On Tuesday February 25 2020 the Nova Scotia government tabled what they claimed to be a balanced budget: a budget that lowered corporate taxes and reduced per capita social expenditures. The theme of this budget is “Better Together,” which promotes the idea that a collective response to our current struggles is needed. The content of the budget has incremental changes in that direction, but ultimately falls short of that promise.
As election day quickly approaches, although there has been much talk about how the Canada Child Benefit has lifted children out of poverty elsewhere in the country, there has been little attention paid to how benefit policies unintentionally deepen poverty when children are temporarily taken into care by a child welfare agency.
The purpose of this project is to develop an advocacy paper to articulate the core values and principles that should frame and drive policy decisions to foster greater well-being and mental wellness. We want to create a critical discourse on the political, economic and social issues that impact the mental wellness of Nova Scotians. We… Read more »
Re: “Health sermon thinly veiled poor-bashing.” I read with anticipation Gail Lethbridge’s column in your July 28 edition. This was in response to the Chester-St. Margaret’s MLA’s recent controversial comments linking chronic disease to lifestyle choices. I was hopeful I’d find words of wisdom about our collective responsibility to address systematic inequalities in our province…. Read more »
The Department of Community Services (DCS) recently rolled out changes to the Income Assistance programs which aim to help low-income Nova Scotians. Kelly Regan, Minister of Community Services, stated that these changes were brought in because: “We want all Nova Scotians to have the dignity, self-esteem, and self-confidence they need to move their lives forward…. Read more »
Social workers consistently face tensions between our professional values and ethics and the demands of our employers. Child protection social workers face these tension on a daily basis. They work in one of the most demanding and challenging social work roles, as they work with involuntary clients, in emotionally-taxing situations, and within the confines of… Read more »
NS social workers are facing a burnout crisis. Stats released by the NDP show an increase of nearly 10,000 short-term illness hours from 2013-14 to 2016-17. Referrals to child protection services also increased over that time. These stats reflect a system that is not supportive of the workers in it and which has a huge… Read more »
CONNECTION is the official newsletter of the Nova Scotia College of Social Workers.
