pages) - large file, but well worth the wait for detailed information on welfare reforms in the 1990s in each Canadian jurisdiction, as well as a national overview of the broad issues of welfare reform and the setting for welfare reform in Canada Source : National Council of Welfare --- Version française: Un autre regard sur la réforme du bien-être social Source: Conseil national du bien-être social

Atlantic Institute for Market Studies
- includes many reports and studies on CPP, transfer payments, UI reforms, pensions, the fishery, the welfare trap, etc.

Community Organization Network
"The Community Organization Network links people in Nova Scotia with disabilities and health challenges to resources and services that promote active healthy independent living"
Great resource for people with disabilities in Nova Scotia - hundreds of links to support organizations, and plenty of excellent content... 

Nova Scotia WorkinfoNET (NSWIN) - "Nova Scotia WorkinfoNET (NSWIN) is part of the pan-Canadian Canada WorkinfoNET partnership. Our goal is simple. We want to harness the delivery power of the Internet by creating a "clearing house" web site for dispensing information relevant to the needs of current and future members of Nova Scotia's work force". 
Incl. links to information in the following areas: Financial Help and Issues - Jobs, Work and Recruiting - Labour Market Information and Outlook - Learning, Education and Training - Self Employment - Workplace Issues and Supports - Occupations and Careers 

List of issues to be taken up in connection with the consideration of the third periodic report of Canada : United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights - Implementation of the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (June 10, 1998) 
Nova Scotia Government Response to the List of Issues - November 1998

Links to Sites Working for Positive Social Change and Social Justice (Chebucto Community Net) 
 
Child Care Connection
Halifax Regional Municipality Home Page
Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia
Union of Nova Scotia Municipalities
Virtual Nova Scotia Home Page

Site created and maintained by:
Gilles Séguin (This link takes you to my personal page)