Changing the Nova Scotian Narrative of Out-migration

By Taylor Quinn

“We are here to inform students of the opportunities that exist in the community sector in Nova Scotia.” –Kathleen Flanagan, Executive Director, Community Sector Council of Nova Scotia about her organization's interest in the Halifax Career Fair  

The narrative that young people must leave Nova Scotia to find work has been given continued life by our media, our parents, and ourselves.

This needs to stop.

I am from Western Canada. I came to Nova Scotia for university. It may be a surprise, but I plan to stay in Nova Scotia upon graduation, because I have found opportunities abound for ambitious young people in the province. My personal experience finding opportunities for young people led me into a role as the Student Coordinator of the Halifax Career Fair (this article reflects my personal views and not those of the Fair Organizing Committee).

Rather than going to Alberta as brute force labor for an economic boom that is adding wealth to corporations on the backs of desperate Canadians, in Nova Scotia young people like myself are searching for roles that grow their expertise in line with their future career goals. And for those that are willing to go beyond the norms of online job portals and run-of-the-mill recruiting advice, opportunities with small and medium-sized enterprises exist in leaps and bounds across the province.

The thousands of students that took over the Cunard Centre last Tuesday at the 17th Annual Halifax Career Fair were exposed to a narrative of opportunity that contrasts the negative portrayal of the Nova Scotia economy.

There were companies from western Canada at the Fair, sure, but this year’s Fair had a different air about it, one created by organizations that haven’t been a feature of Halifax Career Fairs of yesteryear. These organizations included leading social enterprises like Common Good Solutions and PeopleWorx, and member-based non-profit organizations like the Community Sector Council of Nova Scotia and the Atlantic Council for International Cooperation.

These organizations are just some of the leaders of a changing narrative in Nova Scotia.

Global popularity of the concept of social enterprise has added a new energy to a community sector that already employs over 24,000 people in Nova Scotia. This growing sector was present at the Halifax Career Fair in a big way, with a full row dedicated to the sector, and a handful of other advocates of Nova Scotia’s community sector proudly sharing a message of meaningful work beside the Goldcorp’s and PepsiCo’s of the world.

As the Student Coordinator of the Halifax Career Fair, I have spent months talking to Nova Scotians about the economic realities facing youth in our province. And as last week’s Halifax Career Fair, where half of the exhibitors were based in Nova Scotia, proves, opportunities abound in Nova Scotia for those willing to set themselves apart.

So to my fellow youth in Nova Scotia, let’s work to change the narrative and have the determination to find employment opportunities that contribute not just to corporations, but to the communities that are the lifeblood of our province.

Taylor Quinn is a 4th year student at Dalhousie University and the founder of Changing the Narrative. He is passionate about social entrepreneurship & the future of Nova Scotia. He was recently selected by 21Inc to be a part of the 21Leaders Nova Scotia cohort. You can reach him via twitter @taylorquinn92

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