University and college students are planning to rally at Dalhousie University Wednesday afternoon over tuition fees, the province’s recent budget cuts, and to call on schools to divest from weapons and fossil fuel companies.
Four student unions recently voted to go on strike by skipping assignments and class from March 15th to 21st.
Our newsroom spoke to Q Pritchett, who said they planned to participate.
“I found it very frustrating that in the beginning of the last semester, the teachers were locked out, and for a few weeks, we couldn’t even go to classes, but we were still paying for it, and a lot of our classes, as a result, were really cramped in terms of content,” says Pritchett.
Pritchett also says they were disappointed to see the province’s budget cuts for universities and students.
A group of students, called Nova Scotia Student Strike, put together the petition for the strike, which had more than the required 1 per cent of students sign it, according to the Dalhousie Student Union. That prompted them to call a Special General Meeting, they say, where the union then voted in favour of strike action.
Laura Earl is a fourth-year neuroscience and entrepreneurship student. She says tuition is already high enough.
“So, I would love to see that come back down, and especially [because], moving into residence and across the country is already a bit of a charge,” says Earl.
She says she is also frustrated that tuition was not reduced after the weeks-long teacher strike in the fall.
Laura Earl, fourth-year student at Dalhousie University, says tuition is high enough already. Pictured March 16, 2026. PHOTO BY JACOB MOORE/ACADIA BROADCASTING
How many are participating?
The Dalhousie Students Union says they do not have a way to mandate that students walk out of class, according to a statement.
And it is hard to gauge how many people are actually taking part, according to DSU President Maren Mealey, especially because she has not been to any classes to see the attendance.
But from what she has seen outside of classes, more people are striking than she initially anticipated, and the food provider at the university also said enough students were staying home that their sales are down.
“It shows that there is a lot of unity across the province that the status quo is unacceptable,” says Mealey.
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