Students Respond to the Nova Scotia Provincial Budget

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 24, 2026

Students Respond to the Nova Scotia Provincial Budget

Halifax, NS - Yesterday, the Government of Nova Scotia released Budget 2026-27, which saw investments in student housing development, and healthcare program development and access. Students Nova Scotia welcomes the government's allocation of an additional $6.7M into the student financial assistance program to allow more students to access it in the upcoming year. 

“Investments in healthcare and housing are critical to strengthening our province, however, we remain deeply concerned about the lack of expanded funding for post secondary student financial support which continues to see demand exceeding available resources,” says Rebecca Seymour, Chair of Students Nova Scotia and Executive Vice President of the Cape Breton University Students’ Union. 

Students remain concerned about the lack of meaningful investment in the student financial assistance program, and the sector overall – both of which continue to be largely underfunded and based on outdated models. It has been over a decade since there have been any meaningful increases to the amount that a student can receive under the current program, resulting in many students being faced with more financial need than the program can meet. This lack of investment in student financial assistance is especially concerning given the potential sunsetting of the temporarily increased Canada Student Grants program which is set to revert back to 2016 levels by the end of the year. Over the last number of years, students have been disproportionately impacted by the rising costs of living coupled with the high costs of attending post secondary education. 

“We are pleased to see further funding being committed to student housing in today’s budget, particularly given the high cost of living that every student across the province is facing,” says Zahide Cam, Vice-Chair of Students Nova Scotia and Vice President Academic & External of the Acadia Students’ Union. “The development of more student housing is a critical step to ensuring that students can study without the extra burden of navigating a precarious housing market.”

Once again, the government is leaving a number of opportunities on the table, and students in our province will be the ones feeling the brunt of this inaction. Today’s budget also missed several opportunities for strategic investments in work-integrated learning, campus accessibility, and sector sustainability.

“Young people are the future of this province and will be vital as Nova Scotia evolves and transforms in the coming years,” says Brendan Roberts, Executive Director of Students Nova Scotia. “Given that post secondary education is a key driver of economic growth, students and graduates have a critical role to play. We look forward to continuing the important work of ensuring that the voices of students are well represented in the decisions that the government makes on their behalf.”

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Media contact:

Brendan Roberts

Executive Director, Students Nova Scotia

E: director@studentsns.ca | P: (902)-476-2367