By Kendall Worth
As usual I am not using real names and the folks I interviewed for this post agreed to be be called Person J and Person M. This is a young couple who are unemployed and have kids. The youngest just started Grade Primary this year. Their oldest is currently in Grade 2. This couple would not disclose their exact age, but did say that they are in their early to mid 30’s. This is the reason why they did not want to be named in this BLOG post because their is a lot of stigma about young people being unemployed.
Peson J and Person M are a young married couple, where Person J is the “Husband” and has been unemployed for one year. Recently, his EI ran out. Person M, the “wife” had her job recently ended following the the Tim Houston Government Cuts in this 2026/2027 Budget. When I met with them yesterday, they told me that they found about my blog through a family member of Person J.
They are not yet on Income Assistance, however, 1 year from now they can see that they may find themselves on Income Assistance, and have very small incomes. Unless Income Assistance rates rise, to an actual living income amount, they will be limited to receiving $1,497 a month. As I identified in this post.
This interview, yesterday began with a general conversation about how Person J has already been unemployed for a whole year, because the place he worked for, for the previous ten years, went out of business. Then the conversation went on, about how he applied for a Zillion Jobs since, and no-one would hire him. The combination of him receiving EI, using money from savings, plus Person M’s job being safe for one more year is how they were able to live throughout this past year. However now that Person M’s job has been affected by these Tim Houston government cuts, they are now in a time in their personal lives where, as this post, reports on, they are going to have to look at downsizing expectations. Over this past month I have written a lot about these Tim Houston government cuts. See https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/search/label/budget%20cuts
Now both M & J are out of work. Person M’s job loss is unexpected. She studied Human Services for two years at Community College which helped her land the job she has been at for the past 10 years, that got cut because of this 2026/2027 budget. Over this next year while Person M is on EI, she is only going to be receiving 55% of her wages. So Person J has recently met with his bank and rearranged his savings, for the purpose of preparing for one year from now, going on Income Assistance. Person J and Person M pay $1200.00 a month for rent, for the house they live in. Person J recently made a $1200.00 times 12 = $14400 Lump sum payment to his Landlord, and to NS Power of $134.00 a month. $134.00 times 12 = $1608. Person J did this thinking about his rent being paid for the full year, and with that $1608.00 credit with Nova Scotia Power, he hopes it will mean the following:
It will make it easier to live for the next year while Person M is going to be receiving Employment Insurance, losing 45% of her wages.
At least, when next December comes around, they will be able to afford to have one more Merry Christmas before their lives on Income Assistance begins.
Also, it is because he did this, for the next 12 months, before their days of receiving income assistance begins, he is going to be able to afford to continue working out at the gym and meeting friends for coffee.
But this couple is not looking forward, to a time in approx one year, when their days of receiving Income Assistance will begin.
Person J and Person M told me that when the Tim Houston Government decided to go ahead and make these cuts, they were obviously not thinking about how this decision was going to affect young families with children, who are going to be losing their jobs. Person M’s recently lost job (she had for ten years) earned her $48000 per year. Now their income, on social assistance, will be substantially reduced to $1497/mo. After all they are a married couple, means they will be affected by Section 6.1.8 of the ESIA policy manual. For more on how Cohabitation affects Income Assistance see here https://worthmatters.blogspot.com/search/label/cohabitation At $1497.00 Times 12 their annual income Per year will be $17,964. Subtracting $17,964 from $48000 per year that = losing $30,036 per year starting this time next year, when their days on income assistance will begin. Both of them are confident they are not going to qualify for any special needs allowances or the disability supplement because they do not have any disabilities that they are aware of, and they are a healthy young couple. However the are worried about their health going down hill, once their days of receiving income assistance begins, in a year.
During this interview, Person J and Person M, brought up, that they are not looking forward to the the day when they are going to have to apply for Income assistance. During the interview they also said, the only path forward they can see, that might lead to getting work, is if they leave Nova Scotia and move to another Province. Person J and Person M have both told me that leaving Nova Scotia is going to be hard on family members they have in this province, whose health is going down hill. They want to see themselves having something better in their future, than going on Income Assistance, but that is unlikely to happen. They both agreed that these government budget cuts are punishing to young healthy families like them.
Lets hope this Tim Houston Government smartens up before next years budget in 2027.
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Kendall Worth is an award-winning anti-poverty activist who lives with disabilities and tries to make ends meet on income assistance.
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