‘Soul-crushing’: N.S. book publishers slammed by government cuts to creative sector

HALIFAX — A Nova Scotian book publisher says the provincial government’s cuts to the arts and culture sector are “soul-crushing” when sales have already been decimated by uncertainty in the U.S. market.

“Some publishers are cutting half the number of books that they’re going to do from Nova Scotia authors,” Terrilee Bulger, co-owner of Halifax’s Nimbus Publishing, said in an interview Thursday.

This week the Progressive Conservative government tabled a $1.2-billion deficit budget that cuts about $130 million combined from more than 280 government grants. It reduces or eliminates funding for scholarship programs, arts funding and Mi’kmaw and African Nova Scotian programs. The budget completely scraps the $700,000 publishers assistance program that helps cover costs like printing and design, author royalties and marketing.

Bulger says her company has already lost about 80 per cent of its American sales because of funding cuts to the country’s libraries and general market uncertainty. At the height of provincial funding, she says Nimbus was publishing around 60 books a year but that’s already dropped to 40 to 45 with previous reductions. She says the company is still assessing the impact, but she expects a similar decrease in titles with the latest cuts.

She notes Nimbus has a 1,600-square-metre warehouse, which is a “backbone” for the local industry with most other publishers in the province using it for distribution. She’s asking people to contact their MLAs to oppose the cuts.

“People think, `Oh, why do books need support?’ But we have a small market and we fight for shelf space with all of the multinational publishers that have giant budgets and big discounts,” said Bulger.

“Our books can’t be priced twice as much as theirs. Just the economies of scale mean that we need that kind of support. It just gets crushing, it’s soul-crushing for our industry.”

NDP Opposition Leader Claudia Chender said she’s spoken in the legislature about the phenomenon that is Nova Scotia author Rachel Reid’s Game Changers series of novels, the basis for the smash-hit “Heated Rivalry” television series. Game Changers is published by Carina Press, a division of U.S.-based Harlequin Enterprises. Chender said no book from a Nova Scotian author has had the same impact in her lifetime.

“We have incredible publishers here and these are the folks who tell our stories,” said Chender.

“Again, hugely short-sighted. Our biggest export? Our culture. What draws tourists? Our culture. These are cruel, tiny cuts that don’t balance the budget, but that punish the creative workers.”

Culture Minister Dave Ritcey told reporters at the legislature Thursday that even though their dedicated program is gone, publishers can still apply for funding under the Creative Industries Fund, which covers up to 50 per cent of eligible costs to a maximum of $30,000 per project.

Along with publishing, it supports fashion, screen, music and performing arts. Ritcey’s department cut that fund from $1.9 million to $1.1 million in this week’s budget.

“I know this will be hard for these organizations,” said Ritcey. “We had to make tough decisions, and I really, really do feel for them. But there is a program in the creative industry that they can apply to.”

Liberal Leader Iain Rankin said the public can look at where the Tories are cutting to see where their priorities lie.

“Balance has gone completely out the window, so now they’re making cuts to programs that people care about,” he told reporters. “If you look at the programs, it’s arts, it’s culture, it’s environment, it’s L’nu Affairs, it’s Mi’kmaq equity groups. So now, in these tough times, I think you’re really seeing what they’re made of.”

By Devin Stevens

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Feb. 26, 2026.