Houston government making life harder as costs rise faster than wages

HALIFAX – Today, Lina Hamid, Official Opposition Critic for Opportunities and Social Development, made the following statement in response to planned minimum wage increases:

“More and more Nova Scotians are finding it hard to cover the basics, and the planned minimum wage increases won’t put workers on a path to a living wage. We hear every day from people working full-time who can’t keep up with rent, power bills, and groceries. Since the Houston government was elected, rents are up $4,400 a year, power bills are up $400, and food bank use has jumped 66 per cent.

People are doing everything they can, but rather than helping lower people’s bills, the Houston government is making it harder to get by – cutting the Heating Assistance Rebate Program, allowing rents to skyrocket, and refusing to bring in a real plan to help Nova Scotian families afford their bills.

People should be able to build a good life here. They deserve a government that will implement real rent control, lower power bills, and create a real path to a living wage for everyone.”

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