CCPA Nova Scotia
@ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
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Your source for progressive economic & social policy research in Nova Scotia, providing public commentary & opinion on alternative policy positions.
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ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
Just released: 2025 Living Wages Report for NL, NS, & PEI. Too many households in Atlantic Canada struggle to make ends meet - their earnings don't cover basic living expenses. Govts & employers must act to address the affordability crisis. Learn more: bit.ly/2025livingwa...
#NSpoli #NLpoli #PEIpoli
ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
Nearly 10 million Canadians — 1 in 4 — faced food insecurity in 2024, a 15% jump from the year before. 🍽️ Join the national dialogue on poverty & solutions.

🗓️ Oct 17 | 12–2 PM ET
🔗 Register:
tinyurl.com/4bfasm4s

#IDEP
#IDEP2025
#EndPoverty
#EndChildPoverty
#SDGs
#CdnPoli
A Future Without Poverty: National Dialogue 2025
October 17, 2025 - Webinar - 12:00 - 2:00 PM EST
Join us on the United Nations International Day for the Eradication of Poverty in exploring poverty and inequality in Canada, spotlighting solutions, and building momentum for lasting change.
ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
Nova Scotia workers deserve better. Our new report finds outdated labour laws, weak enforcement, and growing gaps for vulnerable workers.

Read more: www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...

#nspoli #workersrights #LabourStandards #DecentWorkNS #CanLab
The Foundations of Decent Work: An Evaluation of Nova Scotia Labour Standards - CCPA
Foundations of Decent Work_ An evaluation of Nova Scotia Labour StandardsDownload
www.policyalternatives.ca
Reposted by CCPA Nova Scotia
policyalternatives.ca
The Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives is Canada’s leading progressive think tank. Let’s make a difference, together: Join us at policyalternatives.ca/Makeadifference
ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
Join the CCPA-Nova Scotia office for our 17th Annual Fundraising Gala Dinner on Thurs., Nov. 6th at Mount Saint Vincent University. The evening will include a delicious dinner, good company, & a live musical performance.

Get your tickets online: policyalternatives.ca/NSgala

#nspoli
Join the CCPA-Nova Scotia office for our 17th Annual Fundraising Gala Dinner
Join us and guest speaker Leilani Farha for a night of inspiring discussion, delicious food, and good company. With a live performance from The Women Next Door.
Thursday,  Nov. 6 | Doors open at 6 pm |Mount Saint Vincent University

GUEST SPEAKER
Leilani Farha, Global Director, The Shift

Musical guest
The Women Next Door

Get your TICKETS online:
policyalternatives.ca/NSgala

Tickets on sale now! GUEST SPEAKER
Leilani Farha, Global Director, The Shift
Leilani Farha is the Global Director of The Shift, an international human rights organization focused on the right to housing. She is a legal practitioner and holds a BA (Hons), LLB and MSW from the University of Toronto. Ms. Farha served as United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to adequate housing between 2014 and 2020. She is recognized by governments and grassroots movements alike for her human rights expertise and is a leading voice globally on international human rights law. She is the author of the first UN Guidelines for the implementation of the right to housing. She has spearheaded and co-authored standards on homelessness and the financialization of housing and has produced the first human rights guidelines for investors in residential real estate. She has worked with cities and national governments across the globe to assist them in the implementation of human rights. Ms. Farha is a regular contributor to news outlets including The Guardian, The New York Times, The Globe and Mail, CBC Canada, DW, and elsewhere. She currently co-hosts a podcast called PUSHBACK Talks and is the protagonist in the documentary film, PUSH, about the financialization of housing. Leilani also serves as a Commissioner at the International Commission of Jurists and is the former Executive Director of the non-profit organization, Canada Without Poverty.
Get your tickets online:
policyalternatives.ca/NSgala MUSICAL GUEST
The Women Next Door
The Women Next Door is a feminist and queer identified a cappella choir based in Halifax that has been singing together for over 30 years. They sing to make a statement, effect change, support like-minded community organizations and events, and for the pure love of it. They believe song and harmony can deliver a powerful message.
Get your tickets online:
policyalternatives.ca/NSgala
ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
NS’s new min. wage brings NS to the middle of the pack compared to the rest of Canada, but let’s remember that NS has some of the lowest average wages in the country & the gap between the min. & the living wage is growing. Read our 2025 Living Wages Report to learn more: bit.ly/4h0nqBt
#NSpoli
There’s still a big gap between Nova Scotia’s minimum wage and living wage.
Nova Scotia’s new minimum wage brings the province to the middle of the pack compared to the rest of Canada. While this is an improvement, let’s not forget that Nova Scotia has some of the lowest average wages in the country and the gap between the minimum and the living wage continues to grow.  Read our 2025 Living Wages Report to learn more. not everyone is even entitled to minimum wage.
All or certain classifications of the following employees are excluded:
Farm workers 
Apprentices 
Playground or summer camp staff
Sales and agents 
Fishing boat employees
Logging and Forestry workers 
Construction workers 
Property Maintenance
Domestic workers 
Supported employment
Athletes while engaged in activities related to their athletic endeavour
Self-employed and federally-regulated employees Nova Scotia Living Wage Gap
The new $16.50/hour minimum wage is $11.10/hour short of what workers need to make ends meet.
ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
Join us and the Halifax WAC for a conference, From Broken to Better: Fighting for Workplace Justice

📆 Saturday, September 27, 2025
9:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University

REGISTER FREE ONLINE: www.halifaxwac.ca/fall-confere...

#NSpoli
From Broken to Better: Fighting for workplace justice. Hosted with support from the Innis Christie Chair in Employment Law, CCPA-Ns, and the CLC Atlantic

Sep. 27, 9:30 - 4
Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University

Nova Scotia has some of the weakest labour standards in Canada. Too many workers face low wages, unsafe jobs, unpaid work, or unfair treatment; and the laws aren't keeping up. 

This one-day conference will bring together workers, unions, and community organizations to talk about how we can change that. 

Halifax Workers' Action Center - Register Free online
www.Halifaxwac.ca / info@halifaxwac.ca
ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
P.E.I's legal minimum wage needs to increase. The province's minimum wage is currently $16 per hour, which is 30% short of the $22.77 per hour workers need to make ends meet: bit.ly/48cInGP

#peipoli
P.E.I.’s legal minimum wage is only $16 per hour. That’s 30% short of the $22.77 per hour workers need to make ends meet.
"That’s a huge gap to the minimum wage. It is telling you that more needs to be done… Costs are not coming down. I don’t see the evidence or reasoning for stalling another small increase to the minimum wage."
– The Guardian quoting Christine Saulnier, CCPA-NS Director
ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
The @dalfaculty.bsky.social is still locked out. This lockout is unwanted by faculty & students, goes against fair & reasonable bargaining practices & is the latest example of the neoliberal push to make post-secondary more corporate & less equitable: bit.ly/4n40pQ8

#nspoli
The Dal faculty is still locked out.
Classes were supposed to start last Tuesday, but the lockout continues. This lockout, which is unwanted by faculty and students, goes against fair and reasonable bargaining practices and is the latest example of the neoliberal push in the Canadian academy toward a more corporate and less equitable post-secondary system.
ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
“We have the mechanisms to help working families and governments just really need to ensure that they use what they have. It all fits together..." @csaulnier.bsky.social tells the Guysborough Journal. Read the article here: bit.ly/3JFFcxs

#NSpoli
Governments have the tools to address the affordability crisis in nova scotia. They just have to use them.
We have the mechanisms to help working families and governments just really need to ensure that they use what they have. It all fits together. It’s both higher wages, higher income supports, more affordable housing, expanding public services, making sure that taxation is fair and progressive.
– Guysborough Journal quoting Christine Saulnier, Director, CCPA-NS
ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
Join us next Wed., Sept. 10th, 4-6pm for an event recognizing the importance of ensuring that the voices of women and gender-diverse people are heard and exert influence.

RSVP to [email protected]

#nspoli
ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
Despite recent increases, the minimum wage in Atlantic Canada is $6 to $12 short of what people need to cover basic living costs. The gap between what people need to earn & what the minimum wage has almost doubled since 2018. Learn more: bit.ly/2025livingwa...

#NLpoli #NSpoli #PEIpoli
There’s a big gap between minimum wages and living wages in N.L., N.s., and P.E.I.

The gap for NL is -$9.31
The gap for NS is -$11.90
The gap for PEI is -$6.77

Learn more: policyalternatives.ca/regions/nova-scotia/
ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
PEI’s living wage stays the same this year, but housing & food costs continue to hit low-income households hard. While the govt has done some good work around public transportation, child care, taxation & a new child benefit, there’s much more to be done.
#PEIpoli
Prince Edward Island Living Wage Rates
The living wage shows us not only what families need to survive, but also how public policy and employer action can close the affordability gap. PEI’s living wage has not increased this year, showing that even small changes can make a difference.
– Christine Saulnier, Director, CCPA-NS and co-author
REGION	RATES 2025	RATES 2024	% ANNUAL CHANGE
Charlottetown	$23.30	$23.30	0.00%
Summerside	$22.20	$22.20	0.00%

Provincial Weighted Average (working population): $22.77 in 2025; $22.77 in 2024 (annual increase: 0.00%).
ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
NL's living wage increased again. While some govt programs have blunted this increase, many fail to account for yrs of high inflation on essentials. There’s a need to increase eligibility cut-offs of govt programs so working people can qualify for much-needed supports.

#NLpoli
Newfoundland and Labrador  Living Wage Rates
Of course, employers need to take note of what is going on – their struggles to find workers are directly tied to the fact that people simply cannot afford to live on low wages. Employers need to recognize this reality, and governments need to act.
– Russell Williams, co-author and associate professor of political science at Memorial University

REGION	RATES 2025	RATES 2024	% ANNUAL CHANGE
Central	$24.40	$24.10	1.24%
Eastern	$25.40	$24.70	2.83%
Western	$24.40	$24.10	1.24%
Labrador-Northern Peninsula	$28.30	$27.30	3.64%

Provincial Weighted Average (working population): $25.31 in 2025; $24.70 in 2024 (annual increase: 2.45%).

LEARN MORE:
policyalternatives.ca/regions/nova-scotia/
ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
NS's living wage increased again, at a rate similar to last yr. Inflation has generally slowed, but many workers in NS struggle to afford essentials. There is a need for improved working conditions, redistributive income supports, fair taxation, & to regulate the costs of essentials.
#NSpoli
Nova Scotia Living Wage Rates
These rates reflect what workers are experiencing in our communities: it remains a struggle to make ends meet... Workers are having to go on picket lines to get what should already be theirs: decent wages that keep food on the table, rent paid, and the lights kept on.
– Suzanne MacNeil, with Justice for Workers Nova Scotia
REGION	RATES 2025	RATES 2024	% ANNUAL CHANGE
Annapolis Valley	$27.20	$26.20	3.82%
Cape Breton	$24.50	$24.00	2.08%
Halifax	$29.40	$28.30	3.89%
Northern	$25.50	$24.90	2.41%
Southern	$26.60	$25.20	5.56%
ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
Just released: 2025 Living Wages Report for NL, NS, & PEI. Too many households in Atlantic Canada struggle to make ends meet - their earnings don't cover basic living expenses. Govts & employers must act to address the affordability crisis. Learn more: bit.ly/2025livingwa...
#NSpoli #NLpoli #PEIpoli
ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
On Monday we're releasing the 2025 Living Wages Report for NL, NS and PEI. This report details regionally-specific living wages and highlights the significant challenges workers and families face as housing, food, and other essential costs continue to rise.

#NSpoli #NLpoli #peipoli
NEW REPORT COMING OUT!
This Monday, a week ahead of Labour Day, we’re releasing our 2025 Living Wages Report
ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
We cannot take human rights or democracy for granted. Join us on Wed., Sept. 10th, 4-6pm for an event recognizing the importance of ensuring that the voices of women and gender-diverse people are heard and exert influence.

RSVP to [email protected]

#Nspoli
Informed opinions | Perspectives plurielles
(formerly Informed Opinions)
Join us in building a more equitable, democratic Canada
Save the Date - Wednesday, September 10th
Help us celebrate 16 years of advocacy to create better public conversations and join a community committed to action.
Place: McCain Centre Atrium at Mount Saint Vincent University,    
             166 Bedford Highway
Time: 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm
RSVP to ccpans@policyalternatives.ca
We’re delighted to collaborate on this event with:
Alexa McDonough Institute for Women, Gender & Social Justice
CCPA Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives Nova Scotia Office
ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
There aren’t enough spaces for children in Nova Scotia’s licensed child care system. (@davidmaccdn.bsky.social, Cash Cow: Assessing child care space creation progress).

Check out @policyalternatives.ca's new report to learn more: www.policyalternatives.ca/news-researc...

#NSpoli #childcare
There aren’t enough spaces for children in Nova Scotia’s licensed child care system:
34% of children live in a child care desert (with fewer than 3 spaces for every 10 children)
36% have inadequate coverage (too few spaces for demand)
30% have access to the coverage target agreed to (59% of children have access to a space)
Rural families hit hardest: nearly 1 in 2 (47%) live in deserts vs. 1 in 5 (19%) in Halifax  (New CCPA report, David Macdonald, Cash Cow)
Check out CCPA’s new report to learn more:
policyalternatives.ca
ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
‪We stand in solidarity with the members of the @dalfaculty.bsky.social who have been locked out by their employer. We are appreciative of the public intellectual work that so many members do in partnership with us! A fair agreement must be met at the bargaining table. Solidarity.

#NSpoli
ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
New article: The first homelessness count in Western Nova Scotia shows that the housing crisis is deep.

"... efforts are being undermined by structural issues, such as insufficient affordable housing stock, inadequate income support, and limited access to health and social services."

#NSpoli
New article:
“Despite innovative and compassionate responses from frontline non-profit organizations, these efforts are being undermined by structural issues, such as insufficient affordable housing stock, inadequate income support, and limited access to health and social services.”
the first homelessness count in the western region of Nova Scotia shows the housing crisis is deep.
— Mary Sweatman, CCPA-NS Research Associate, and Associate Professor, Department of Community Development, Acadia University
ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
“Réduire les frais, c’est la chose la plus facile, dit-elle. Les autres provinces l'ont pris en charge, ajoute-t-elle. Les espaces, construire les garderies d’enfants, tout ça, ça prend plus de temps.” – Radio Canada quoting Christine Saulnier, CCPA-NS Director
www.bing.com/search?q=htt...
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2178401/frais-garderie-enfant-halifax-dispendieux - Bing
Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you.
www.bing.com
ccpanovascotia.bsky.social
“Je pense pas que ça va faire quelque chose pour la croissance économique au Nouveau-Brunswick, mais ça m’inquiète que ça pourrait avoir l’effet contraire” – Radio Canada quoting Christine Saulnier, CCPA-NS Director
www.bing.com/search?q=htt...
https://ici.radio-canada.ca/nouvelle/2177934/vente-alcool-producteurs-barriere-commerce - Bing
Intelligent search from Bing makes it easier to quickly find what you’re looking for and rewards you.
www.bing.com