Seed money A report from the NSCSW Council Treasurer BY KATE MATHESON PREST, NSCSW TREASURER
OUR CONTEXT
OUR MONEY
Spring is budget season, and the Nova Scotia government has no more money for social assistance this year. Despite the increasing cost of living, including ever-climbing grocery prices, Nova Scotians receiving provincial assistance are being “targeted” for support with benefits for specific causes such as rent and the cost of raising children. Rather than supporting Nova Scotians to live with dignity and decide for themselves where they most need to spend, Premier Tim Houston claims his government is “supporting people in the ways that we think we can best support them.”
This past year we have used our resources to realize our mission of protecting the public and supporting social workers in their professional practice. We are so fortunate and appreciative of our dedicated staff and volunteers who seamlessly integrate our strategic goals and vision through their day to day work, producing excellent results.
In their 2022 Report Card on Child and Family Poverty in Nova Scotia, the Nova Scotia office of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives (CCPA-NS) details how government transfers can directly affect those living in poverty, provide money to feed people, and combat the growing price of food and other aspects of living – NSCSW and our policy partner CCPA-NS recommend substantial increases to income assistance. There is much to be hopeful about, as Nova Scotians are resilient and tenacious. We call for our provincial government to make the kind of substantial investment in people that is required to pull us out from shameful levels of poverty and destitution. We’ve been doing more with less for a long time; let’s do even more with more investment.
40 NSCSW Annual Report | 2022
Due to a modest fee increase, some advertising revenue, and a new policy requiring out-ofprovince telepractice registration, our revenue increased substantially. As has been the trend over the past few years, licensing and application revenues came in above projected and this has placed us with $80,000 more income than expected. The usual diligence and accountability of College staff have kept our expenses on track for this past year. The trend of high rates of complaints continues, however the College was able to spend less on legal fees as our complaints committee and College staff become more knowledgeable about the intricacies of this difficult process. We are all experiencing the frustrations of rising costs and our College expenses are likewise subject to increasing costs. Insurance and bookkeeping are just two of the services we require which have increased in price. College staff continue to find creative and responsible ways to manage our finances and get the best service for our money. Our commitment to investing in the people who make our College run makes this creativity possible.