Nova Scotia author gives $300,000 to keep Annapolis Valley libraries open
Posted Aug 18, 2026 12:51:14 PM.
Last Updated Aug 18, 2026 01:39:43 PM.
The Nova Scotia author whose romance books inspired the wildly popular “Heated Rivalry” TV series has donated $300,000 to financially challenged libraries in Nova Scotia’s Annapolis Valley.
Rachel Reid says libraries are one of the most important services available, and should be a government priority. The Annapolis Valley Regional Library board said this summer it would have to close five of its 11 branches unless it received more money from the province.
“Happy to help, not happy that it was necessary,” she said in an Instagram story. “library are an essential service.
The board had said the funding crunch was caused by a structural deficit and rising costs. But the provincial government declined to increase the board’s budget.
In July, however, the board said it would keep the branches open until the end of September.
And when it learned about Reid’s donation on Monday, the board said the money would be used to focus on priority library services.
Funding to libraries stagnant, advocates say
The provincial government provides $16.5 million to cover 70 per cent of all provincial libraries’ operating costs. Maguire said that funding remained in place this year.
“Libraries that offer broader programs and services are welcome to do so, but that needs to be grounded in what their budget can support,” Rob Maguire, spokesperson for the Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage said said.
The Annapolis Valley’s library system has reduced permanent staff by 25 per cent over the past 10 years, Julia Merritt, CEO of the Annapolis Valley Regional Library board, said. It has eliminated more than half of its program offerings, including a mobile book service and event partnerships with community groups.
Core funding to libraries has received just a 10 per cent increase since 2009, Merritt said. This funding has been stagnant since 2020 while costs have increased due to inflation.
“This issue has been going on, really, for 17 years,” Merritt said.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2026.
With files from Lyndsay Armstrong, The Canadian Press
