Dear writers,

By now, you’ve likely heard news of the devastating budget cuts that the current Nova Scotia government wants to impose upon our arts, heritage, and culture sectors. I’m saddened to say that your Writers’ Fed will be heavily impacted by these cuts.

WFNS has long been supported by the province through an annual operational grant. Under the proposed austerity budget, our operational support will be reduced by 20% (from $120,000 down to $96,000) starting in April. In preparation for times like these, WFNS’s staff and Board have worked diligently over the past several years to move your Fed toward self-sufficiency: we want to ensure our slate of programs for Nova Scotian writers can grow, adapt, and sustain itself in any political weather. But we are not there yet, and this significant funding cut will reverberate throughout our entire operations, setting back our efforts toward financially sustainable programming by many years.

I’m also gutted to report that both the Department of Education and Arts Nova Scotia will see a full defunding of Artists in the Schools. This means all annual funding will be cut for our Writers In The Schools (WITS) program, which brings Nova Scotian authors into elementary and secondary schools to provide presentations, workshops, and readings for students of every grade. WITS encourages students’ enjoyment of reading and writing and engages them in the development of literacy skills. Without the small annual provincial investment of $65,000, the hugely impactful WITS program cannot continue as we know it after the end of March. In the coming weeks, we will work to determine what this means for the rest of the current school year and beyond.

The literary sector will see even further funding cuts under this proposed austerity budget: Nova Scotia’s Publisher Assistance Program (an annual investment of $700,000) will be entirely defunded. The loss of this vital program will result in a significant decrease of books being written and published in our province. This will be devastating for our sector.

Like us, you are probably angry, dejected, baffled, and in shock. But this proposed austerity budget has not yet been passed, and we hope that, like us, you are also fired up. You are all storytellers, and we need you to activate this superpower. Now is the time to remind our government that it serves Nova Scotians—and that the arts are vital to our economy, our communities, our health, our identities, and our quality of life.

Actions you can take to join us in opposing these unprecedented funding cuts:

• Call or write to your MLA. This is especially important if you live in a Conservative riding. You can find a template letter and recipient email addresses at nsarts.ca, and many helpful figures and talking points about the importance of our sector can be found in Nova Scotia Arts Coalition’s recent press release.
• Share your thoughts far and wide on social media. Tell the story of how a well-supported arts sector benefits your livelihood and your quality of life. You are welcome to use these images.
• Join the rally at Province House in Halifax on Wednesday, March 4, at noon. The entire sector is mobilizing to make sure this government hears our voices—and the voices of so many who cannot mobilize in person.

[Late addition: a second, cross-sector rally is being held on Tuesday, March 10, at noon.]

There will be many other opportunities to support WFNS directly in the coming months, whether through further advocacy, volunteerism, or simply extending us your understanding when our services and programs are affected. If you have the capacity, making a donation towards WFNS operations and programming remains the most impactful way for you to help WFNS weather this storm.

Our staff and board have a lot of work ahead of us as we prepare for the impact of these cuts on our operations and programming. We will continue to update you over the coming months as decisions are made and a path forward becomes clearer. In the meantime, please take care of yourselves and each other.

Yours in solidarity,

Oriana Duinker
Executive Director
Writers’ Federation of Nova Scotia