The Federal Government is investing $43 million towards several Parks Canada projects in Cape Breton to help with Hurricane Fiona relief while improving infrastructure.
The Honourable Jaime Battiste, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, and the Honourable Mike Kelloway, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard, on behalf of Steven Guilbeault, Minister of the Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada made the announcement, Wednesday.
The money will go towards trails, facilities, roadways and bridges including the Cabot Trail. Investing in these locations helps protect natural and built heritage, increase climate resiliency, and create jobs in local communities, while providing visitors and residents with high-quality, safe, and meaningful experiences across the country.
“Canadians are increasingly feeling the impacts of climate change, and our Government is committed to supporting Canadians to be better prepared and to build a stronger economy. We are taking ambitious climate action to cut our pollution and create an all-hands-on-deck approach to climate adaptation,” said The Honourable Steven Guilbeault, Minister of Environment and Climate Change and Minister responsible for Parks Canada.
“Investments in built heritage will benefit generations to come. Through this federal infrastructure investment, Parks Canada is proudly contributing to the world-renowned national historic sites in Cape Breton/Unama’ki. The Government of Canada’s investments in resilient infrastructure are essential to preserve natural and cultural heritage, ensure environmental protection and conservation, and support local economies, while mitigating the effects of climate change,” said The Honourable Mike Kelloway, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and Member of Parliament for Cape Breton-Canso.
Quick facts
- The funding includes $28 million from the federal infrastructure investment program and $15 million through the Hurricane Fiona Recovery Fund, coordinated by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, for recovery efforts resulting from the aftermath of Hurricane Fiona.
- On September 24-25, 2022, extratropical cyclone Fiona, still delivering hurricane-force winds, landed in Atlantic Canada, causing a major wind and rain event in five provinces in eastern Canada, including Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, Quebec and Newfoundland Labrador.
- Since 2015, federal infrastructure investments have enabled Parks Canada to improve more than 5,000 assets in its infrastructure portfolio such as highways, bridges, dams and other marine infrastructures, historic buildings and fortifications, water and wastewater treatment facilities, campgrounds, visitor centres and operational buildings and compounds.
- Cape Breton Highlands National Park, located on Cape Breton Island in northern Nova Scotia, consists of 950 km² of Acadian, boreal, and taiga forests and represents a classic example of Maritime Acadian Highlands natural region. Its pristine beauty, dramatic coastlines and vibrant cultures attract approximately 300,000 visitors annually.
- Keltic Lodge and Highlands Links Golf Course are two important landmarks within the boundaries of Cape Breton Highlands National Park. Keltic Lodge first opened its door in 1941 and Highlands Links Golf Course, designed by golf course architect Stanley Thompson, is consistently ranked as one of the top courses in Canada.
- Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site is the largest historical reconstruction in North America. Reconstruction ran from 1961 to the early 1980s, and one-fifth of the original townsite has been rebuilt. The site welcomes approximately 80,000 visitors each year.
- Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site pays tribute to the genius of the famed inventor and his wife, Mabel Bell, in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, near the site of their Cape Breton home. The museum contains the original remains of Bell’s hydrofoil, the HD-1, as well as a full-scale replica of the famed Silver Dart airplane. About 85,000 visitors explore the museum each year.
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