Dear Khyber community,
The 2026-27 Nova Scotia budget doesn’t just propose cutting the arts; it cuts deeply into the lifeforce of our province. Arts, culture, community, specific L’nu, African Nova Scotian, youth, mental health programs, disability services, equity, and cultural education pathways would all take major losses, many of them tabled to be reduced by 50-100%. These aren’t abstract numbers or small savings within the provincial budget. This is a targeted gutting of programs.
Over 70 Nova Scotia Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage are being presented with cuts, including more than 25 arts and culture programs proposed to be fully decimated. This tabling is already affecting livelihoods, venues, festivals, publishers, museums, artist-run centres, and not-for-profit organizations that support artists and the public in big ways. We are already seeing job loss, program cancellation, and closures. The reductions being considered reach deeply and would have a significant economic impact, which is a point to stress to the Conservative government. The Canadian Chamber of Commerce’s 2025 report, Artworks: The Economic and Social Dividends from Canada’s Arts and Culture Sector, highlights that every dollar invested in the arts generates $29 in economic activity, underlining the significant economic impact of arts and cultural investments.
Several L’nu cultural programs are being presented with cuts ranging from 50% to complete elimination. Programs that support Mi’kmaq History Month, Mi’kmaq Cultural Activities, the Mi’kmaw Native Friendship Centre, Treaty Education, and the Tripartite Forum are set to be significantly reduced or fully cut. These cuts are racist. The 20% cut to the Mi’kmaw Language Revitalization Strategy conflicts with treaty responsibilities in Nova Scotia, undermining the protection of Mi’kmaq culture and language under the Peace and Friendship Treaties. These treaties promise the right to maintain Indigenous culture here, including language. Reducing funding drastically threatens programs that teach and preserve, and fails to maintain the government’s responsibility to uphold the legal obligations of the treaties.
The African Nova Scotian Affairs Community Engagement Program would be slashed by 20% in this budget, while essential cultural and heritage initiatives, including African Culture Activities and African Heritage Month, would face cuts of up to 50%. These programs were specifically designed to honour over 400 years of African Nova Scotian history, and combat the persistent inequities rooted in systemic anti-Black racism and oppression. These proposed cuts threaten to devalue initiatives that preserve cultural resilience and intergenerational knowledge. This budget was shared during Black History Month in Nova Scotia, sending a stark message and undermining the enormous contributions of African Nova Scotian communities. These cuts are racist.
Opportunities and Social Development lines also demonstrate deep cuts, including to disability programs. These would scale back community resource offerings, hearing aid assistance, independent living supports, and disability education and training. These services are essential: they influence people’s daily quality of life, their autonomy, and the ability of families and caregivers to offer sustainable support. These would be reductions in essential care and basic accessibility.
Youth programs would be hit hard. Major reductions to youth outreach, day programs, mentorship initiatives, summer programs, community youth supports, and family resources, will have far-reaching consequences. The Artists in Schools program, a bridge between professional artists and classrooms across Nova Scotia, would be eliminated entirely. Education lines are severely diminished in this budget. Cuts like these reduce opportunities for people to access creative learning, mentorship, cultural guidance, and safe community spaces at a time when youth mental health and belonging already need greater investment.
This version of the budget presents cuts to programs and organizations that keep Nova Scotians safer, healthier, trained, and engaged. There are drastic proposed reductions to early intervention and preventative supports that reduce isolation and support mental health. Addictions and Mental Health programs are facing major cuts, including trauma-informed care, strategy, and training programs. On top of this, the government’s plan to eliminate arts, cultural, community, and education programs—which provide social interaction, cognitive stimulation, and emotional expression—will only shift costs downstream. This will force crises to escalate and put additional pressure on our already strained healthcare system. This is not just short-term savings; the proposals in this budget would be a withdrawal from supports that prevent larger community harm.
At the Khyber, our provincial operational funding comes from Arts Nova Scotia. Many of their grants are tabled for elimination, and others would see a reduction of 30% overall within the Arts NS budget. Out of Line is a program by and for trans artists at the Khyber that offers monthly trans gatherings, skillshare, art making, guest artist mentorship, a public exhibition, and events. This program was made possible for the past two years through Artists in Communities. This grant no longer exists within this proposed budget.
The pattern across this current budget is clear. Social services and cultural activities are not extras or luxuries, and should not be considered discretionary. The government is seeking to make cuts to lifelines in Nova Scotia.
Sectors are ready to work collaboratively with the province, but this requires transparency, stable funding, and a willingness to revisit decisions that cause disproportionate damage. The long-term costs of withdrawing these supports will far exceed the short-term savings identified in this budget. We are seeing a proposal of $130 million in grants gone, which is less than 1% of their projected $18.9 billion budget. And this isn’t it. The government says it plans to continue cutting more each year moving forward. Thoughtful reinvestment and active conversation will be essential to ensuring that Nova Scotia’s cultural and community infrastructure can endure. Right now, we need to fight, and we need to do this together.
What can we do in this moment?
CONTACT YOUR MLA + THE PREMIER.
On top of this, Halifax’s budget is still being considered, and we are seeing proposed cuts that align with the nightmare being tabled by our province. CONTACT YOUR COUNCILLOR + THE MAYOR.
Letter templates and tools for provincial and municipal action can be found here: www.khyber.ca/arts-funding-advocacy
RALLY. Come out to these two demonstrations:
Shoulder to Shoulder Rally: Tuesday, March 3, 12PM, Province House (Nova Scotia Legislature)
Join communities and Mi’kmaq rights defenders standing against exploitation, environmental destruction, and greed.
Rally For Arts: Wednesday, March 4, 12PM, Province House (Nova Scotia Legislature)
Defend arts and cultural programs.
Sincerely yours, with love and rage,
Hannah Guinan, Executive Director & The Khyber’s Board of Directors
P.S. Grant Reductions – Details by Department for 2026-27 can be viewed here: www.halifaxexaminer.ca/wp-content/uploads/2026/02/Grant-Reductions-Media-Feb-24-Final.pdf