FALL RIVER: Approximately 150 students from Lockview High School took part in a walkout protest on Wednesday, voicing concerns about provincial budget cuts they say will impact arts programs, education supports, and student services.
The protest was organized by students Catherine Coakley and Abby Jenkins, with participants leaving the school and walking to Jamieson Park in Fall River.
Many carried signs highlighting their concerns with the cuts. After gathering at the park, the group walked along the sidewalk between the Snow Centre and Highway 2 near the traffic lights.
Coakley said the demonstration was organized to highlight the impact the cuts could have on students across Nova Scotia.
“These cuts affect students a lot,” she said in an interview with The Laker News during the protest. “A lot of people I know, especially more towards the city, the bus pass really affects them.”
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Among the issues raised by students were reductions affecting arts programming, education initiatives, cultural funding, and the Halifax Transit student bus pass program.
Coakley said scholarships and grants are also a concern for students planning to attend post-secondary school.
“I know myself a lot of those scholarships and grants are real. I might need them to go to university without taking on extreme levels of debt,” she said.
Students who spoke during the gathering at Jamieson Park emphasized the importance of arts and cultural programs in schools and communities.
“The funding cuts made on resources for youth education, climate change, arts programs and scholarships are going to corrode how we learn and how we live,” one student speaker told the crowd.
The speaker also said arts and culture are key parts of the province’s identity and sense of community.
“What makes our province so powerful is its history, art and culture… it gives us a sense of belonging,” they said.
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Coakley said she was pleased with the turnout for the protest.
“About 100 to 150 [students], which is a lot more than I was expecting,” she said. “This is more than I would have expected in my wildest dreams.”
She said the protest was meant to send a message to the provincial government about how the cuts could affect students across Nova Scotia.
“I hope they realize how important the services and supports that they’re cutting are to students across Nova Scotia,” she said. “This isn’t just Lockview — this is a province-wide walkout.”
Coakley was asked if she had reached out to Waverley-Fall River-Beaver Bank MLA Brian Wong about the concerns.
She said that she hoped to reach out to him in the coming days to discuss the concerns raised by students.
Students involved in the protest said they hope the demonstration encourages government leaders to reconsider the reductions and listen to the voices of youth across the province.
An RCMP officer was nearby to make sure everyone remained safe during the 90 walkout.
