Latest news with #MountSaintVincentUniversity
CBC
05-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
Former kids in care need more support to make good use of free tuition, researcher says
The majority of people who have spent time in foster care need support — and not just free tuition — to succeed in higher education. That's according to Jacquie Gahagan, who is nearing the end of a three-year research project on the topic. Gahagan, the associate vice-president of research at Mount Saint Vincent University, is looking at the experiences of former kids in care who are using free tuition programs at 10 schools in Atlantic Canada, including some in Nova Scotia. Gahagan said there are numerous barriers to education for people who have been in child welfare programs. The issue is pervasive, they said, with less than half of Canadians who have been in care completing high school, let alone university or college. The solution, Gahagan said, will be different for every person. "It really depends on their experience in care," they said in an interview. Some common areas of concern that have come up in Gahagan's research are housing and food security, transportation to and from school, access to technology, and mental health. Gahagan said the universities should offer help where they can, with non-profits and community groups picking up some of the slack. Plus there's a role for different levels of government to play, they said. "What we need to do is look at a national standard," said Gahagan, noting there are inconsistencies between what's offered at different universities and by provincial governments across the country. The first tuition-waiver program in Nova Scotia started in 2021 at the Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC), and has since spread to universities including Mount Saint Vincent, St. Mary's University, Dalhousie University and the University of King's College. The researcher shared some of their findings at a committee meeting of the Nova Scotia Legislature this week, where members were discussing economic barriers for the 2SLGBTQ+ community. Gahagan said youth in that community are overrepresented in child and youth welfare programs, and therefore face the associated barriers to education disproportionately. "We've got to stop that trend," said NDP MLA Lisa Lachance. "We have to do something to make things better." Nova Scotia offers financial support to former youth in care for up to six years after they age out of the system — that is, from ages 19 to 25. They can receive $20,000 annually to start, and the amount gradually decreases to $10,000 per year by the final year. A spokesperson for the Department of Opportunities and Social Development said there are also programs for former youth in care that offer social and career support. Lachance noted the extension of some services for former youth in care, but suggested more should be offered while people are working on their education. "On the one hand, the universities and NSCC are kind of doing their part — they're offering the tuition waiver — so how can government help make sure that's a success?" Tracey Thomas, deputy minister for the Nova Scotia Office of Equity and Anti-Racism, said her office could guide the Department of Advanced Education in finding new ways to support former youth in care if it wants direction. "What we could do as the Office of Equity and Anti-Racism is work with our government colleagues, looking to see how we could address the issues in the most respectful and culturally responsive way possible," Thomas said.
CTV News
03-06-2025
- Health
- CTV News
Halifax university hosts conference on the future of aging
A two-day conference in Halifax will explore how people can age with dignity and equity. The third edition of the 'Our Future is Aging' conference will be held at Mount Saint Vincent University on Tuesday and Wednesday. Major speakers include Dr. Anne Martin-Matthews from the University of British Columbia and Dr. Charlene Chu from the University of Toronto. 'With over 75 oral and poster presentations, the conference promises a dynamic and multidisciplinary program,' a news release reads. 'Topics will range from health and caregiving to housing, policy, technology and beyond.' Previous editions of the conference were held in 2012 and 2016. 'As Canada's population grows older, the questions being asked at this conference matter more than ever, not just for researchers and policymakers, but for families, caregivers and communities across the country,' the release reads. More to come… For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
Global News
31-05-2025
- Global News
Questions being raised about police response to Halifax university lockdown
One day after an armed robbery prompted a lockdown at Mount Saint Vincent University and a heavy police presence, questions are being raised about whether the response was appropriate. At around 1 p.m. Thursday, Halifax Regional Police, RCMP and EHS responded to second-hand reports of a robbery at the university cafe. Students were told to shelter in place while police arrived on the scene with tactical equipment and drones. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy 'It didn't seem like the type of thing I would imagine to happen at the Mount,' said student Erika Neufeld. Neufeld had a friend on campus at the time and was growing increasingly worried about her safety. 'She was just leaving so thankfully she wasn't caught up in any of it, but she said it was looking pretty scary and I was obviously concerned about what could be happening,' she said. Story continues below advertisement Halifax Regional Police defend the scale of response. 'It's always good and appropriate to be upfront, just in case, right? Always good. Safety first. Remember, safety always first, we can always draw back and that's exactly what happened yesterday,' said Const. Paul DesRochers. 'Any time that the police received information on any incident that could involve weapons, we're not sure, we would conduct the appropriate response in relation to such an incident.' For more on this story, watch the video above.
Global News
29-05-2025
- Global News
MSVU under lockdown, Halifax police investigating weapons complaint
See more sharing options Send this page to someone via email Share this item on Twitter Share this item via WhatsApp Share this item on Facebook There is a heavy police presence at Mount Saint Vincent University in Bedford as Halifax Regional Police investigate a weapons complaint. The university is under lockdown and people are being asked to avoid the area. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy In a 2 p.m. news release, police said 'it is not believed' this incident is connected to the fatal shooting in Dartmouth where a man was killed at around noon. — more to come
CBC
26-04-2025
- Politics
- CBC
Liberals on course to take majority of N.S. seats, polls and experts agree
When Nova Scotia Liberals were nearly wiped off the map in a provincial election five months ago, it looked like their federal cousins were on a similar path. But now, with the final ballots in the federal election to be cast and counted on Monday, a very different outcome seems likely. Public opinion polls and political experts are projecting the federal Liberals could take most of the 11 seats up for grabs in Nova Scotia. "This is just going to be an extraordinary case study in the future for politics classes," said Meredith Ralston, a professor of political studies at Mount Saint Vincent University. Ralston and other observers who spoke with CBC News attributed the reversal of fortunes in Nova Scotia to the same factors that have shaped the race nationally: the change in Liberal leadership and the intrusion of U.S. President Donald Trump into Canadian politics through tariffs and threats to Canadian sovereignty. However, there are local factors that will also shape the outcome on a riding-by-riding basis. Jean Chrétien speaks in support of Acadie-Annapolis candidate 9 days ago Duration 3:31 Local factors Tom Urbaniak, a professor of political science at Cape Breton University, pointed to the fisheries as an issue that favours the Conservatives in ridings that are highly dependent on that industry. He also noted the "star" factor for the Conservative candidate in Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish, Allan MacMaster. MacMaster was a longtime Progressive Conservative MLA who recently served as finance minister and deputy premier until stepping down last fall to seek the federal nomination. "That will count for something in that riding," said Urbaniak. Poll aggregators and both favour the Liberals in eight of Nova Scotia's ridings, projecting the other three as either leaning Conservative or a toss-up between the Liberals and Conservatives. The projections are similar to where Nova Scotia stood at dissolution of Parliament. The Liberals held seven seats, the Conservatives held three, and one was vacant that had been held by Liberal Andy Fillmore before he stepped down to run for mayor of Halifax last fall. The three Conservative incumbents are re-offering, as are six Liberal incumbents. Up until the first week of the campaign, only five Liberal incumbents were re-offering, but Sean Fraser — the former Trudeau cabinet minister — changed his mind at the behest of Liberal Leader Mark Carney. Hoping against a sweep Acadia University Prof. Alex Marland said he expects "many, many" Liberal MPs out of Nova Scotia, but he hopes not to see a sweep, which happened in 2015. Marland said he anticipates a Liberal sweep in Newfoundland and Labrador and in Prince Edward Island, and a Liberal majority in New Brunswick. He said a sweep across the region by any party would be a "bad outcome." "Regardless of where things end up, it's important to make sure that national parties have representation from Atlantic Canada in their caucuses," he said. Conservatives still running to win In spite of the apparent Liberal edge, Conservatives in Nova Scotia are still treating the race as competitive, Urbaniak said. In Cape Breton, he said, the campaigns are "energized." "They've got a lot of volunteers knocking on the doors, a lot of literature going around. They're trying to show up in a lot of places," Urbaniak said. Conservatives may be showing up on doorsteps, but many Conservative candidates are declining to participate in other traditional aspects of political campaigns. Seven out of 11 Conservative candidates in Nova Scotia declined or did not respond to interview requests from CBC News. Some also declined to speak to other media outlets and declined to participate in local candidate forums and debates hosted by non-partisan groups. Ralston said it's "not a good strategy." "What it's doing is just again making them look even more like mini Trumps. And so that's why a lot of people are very worried about a Conservative government." Urbaniak said it's "a huge mistake" to make candidates scarce. He said it puts too much focus on the party's leader, Pierre Poilievre. "People need to see that there's a team, they need to see that the local MPs would have influence to be able to bring local issues to Ottawa, to be able to bring funding and infrastructure to the ridings," said Urbaniak. NDP collapse Races across the province are mostly projected to be between the Liberals and Conservatives — some closer than others — but Marland said the New Democrats should not be forgotten. He doesn't expect the party to win any seats in Nova Scotia, but he said their "collapse" is an important part of the story. He pointed to the riding of Halifax, where candidate Lisa Roberts is running for the second time. The former Nova Scotia NDP MLA lost narrowly to Fillmore in the 2021 election. Marland said Roberts's campaign was well organized and she seemed, just a few months ago, poised for victory. "And, you know, it seems quite likely now that it will end up being Liberal," Marland said.
