BILL NO. 314
(as introduced)
1st Session, 64th General Assembly
Nova Scotia
1 Charles III, 2023
Private Member's Bill
Atlantic Open Educational Resources Act
The Honourable Ben Jessome
Hammonds Plains–Lucasville
First Reading: April 11, 2023
Second Reading:
Third Reading:
An Act to Support
the Atlantic Open Educational Resources Program
WHEREAS post-secondary students across Nova Scotia are facing a growing range of financial pressures and affordability challenges, including high tuition and housing costs;
AND WHEREAS an often overlooked expense associated with post-secondary education is the cost of text books and educational materials;
AND WHEREAS in 2021, the Council of Atlantic Academic Libraries launched a pilot program entitled Atlantic Open Educational Resources (AtlanticOER) to support the hosting and creation of open educational resources by educators and students in the Atlantic provinces;
AND WHEREAS AtlanticOER allows educators to share materials, access and adapt other educators' resources and help students gain free, full access to course materials;
THEREFORE be it enacted by the Governor and Assembly as follows:
1 This Act may be cited as the Atlantic Open Educational Resources Act.
(a) "Atlantic provinces" means the Provinces of Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Newfoundland and Labrador and Prince Edward Island;
(b) "AtlanticOER" means the Atlantic Open Educational Resources program.
3 Subject to Section 4, the Government shall negotiate with the governments of the other Atlantic provinces to create an interprovincial funding agreement to provide sustainable funding to AtlanticOER.
4 The money required for the purpose of this Act must be paid out of money appropriated for that purpose by the Legislature.
This page and its contents published by the Office of the Legislative Counsel, Nova Scotia House of Assembly, and © 2023 Crown in right of Nova Scotia. Created April 11, 2023. Send comments to legc.office@novascotia.ca.
