Image: Submitted/Saint John Energy

Public housing is about to get more comfortable in Cape Breton.

The federal and provincial governments will each invest $4 million on energy upgrades on more than 200 units.

It will include installing insulation, efficient water heaters, air-sealing systems and changing from oil to heat pumps.

“This investment will make a difference in the quality of life for the residents living in these units,” said Brian Comer, Minister responsible for the Office of Addictions and Mental Health and MLA for Cape Breton East, on behalf of Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister John Lohr. “The added benefits of this project include reduced operating costs for buildings, reduced greenhouse gasses and creation of local jobs throughout Cape Breton.”

The federal funding is through the Green Infrastructure Stream of the Investing in Canada infrastructure program.

“Investing in sustainable and affordable housing infrastructure is essential to building resilient communities where people want to live. I am proud to work with the Province of Nova Scotia to help improve public housing properties in Cape Breton to ensure that residents have modern housing with more energy efficiency when choosing where they want to live.”
– Mike Kelloway, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, and Member of Parliament for Cape Breton-Canso, on behalf of Dominic LeBlanc, Minister of Intergovernmental Affairs, Infrastructure and Communities

The province has more than 11,200 public housing units with about 17,200 individuals and families living in them.