frostededucation

If the old adage of lions and lambs used in regards to March weather can be more widely applied, I suspect our Premier is looking forward to the end of the month.

The opening of March 2026 has been nothing if not crowded with a variety of lion-esque issues of note for Premier Houston, many of which are attached, in one way or another, to the education portfolio. Although perhaps some may be more pressing than others, here are three key events that have transpired in the latter part of February that will undoubtedly require a fair amount of his attention as the blanket of winter snow gives way to the bloom of spring-time crocuses.

VIOLENCE IN SCHOOLS

Back in 2023, two staff members at CPA high school in Bedford were viciously assaulted by a knife wielding student. One of the stabbing victims, vice principal Wayne Rodgers is suing his employer for damages. The suit is claiming, among other things, that the HRCE and the province failed to appropriately respond to the student’s history of violence and did not warn Rodgers of the potential danger the student posed.

In its statement of defence, the attorney general’s office declared that it was Rodgers himself who was at fault, claiming that he was responsible for finding out about the student’s violent history on his own and that he failed to use his training to deescalate the situation.

It is perhaps not surprising, considering the combative nature of our judicial system, that the government would initiate a “blame the victim” defence in a case like this. The real rub, however, is the amount of attention that has recently been directed towards decreasing violence in schools by this same government. In fact, the stabbing at CPA was a bit of a tipping point in a fight that has been going on for years now as teachers, and indeed, all education workers, have called for an increase in protections for frontline workers. The government has touted its new discipline policy as evidence that it is working towards creating a safer environment for both staff and students, efforts that have been widely applauded.

This statement of defence seems to fly in the face of that “We’ve got your back” messaging. Frontline education workers, it seems, will be provided with safe work spaces, right up to the point where they are victims of a violent assault. Coming so soon on the heels of the Tumbler Ridge tragedy, that messaging did not land well. Many will be watching this case and the government response as it works its way the through the courts.

BILL 148

Just this past Friday, news came out that Nova Scotia’s Supreme Court had overturned the wildly unpopular and controversial Public Services Sustainability Act, better known as Bill 148.

For those of you who may not have been paying attention at the time, this Bill was the brainchild of then Premier Stephen McNeil. Although McNeil often claimed to support “free and fair” collective bargaining, his tune changed substantively upon election. He began to quite publicly take the stance that he would not support going to arbitration, should negotiations come to that, to settle wage package disputes.

Public sector unions tend to bargain in order, and in this particular instance, the NSTU was up first. In the opening salvo of what would become one of the most contentious negotiations in NSTU history, the government offered nothing substantive to improving working conditions. They did, however, present a wage package that initially offered an increase far below cost of living increases, and the removal of a long standing retirement savings plan known as the service award.

Although certainly unattractive to workers, the McNeil government had an ace up its sleeve. According to reports at the time, the government went into this negotiation with its wage patterns already penned in Bill 148. Essentially, unions were told to take the wage pattern, or the government, using its majority, would pass it into law. This “Take it or else” approach resulted in the first teachers strike in the province’s history, and led the McNeil Liberals to ultimately pass Bill 148.

For many of us in teaching, that particular moment was our darkest hour, and, in my mind, one of the key reasons we found ourselves scrambling for teachers for years afterwards. What will be vital now will be the way in which the Houston government handles the decision. In the ruling, Justice Ann E. Smith has given the government a year to figure out what that means in the way of financial reparation, and that responsibility will fall on Houston’s shoulders. A great deal will be riding on whether he settles, or chooses to appeal.

BUDGET 2026-27

As far as austerity budgets go, this one went relatively easy on the education system. In fact, education is one of the few areas that will see an increase in spending in some areas. This is one of those instances, however, where although the system may not suffer any major losses, the impact of the cuts will indeed be deeply felt in schools.

Schools are the ultimate social safety net for kids, so when government cuts community programs for youth, schools, and the people who staff them, become a back stop for support. Cuts to the Student Transit Pass program, for example, means kids have less mobility to access services or, indeed, pursue part time employment. Less access to jobs for high school kids means household finances get stretched. Stretching of household finances means more kids going without. More kids going without means more challenges at school.

There will be other residual impacts, of course, although they may be harder to predict. Cuts to things like Aboriginal Sport development, Mi’kmaq Services and the Mi’kmaq History month program will do little to reassure our Indigenous students that we are working towards reconciliation. As to our African Nova Scotian students, their community’s thoughts on the budget were made quite clear at the recent African Heritage Month Gala where our premier was robustly “booed” by those in attendance.

And don’t even get me started, as a drama teacher, on my views on his cuts to the arts.

We will see in the coming days if Houston will back down in the face of what is likely to be intense public pressure to reverse course, or if he will continue to follow his current path, majority government safely in hand.

DEFINING MOMENT YET TO COME

As much as these developments are each and of their own, noteworthy, it is in the collective culmination where I believe the true test lies. Governments, particularly majority governments, are generally not undone by one issue alone, but rather by a succession of mis steps, perceived or otherwise. For many education workers, their next ballot choice will rely on how Houston delivers on his promise of safer schools. For public sector workers, including those in education, his approach to Bill 148 will be a major determining factor. Finally, for many voters including the aforementioned groups, the impact this round of cuts will have on individual families and communities will make a massive difference at the ballot box.

Over the next few months, the Premier will have the luxury of making decisions that will ultimately determine whether, at that moment he will be facing the lions or the lambs.