MEDIA RELEASE: Minister Morrow Must Take Accountability for Cuts to Sherbrooke Village

(Dartmouth) – Funding cuts to Sherbrooke Village, approved by MLA and Minister Greg Morrow, threaten the livelihood of workers, their families and the economies of surrounding communities, and he must take accountability for these cuts and their impacts, said NSGEU First Vice President Hugh Gillis.

The Hon. Greg Morrow, local MLA, Cabinet Minister, and Treasury Board member, stood silent while his government slashed the operating budget of one of the region’s most vital employers.

“Minister Morrow has called Sherbrooke Village a ‘crown jewel’ and the ‘largest regional employer’ in this part of the province,” said Gillis. “He should know better than anyone that these aren’t just jobs; these are mortgages, car payments and grocery budgets, for many families in his community. You can’t call a place a ‘jewel’ while you are standing by as its being stolen.”

The recent budget slashed the operating grant by $472,000, and the annual maintenance grant of $57,500 from the Department of Public Works has been eliminated. The impact of these cuts will be devastating for families in Minister Morrow’s riding.

“As a member of the Treasury Board and a Cabinet Minister, Minister Morrow would have been a key player in these cuts,” Gillis continued. “He sits at the table where these decisions are made. It is time for him to stop repeating talking points and start standing up for the families and community that elected him.”

There is no way these cuts can be absorbed without job losses. In a small rural community, the disappearance of a single job is the equivalent of a hundred in Halifax. These workers are the volunteers in our community, the parents in our schools, and the customers in our local shops.

“Minister Morrow, your constituents are watching,” said Gillis. “It’s time to choose: are you a voice for Halifax in Sherbrooke, or are you Sherbrooke’s voice in Halifax?”