Let's just disenfranchise young voters a bit more...

[commoner]

Dear politicians of Nova Scotia,

I am a recent graduate, now with two degrees, from a local university.  This has left me with a massive debt, one that will severely curb my spending and saving abilities for the next ten years.

Not one of you have proposed any measure of debt relief.  Rodney brought in a tuition freeze, which is a lot like a robber promising his victim he'll maintain the same level of theft for a three-year period... no more, no less.  He initiated a grant program, which for some, may cover (relatively) minor expenses like books.  Drops in the bucket.

The Liberals and even the "Risky" NDP have yet to mention university tuition/debt relief.  Back in fed election, the only form of university funding by the victorious Mr. Harper was to invest a large amount into university 'infrastructure,' meaning a boost to contractors and campus aesthetics, but nothing for the student pocket book.

Please do something.  I promise my vote, regardless of my love/hate for the party or the guy leading it.  Not only will you have my vote, but you will enable me to stay local, buy a house and car, raise a family, and contribute to a knowledge-based economy.  And so will many more of my colleagues.

I'd sure love to stay, but if things are the same at the end of the election, I'm out of here... along with the majority of NS youth. 

EDIT - er, ok, I see the grits just announced free tuition for med students.  Nice gesture, but it doesn't really do much for the rest of us.
EDIT 2 - dippers just announced tax credits for grads staying in NS.

[Waye Mason]

We are 150 years away from paying off my wife's tuition so I feel you.  It is a double disincentive to stay here for college, if you go and are educated in the west, the tuition is far lower, the jobs more abundant.

[mr mom]

We are 150 years away from paying off my wife's tuition so I feel you.  It is a double disincentive to stay here for college, if you go and are educated in the west, the tuition is far lower, the jobs more abundant.

sad but true

[Waye Mason]

Ah Mom, came to join me in my dark and lonely part of the webiverse? 

I cannot tell you how often my wife or I say "well if the student loan was paid off, we would x  y or z"

[KP]

The province is bankrupt, so student debt is just one ore thing on the wish list -- though it is apparently somewhere further down the list than spending millions refitting the Bluenose. 

[Tim Topping]

The province is bankrupt, so student debt is just one ore thing on the wish list -- though it is apparently somewhere further down the list than spending millions refitting the Bluenose. 

While the province's finances are certainly not in an ideal state, I don't think "bankrupt" is the appropriate word here.

[Gravitas]

The province is bankrupt, so student debt is just one ore thing on the wish list -- though it is apparently somewhere further down the list than spending millions refitting the Bluenose. 

While the province's finances are certainly not in an ideal state, I don't think "bankrupt" is the appropriate word here.

While it may not be 'technically' accurate .. if you were running a household that was so deep in debt there was no chance of ever seeing daylight, and were consistently spending more each month than you were taking in, what term would you use to describe that?

[Waye Mason]

12.5 billion in debt on a 9 billion dollar budget?  Its not that bad anymore.

"In 2008-09, Nova Scotia’s debt-to-GDP ratio ended the year at 36.5%, up from 35.3% the prior year, driven primarily by higher unfunded pension liabilities. In 2009-10, the debt-to-GDP ratio is expected to rise back above 40%, a level not seen since 2004-05, as a result of weaker fiscal results and significant borrowing to fund capital needs. "  http://www.dbrs.com/research/230485/nova-scotia-province-of/dbrs-confirms-province-of-nova-scotia-at-a-trend-remains-positive.html

Restraint is important, but lets not panic.  We can balance the budget and grow out of this again.

Lets just stop spending big money on overly large projects.  Modest is what we need... we never should have built Citadel High, we could have renovated St Pats for 1/3 the cost.  We should not build a new Metro Centre, the current one is adequate, maybe it can be expanded.  We don't need 15 million dollar P-6 schools, we need decent small schools where people live.  Maybe when my kids are in charge they can spend crazy money on big projects

[mr mom]

We have another problem, the per capita debt continues to rise, even if the debt does not, our population is shrinking.  I believe that growth will soon no longer be an option to some extent, our economy will contract as population shrinks.

[Gravitas]

We should not build a new Metro Centre, the current one is adequate, maybe it can be expanded.

I'm assuming you're talking about the WTCC here, and not the Metro Centre? In any case, I have to say I disagree on both counts.

I've been to a great many convention centres across both Canada and the US, and for a city Halifax's size ours is pitifully small and outdated. Even more than our size, Halifax has an international reputation as a place to visit, and we really do need a convention centre that can accomodate the large groups of delegates that would be interested in coming here. We simply cannot do that right now. Convention business is like exporting: it brings in new money from outside the region, and it is one of the things that keeps hotels, bars and restaurants busy during the months of the year when summer tourists aren't here. We need it. We need more of it. And the current WTCC cannot and will not bring it to us.

If you did mean the Metro Centre, I'm personally happy to know that the Metro Centre is next on the priority list for upgrading. I wish that a large indoor arena (15-20,000 seats?) was feasible for Halifax, to position us as a potention NHL city, and to accomodate bigger-name touring acts that, currently, can only play the Commons. I don't honestly believe that an arena like that is in the cards for Halifax. But I sincerely hope we're able to do something with the current Metro Centre to provide some more seating, and also a more versatile venue for concerts.

[mr mom]

We should not build a new Metro Centre, the current one is adequate, maybe it can be expanded.

I'm assuming you're talking about the WTCC here, and not the Metro Centre? In any case, I have to say I disagree on both counts.

I've been to a great many convention centres across both Canada and the US, and for a city Halifax's size ours is pitifully small and outdated. Even more than our size, Halifax has an international reputation as a place to visit, and we really do need a convention centre that can accomodate the large groups of delegates that would be interested in coming here. We simply cannot do that right now. Convention business is like exporting: it brings in new money from outside the region, and it is one of the things that keeps hotels, bars and restaurants busy during the months of the year when summer tourists aren't here. We need it. We need more of it. And the current WTCC cannot and will not bring it to us.

If you did mean the Metro Centre, I'm personally happy to know that the Metro Centre is next on the priority list for upgrading. I wish that a large indoor arena (15-20,000 seats?) was feasible for Halifax, to position us as a potention NHL city, and to accomodate bigger-name touring acts that, currently, can only play the Commons. I don't honestly believe that an arena like that is in the cards for Halifax. But I sincerely hope we're able to do something with the current Metro Centre to provide some more seating, and also a more versatile venue for concerts.

I agree, large unions just as an example, do not hold any conventions here because no facilities are large enough to accomadate the numbers and needs in order to do it.  Imagine getting a CUPE convention in HRM, 4 thousand delegates in the town for a week or more during the slow october period, what a boom that would be.

[Gravitas]

Imagine getting a CUPE convention in HRM, 4 thousand delegates in the town for a week or more during the slow october period, what a boom that would be.

Exactly. CUPE ... other unions ... medical associations .. the list goes on.

[Waye Mason]

No I meant the arena.  I think we need a convention centre, though I am not in love with the current proposed design for the herald property.  I do feel comfortable saying that I think we should refit the current Metro Centre site, maybe spend 1/5th the money to add 2K seats, make it easier to get 53 foot trailers inside, that kind of thing.