The Chief Administrative Officer for Digby, Nova Scotia Tom Ossinger has seen his home town through it all.
From its heyday as a major producer of scallops to the lull in the fishing industry during the late 2000s to now, in what he hopes is the start of a new beginning for Digby.
“Things are starting to recover,” he said. “I think there are going to be more jobs for the fishing industry.”
As one of the major counties in the Annapolis Basin, Digby, Nova Scotia has a median income of $19,814, according to the 2011 national household survey.
The national median total income is $28,018.
During the time of the survey, Ossinger said, the economic force of the town ground to a halt after two fishing plants closed down.
Ossinger said that he saw a lot of people taking advantage of food banks and thrift stores.
Residents, including Corinne Warner, kept their heads up and even began to look forward to afternoons spent at Frenchy’s thrift store.
“I shop there because it’s a fun place to go,” she said. “So if anyone in the area tells you they shop there, it is not because they are poor.”
The rest of the Annapolis Basin fares better than Digby in terms of median total income. Neighbouring Clare, for example, has a median total income of $23,623 while Yarmouth right below it is at $21,421.
This map illustrates the median total income of the different subdivisions in Nova Scotia. The white areas of the map are either very low median total incomes or areas in which there was a gap in the data. The majority of Nova Scotian subdivisions are in the third tier of $20,047 to $26,730. Digby is in the second tier and has the lowest median total income in the Annapolis Basin. Zoom in to see Digby in the map.
Even if there were hardships in Digby, nobody ever talked about it, Ossinger said.
“We’re just trying to do the best we can.”
Part of the reason for Digby’s low income is the amount of seniors that live in the area who rely on fixed incomes such as retirement funds and pension.
Digby’s elderly residents make up approximately 20 per cent of the town’s population, compared to the national percentage of 15 per cent, according to the 2011 national household survey.
Young people also leave Digby to pursue other opportunities outside the fishing industry and retail work.
In Digby, there are only 575 people aged 20 to 29. That’s a little less than half the population of residents in their 60s, which is 1190.
In order to help the poorest residents make ends meet, the town offers low-income rebates to people over 18 years old.
Around 2010-2011, Ossinger said council voted to increase the rebate from $225 to $250 in order to “relive the stress on property taxes” which used to swallow the $225 whole, leaving residents without money to pay for groceries.
As for the rest of the population, the chief administrative officer for Digby said he began to notice an alarming trend when it came to looking for work in the service industry.
“They’re very selective of the jobs out there,” he said. “They think the job is beneath them.”
Ossinger recounted one story he heard a little while ago about a single mother who would rather live on social assistance than work because most of her wages would go toward paying for babysitters while she was on the job.
The 2011 national household survey was conducted during a lull in the fishing industry in Digby, NS. As Tom Ossinger suggests, the high senior population of Digby is one of the factors of the low median total income for individuals.
But things are different now. Things are starting to look up.
“You’re going to see that median income rise, there are a lot of people applying for work,” Ossinger said.
Two fishing plants, NeoFisheries and Nautical Seafoods, have announced funding into Digby’s scallop production facilities in February 2016.
Investment in scallop production has a ripple effect on other industries in the town, such as tourism and retail, given its importance to Digby’s local character. However, young people may still find it tough to stay in Digby.
“Friends of my children are having trouble finding a steady job,” Warner said. “But I know of many places that are hiring.”
Folks who live in Digby have seen their share of ups and downs, but the general attitude of the residents has unwavered since Warner arrived in the area 30 years ago from Ontario.
“The attitudes of the people I know are that you have to make your own success,” she said. “No one is responsible for that except yourself.”