SPRINGHILL – Cumberland South MLA Murray Scott says he shares the concern of constituents who fear service at the county's seven provincial library branches could be drastically reduced if the Department of Education cuts $300,000 from its annual operating budget.
 
"This is not something you do in the face of an impending skilled labour shortage," Scott said Thursday, noting that annually, Nova Scotia's libraries host over 11,000 public programs that support life-long learning and family literacy. 
 
Scott is calling on Marilyn More, Minister of Education and Labour and Workforce Development, to come up with a cost-cutting strategy that does not compromise the educational resources available to Nova Scotians.
 
Last week, the minister told a Halifax Chamber of Commerce luncheon that 38 per cent of Nova Scotians between the ages of 16 and 64 lack the skills needed to work in today's "knowledge-based economy."  More said this could result in a significant labour shortage throughout the province.
 
"Libraries are a tremendous resource in terms of providing all Nova Scotians with access to the virtually limitless information that exists in books and online," Scott said.
 
About 320,000 Nova Scotians have a free library card and use it to borrow approximately 7.2 million books annually. Most branches log thousands of hours in Internet time every year.
 
"We want the NDP government to assure Nova Scotians that this level of access will continue, and that it will not be impeded by ill-conceived cost-cutting measures," Scott said.

 
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For more information, please contact:
Janna MacGregor
Public Relations Officer
NS Progressive Conservative Caucus
Tel: 902.424.5238
Cell: 902.499.9948
Fax: 902.424.7484
macgrejl@gov.ns.ca