StudentsNS concludes its largest Advocacy Week

For Immediate Release

Halifax, N.S. – Last week, StudentsNS successfully held advocacy meetings with MLAs from all three provincial parties. Delegates from StudentsNS’s member schools met with approximately half of the sitting Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs) over the course of two days.

“This was a fantastic opportunity for us to meet face-to-face with the decision-makers of this province and impress upon them the importance of student-centered investments to keep our youth in Nova Scotia,” said Fallis Thompson, Chair of StudentsNS. “We have a huge problem with outmigration in Nova Scotia; we have developed budgetary asks that will attract and keep our youth here and fulfill the goals of the OneNS coalition.”

Delegates presented the MLAs with the StudentsNS 2016 pre-budget submissionand outlined the key investments that must be made to better the future for our students in Nova Scotia. Students presented on student financial assistance, support for underrepresented groups, and the need to provide Medical Services Insurance (MSI) coverage to international students.

“Our delegates used this opportunity to its fullest potential and clearly articulated to the MLAs the need for investment in the post-secondary sector,” said Nick Head-Petersen, Executive Director of StudentsNS. “It is now up to the government to recognize the need for such targeted investments in the youth of Nova Scotia and implement our suggestions in the upcoming budget.”

These past two days have been about creating a positive change in the post-secondary system, addressing student debt to allow students to stay in Nova Scotia, and ensuring access and affordability increase in the Nova Scotia post-secondary education system.

StudentsNS would like to thank all of the MLAs and staff that met with our delegations over the past two days and listened to our concerns. As well, StudentsNS would like to thank the staff from the party offices and MLA constituency offices that helped to organize our successful Advocacy Week.

For more information, please contact:

Nick Head-Petersen, Executive Director
Phone: 902 293 7232
Email: director@studentsns.ca

Or

Fallis Thompson, Chair of StudentsNS
Phone: 902 585 2127
Email: chair@studentsns.ca

Students Nova Scotia is a not-for-profit and non-partisan advocacy and research group that represents post-secondary students from across Nova Scotia. Our members include Acadia, Cape Breton, Saint Mary’s, and St. Francis Xavier Universities, the Kingstec and Annapolis Valley Campuses of the Nova Scotia Community College, and the Atlantic School of Theology.