In the winter of 2010 the provincial government held 23 consultations in 16 communities (as well as private ones with Chambers of Commerce) across Nova Scotia to ask how the government can deal with its fiscal problems. These meetings will helped to dictate priorities in the spring 2010 budget.

The government presented Nova Scotian's with three "tools" for dealing with the current financial situation: reduce the amount of money spent on programs and services, increase the amount of money taken in through taxes, fees, and other sources and invest money to grow the economy over the long term. 

Spending cuts to public services, especially post-secondary education, only shifts the current "structural" fiscal deficit to a social one, where those struggling most are forced to pay more to access needed services. The province must find a fair and equitable way to get out of debt, one that doesn't place the burden on the students and their families.