News

Today, the Nova Scotia Government announced a partnership with Junior Achievement of Nova Scotia that will ensure Nova Scotia students are provided with information about student assistance beginning in grade nine. StudentsNS celebrates the government’s partnership as it will mean that are students are better equipped to make financial decisions surrounding post-secondary education.

The Canadian Alliance of Student Associations (CASA) and Students Nova Scotia (StudentsNS) have completed a week of meetings in Nova Scotia, addressing issues pertaining to post-secondary education and youth. The focus of these meetings is too ensure Nova Scotian decision makers understand that students stand united both provincially and federally on a number of key issues.

The ONE Nova Scotia Coalition officially released their report entitled “We Choose Now” today and StudentsNS is optimistic about its impacts for youth. Nova Scotians have heard time and time again that “the status quo will not be good enough.” Now, the ONE Nova Scotia Coalition has begun to chart a path forward.

Saint Mary’s University students were notified of the results of the government allowing a one-time market adjustment. Saint Mary’s announced they would take advantage of the government’s decision and raise tuition, beginning next year. Students’ tuition will rise anywhere from a few hundred dollars to over a thousand dollars per year beginning in 2016-2017. This is another example of the cost of university being transferred directly to students.

Students are excited today because the government has launched MyNSfuture.ca. This portal will change the way students, both current and prospective, access post-secondary education in this province.

Students from across Nova Scotia have come together to set the priorities for StudentsNS for the 2015-2016 year. StudentsNS has prioritized six areas for this year in its 2015-2016 Annual Plan: government relations and advocacy, diverse representation in student leadership, inclusion of colleges, bilateral agreements and outcome measures, better engagement of students, and internal policies.

With the recent sexual assault charges that were laid on a student at Acadia University, students across the province are reminded again of the importance of ending the rape culture on our campuses.

StudentsNS welcomes Nick Head-Petersen as its 8th Executive Director. Nick graduated from St. Francis Xavier University, in 2013, with a Bachelor of Science in biology. During his time at StFX, Nick served as Students’ Union President in 2012-2013 and sat on the Board of Directors of StudentsNS. After completing his undergraduate degree, Nick attended the University of Victoria where he completed a Masters of Public Health, with a focus in Indigenous Health.

Student leaders across Nova Scotia expressed concern on Thursday over the recent decision in the Canadian Federation of Students (CFS) lawsuit against the Cape Breton University Students’ Union (CBUSU). In that decision, an Ontario Superior Court justice ordered CBUSU to pay $293,000 in damages to the CFS, in addition to their court costs. CBUSU was prompted to leave the CFS after a 2008 campus-wide disaffiliation vote where 92% percent supported leaving.

Notwithstanding legislation brought forward yesterday, the Government of Nova Scotia has undermined university accountability according to Students Nova Scotia. By deregulating tuition at Nova Scotia’s universities, the Government has granted the institutions more financial control than anywhere else in Canada, while also excluding students from the Memorandum of Understanding negotiations with the universities for the first time since 2005.