By Kendall Worth
As readers may remember from my March 24th, 2026 post, the Basic Income Conference , which is held every 18 months or so was held in Halifax on April 17th, 2026. Here is a video from the Conference which I invite you to watch. I have not posted about the Conference, until now, as I was waiting for BIG Nova Scotia to post tvideo so I could sahre it with you. There is still a lot to be said about why a Basic Income Is needed in Nova Scotia! For instance, there is still a large homeless population and an expensive rental market, here in Halifax
When talking about poverty in Nova Scotia, one important thing that needs to be understood is that poverty is not just a financial issue. Poverty is also a mental health issue. Mental Health issues affect almost everyone who lives in poverty for years, given the historic, low income, assistance rates. Constantly living below the poverty line for years at a time creates long term stress, anxiety, emotional exhaustion, social isolation, and hopelessness. When people are forced to survive month to month without enough money to properly live, it becomes difficult to focus on recovery, personal growth, education, relationships, or community involvement. Many people end up spending years trapped in survival mode instead of being given a real opportunity to stabilize, and thrive in their lives.
Just imagine if a Basic Livable Guaranteed Income had existed during all of these years where I have been advocating for people living in poverty. (since 2013!) Basic Guaranteed Income has consistently been one of the major solutions I have advocated for through my BLOG. Looking at the realities of poverty in Nova Scotia, there is a strong case that can be made that the amount provided through a Basic Livable Income should be no less than $2500 a month, as discussed in this article. People should be able to access this amount regardless of things like marital status, medical conditions, or other restrictive barriers that often leave people trapped in poverty.
One of the mental health impacts that often gets overlooked is how years of financial insecurity slowly damages a person’s confidence, sense of belonging, and emotional well-being. People begin feeling disconnected from society when they cannot afford to participate in normal social activities, transportation, healthy food, stable housing, or recreation. Over time, many people begin feeling invisible, unheard, and left behind by the system around them. This can contribute to depression, isolation, chronic stress, and feelings of worthlessness.
This BLOG post and this one, point toward one major example of how historically low income assistance rates have negatively impacted mental health, long before rates reached the current levels. as reported in this post. Today many people in Nova Scotia are expected to survive on approximately $1022 a month, or less, depending on their individual situation. It is extremely difficult to maintain mental wellness when people are constantly forced to worry about rent, food, transportation, emergencies, and basic survival every single month.
Another issue that needs to be talked about more openly is how poverty can impact a person’s ability to access proper mental health support. In this article , testimony is given by a past politician in Nova Scotia speaking about how people with disposable income, can often access quicker and better mental health treatment. This creates a painful reality, where, some of the people struggling the most emotionally, are also the people facing the biggest barriers to receiving timely support.
By our current system in Nova Scotia, many people are left feeling unheard, judged, and disrespected. Those feelings are not caused only by not having enough money to live on, but are also connected to how intrusive and controlling parts of the system itself can feel. The emotional impact of constantly being monitored, reviewed, questioned, or forced to prove your poverty over and over again can become mentally exhausting for many individuals.
I also write this at a time when the Nova Scotia government is saying they are not looking at implementing a Basic Income, as discussed here. Meanwhile, inflation continues rising, rents across Nova Scotia continue to remain extremely high, and homelessness continues, affecting a growing number of people throughout the province. The longer governments delay meaningful income reform, the longer many people remain trapped in cycles of poverty, worsening mental health, housing insecurity, and social isolation.
I want to end this by saying that Basic Income can do a lot to better our community overall. It can lift people out of poverty, improve mental health, reduce social isolation, keep local businesses going, and improve mental health. Lets keep advocating for this!
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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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