Over $10 Million in Transportation Cuts Threaten Nova Scotia Youth Programs
An opinion piece by the Ecology Action Centre details how more than $10 million in cuts to active and sustainable transportation funding in Nova Scotia jeopardizes youth mobility audits, leadership summits, and walk-to-school events that previously engaged tens of thousands of students annually.
During the March budget season, over $10 million in active and sustainable transportation funding across Nova Scotia was cut. While student bus passes, which had initially been eliminated, were reinstated at the last minute, other programs face significant jeopardy. Stephanie Johnstone-Laurette, a senior author and coordinator with the Ecology Action Centre, detailed the impact of these reductions in an opinion piece published by SaltWire Nova Scotia.
Programs such as youth mobility audits, leadership summits, and walk-to-school events previously engaged over 20,000 Nova Scotia students annually. Among these are IWALK (Walk to School Month) and Winter Walk Day, school events led by the Ecology Action Centre for over 20 years that engage an annual average of 23,000 students. The article cites $65,000 as an example amount lost for walking and cycling initiatives.
The cuts also affect broader civic engagement efforts. The Get Up & Get Organized Youth Summit held in Cape Breton inspired youth to address mobility, housing, food security, and planetary health issues. Participants from the Cape Breton youth summit took their learnings to MP Mike Kelloway, who acknowledged their work in the House of Commons.
According to the fact context surrounding the opinion piece, the funding reductions carry several impacts. These include the loss of jobs in non-governmental organizations and not-for-profits, as well as a reduction in opportunities for youth engagement and voice in shaping communities. The cuts pose threats to health, safety, and future sustainability due to reduced active transportation programs, with potential negative effects on rural and Indigenous communities where these programs provided critical connections. The reductions are also described as a setback for provincial strategies, including the Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act and the Let’s Get Moving Strategy.