HALIFAX – Members of the Progressive Conservative Caucus strongly opposed to library budget cuts say they are pleased the Department of Education has reversed a plan to reduce annual funding by $300,000.
 
PC Caucus Chair and Labour and Workforce Development Critic Keith Bain said the department's renewed commitment to library funding is a wise decision that will benefit thousands of Nova Scotians.
 
"We are very pleased that our concerns, and those of library users and employees across the province, were given serious consideration," he said Tuesday. "This was a short-sighted initiative that would have saved our province very little in relation to what we would have lost in the event of major service reductions."
 
Late last year, regional librarians were left wondering how they might compensate for potential cutbacks mainly targeted toward the cost of public Internet access.
 
The PC Caucus advocated on behalf of libraries, arguing that with a skilled labour shortage on the horizon, the Nova Scotia government cannot afford to save money at the expense of libraries.
 
Publicly, members pointed out the risk of limiting the availability of Internet resources, including education and employment search sites, and the more than 11,000 learning and literacy programs libraries offer each year.
 
"In averting library cuts, the NDP government has demonstrated the value of life-long learning."

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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