Long-promised Nova Scotia Loyal program to offer rewards for buying local

The Nova Scotia government announced Tuesday that its promised program to encourage people to buy local will award points only at Sobeys Inc. grocery stores and the provincial liquor corporation.

The province says the two retail partnerships will be part of its $6-million Nova Scotia Loyal program, which includes an enhanced government procurement policy and special branding to showcase Nova Scotian products at a variety of shops across the province.

Sobeys and the Nova Scotia Liquor Corporation will feature in-store displays highlighting local products and will offer additional reward points during specified promotional periods. One week a month at Sobeys, customers can earn bonus Scene+ points, good for discounts on groceries at Sobeys or movies at Cineplex theatres; the first week begins July 25. The Air Miles points program at the liquor corporation will be rolled out on Sept. 30.

The program also includes a procurement policy for businesses competing for government contracts under which Nova Scotian companies will be awarded the tender if they come within 10 per cent of the leading bid from a non-Nova Scotian business.

Economic Development Minister Susan Corkum-Greek said that although 75 per cent of all government spending already goes to Nova Scotian companies, the new procurement policy will help ensure local firms are given more of a boost.

The minister also said the special branding is expected to increase sales in local products.

Corkum-Greek said the government will continue to monitor data from the program to determine how to expand it, adding that the province hopes to add more participating retailers.

First introduced as a Progressive Conservative campaign promise in 2021, the Nova Scotia Loyal program's aim is to increase demand for local products in Nova Scotia, with a goal of having 20 per cent of all food purchased in the province locally produced.

The program drew criticism from opposition leaders in May after Sobeys was awarded a $950,000 untendered contract for the program.

$6M on program unjustifiable, opposition says

For Liberal Leader Zach Churchill, the buying program is "all about optics and not changing any outcomes."

Churchill said the bonus Scene+ points — which are only available one week a month — and Air Miles points won't make a difference for the many Nova Scotians worried about getting food on the table, adding that the $6-million program would have been better used to address food insecurity. He said the province's money could have gone further at food banks — many of which are under-resourced and highly solicited — which he said can often get produce at good rates.

Critics from the NDP agree. "It took the government three years and $6 million to launch this points program. The details of Nova Scotia Loyal do not justify the time spent, nor its price tag," NDP Economic Development critic Lisa Lachance said in a news release.

Other retailers left out

In 2021, the Nova Scotia PC Party implied the Nova Scotia Loyal program would be a card customers can use at different stores and get points.

"The key to driving our economy is keeping more and more of the money left in the hands of Nova Scotians here in Nova Scotia. This is where our 'Nova Scotia Loyal' program is critical and it incentivizes and motivates local spending," the party said in its platform at the time.