News

Today, Students Nova Scotia (StudentsNS) and its partner student unions launched an education campaign to promote greater understanding of consent among students. The campaign features posters, stickers for condom wrappers and a website: morethanyes.ca. The website will be advertised on social media platforms around high-risk times (Friday nights, special school events) with a simple, powerful message: tentative responses such as “I guess” or even “…sure” are inadequate. Consent needs to be loud and clear.

A report released today by Students Nova Scotia recommends significant changes in policies impacting student housing. It argues that a widespread failure to plan for students is aggravating the housing challenges facing all low-income renters in university communities across Nova Scotia, and that the rules intended to protect tenants from abusive landlords are inadequate.

Students were very pleased today to see the Nova Scotia Government approve a 10-cent increase to the province’s minimum wage, keeping it near the basic standard set by the low income cut off (LICO). Since 2004, the minimum hourly wage in Nova Scotia has risen from $6.50 to $10.40.

Today, Students Nova Scotia (StudentsNS) released Student Safety in Nova Scotia: A Review of Student Union Policies and Practices to Prevent Sexual Violence. The independent Review includes 21 recommendations for student union programming and advocacy to reduce the prevalence of sexual violence and foster communities where students respect and support each other.

Today, Students Nova Scotia (StudentsNS) launched its #StudentsSpeakOut campaign to bring attention to the financial difficulties that many students confront and how these impact on the entire province’s wellbeing. The campaign includes video interviews with students and a petition to the Province’s MLAs.

Nova Scotia can build the strongest student financial assistance system in Canada simply by redirecting money the Province already spends on students and graduates, according to a report released today by Students Nova Scotia (StudentsNS). The report finds that the Province’s Graduate Retention Rebate and Tuition and Education Tax Credit have little to no impact on retention, debt, or post-secondary access. By reallocating $40 million from these tax credits, the Province could dramatically improve its student assistance program to meet student needs for funding, ensure students’ parents or partners are not expected to provide support they cannot afford, and dramatically reduce student debt.

A report released today by Students Nova Scotia reveals that women are significantly under-represented in university student government across the Province. The State of Women’s Involvement in Post- Secondary Student Politics in Nova Scotia found that although almost 60% of university students identify as women, the same is true of only 41% of student government representatives and less than 1/3 of student union presidents since 2007-08.

Students Nova Scotia (StudentsNS) is welcoming the Kingstec Nova Scotia Community College Student Association (NSCCSA) as its newest member. The Kingstec NSCCSA voted to join StudentsNS as an Associate Member, joining 87% of Nova Scotia university students in the province’s primary student advocacy organization.

Students Nova Scotia, the provincial advocacy group representing 37,000 Nova Scotia post-secondary students, welcomed Nova Scotia’s new provincial government today. The Liberal Party made multiple commitments to students en route to its election win this past Tuesday.

Nova Scotia students welcomed the NDP’s commitment this weekend to continue increasing the minimum wage based on the Low Income Cut Off (LICO).