Members of Nova Scotia’s arts and culture sector gather to protest recent budget cuts

HALIFAX –  

Opposition to the Nova Scotia government’s recent budget cuts grew a little louder Wednesday as hundreds of artists, musicians and members of heritage groups gathered for a boisterous protest outside the provincial legislature.

The Nova Scotia Arts Coalition, the advocacy group that organized the demonstration, said protests were planned in nine other communities across the province.

Last week, Premier Tim Houston’s Progressive Conservative government announced it would cut $130 million from government grants, reducing or eliminating funding for arts, tourism and culture programs, as well as money set aside for Indigenous and African Nova Scotian projects. 

Ken Schwartz, artistic director for the Two Planks and a Passion Theatre, said the cutbacks represent the worst thing to happen to Nova Scotia’s arts and culture sector in the 35 years he has worked as a director, playwright and an educator.

“It’s worse than what happened to us in the pandemic … and the downturn in 2008,” Schwartz said in an interview before the protest.

“These cuts, if they go through, will devastate us. We’re going to lose our jobs. We’re going to have to cut back on programming. A sector that has been nurtured and developed over decades will unravel in a matter of months.”

Schwartz, who works at the Ross Creek Centre for the Arts in Canning, N.S., said some grants for arts and cultural programming have been slashed by up to 100 per cent.

“It is clear that this government has targeted arts, culture and heritage,” he said. “The math says it all.”

At the protest in downtown Halifax, anti-government chants were accompanied by plenty of singing, music and artfully decorated protest signs. The message on one placard read, “Without a song or a dance, what do we have?” Another offered, “Defunding art? That’s so last season.”

Sara Coffin, co-artistic director of the contemporary dance company Mocean Dance, said the cuts will result in a 30 per cent reduction to the company’s operating budget. Aside from regular performances, the company offers community programming that includes working with seniors to help them create their own stories and choreography.

“It brings them connection, vitality and purpose,” Coffin said in an interview. “They find strength in their bodies and in their friendships … (But) all our programs are now jeopardized.”

Jacob Sampson, associate artistic director the 2b Theatre Company in Halifax, said the cuts will have a big impact on organizations that don’t have much financial room to spare.

“The reality is that the vast majority of these organizations are not-for-profit,” he said. “So every dime that we bring in, both from government funding … and fundraising, gets spent on workers, on goods and services and it’s spent here in Nova Scotia.”

Meanwhile, the raucous street protest — held under bright sunshine — marked the second time in as many days that demonstrators converged on the legislature to protest Houston’s cuts. On Tuesday, a First Nations-led protest attracted hundreds who took aim at the government’s resource extraction policies and accused the province of ignoring treaty obligations.

On Wednesday, the protesters’ raised voices could be clearly heard inside the legislative chamber as question period began.

“Thousands of Nova Scotians have reached out to make their voices heard about this government’s cruel cuts to programs, services and jobs,” said NDP Leader Claudia Chender. “The people outside know what is happening to their communities and they know that it’s wrong.”

Houston said he was aware of the impact his budget was having on people, but he argued the government has also made big investments in a number of areas, noting that overall spending has increased year over year.

“But right now it’s a difficult time,” he told the house of assembly, adding that he is opposed to raising taxes to deal with the province’s record $1.2-billion budget deficit. “We’ve had to make some difficult decisions.”

The premier, who leads a majority government, said he “can’t imagine” that any changes will be made to the budget before it becomes law.

“I know that the decisions we make have an impact on people and I carry that as premier and I accept that responsibility,” he told the legislature.

After question period, there were some tense moments as Houston left the legislature through the back door to reach his office across the street. Surrounded by security staff, the premier came face-to-face with dozens of angry, yelling protesters. He didn’t stop to talk to any of them.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 4, 2026.