Budget cuts are coming to libraries in the Pictou and Antigonish counties.
Chief Librarian Eric Stackhouse for the Pictou-Antigonish Regional Library, which manages libraries across both counties, says their operating grant from the province has not changed in six years, while in the same time, minimum wage has gone up more than 31 per cent and inflation 21 per cent.
Stackhouse says the library worked for a year to create a sustainable funding plan, but it was denied.
“We have been informed by government those recommendations will not go forward. We have suggested alternatives as well, recognizing the fiscal situation the government is facing,” wrote Stackhouse in a news release.
Cuts to services will mean the libraries are open for less time, and there are less services and programs.
On their website, the library breaks down how they get their funding.
The provincial grant covers 66 per cent, local fundraising 5 per cent, and the municipal grant covers 29 per cent. However, the municipalities also pay for maintenance, heat, and lights, etc., for their own local libraries.
If you break down how much the province pays each year for each resident of the Antigonish and Pictou counties to use the library, it amounts to $21.62.
Stackhouse called on anyone who supports the library or uses one to reach out to their MLA or the Minister of Communities, Dave Ritcey.
