Funding for Trail Restoration in Cape Breton

The Louisbourg Lighthouse Trail in Cape Breton will undergo a major renovation to make it more resistant to the impacts of a changing climate.

The Province announced $158,400 in funding for the project from the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund today, August 14, in Louisbourg.

“This funding is about maintaining our connection to nature and our community, and our commitment to tackling the challenges of our changing climate,” said Brian Comer, Minister responsible for the Office of Addictions and Mental Health and MLA for Cape Breton East, on behalf of Timothy Halman, Minister of Environment and Climate Change. “Communities have been dealing with the impacts of climate change for years and know the best way to adapt. This project is an example of the collective power of communities.”

With this funding, the not-for-profit Coastal Connections Trail Association will relocate and rebuild the trails sections damaged by Hurricane Fiona further away from the shoreline to protect it from future storm surges. The trails are important in part because they create an accessible route to the historic Fortress of Louisbourg.

The Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund is available to municipalities, non-profit and community organizations, post-secondary institutions and First Nations communities to help them respond to, prepare for and fight climate change, and reduce greenhouse gas emissions.

Quotes:

“The Louisbourg Lighthouse Coastal Trail Committee saw first-hand how climate change can affect important rural infrastructure. Thanks to our government partners we will be able to restore the three Fiona-damaged sections of trail by rerouting and redesigning the trail, which will prevent future damage. These costly repairs would not be possible in smaller rural communities without government funding.”

– Carter Stevens, chair, Coastal Connections Trail Association

“The Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities, through the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund, is pleased to support efforts to restore and adapt the Louisbourg Lighthouse Trail. The Coastal Connections Trail Association’s project is funded through the adaptation stream, designed to help communities proactively prepare and respond to climate change, as well as to reduce the vulnerability and exposure of human and natural systems. The fund is committed to supporting projects dedicated to the sustainability and protection of outdoor recreation and active transportation.”

– Juanita Spencer, CEO, Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities

Quick Facts:

• the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund was established on October 27, 2021, as part of the Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act, the government’s legislated commitment to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, respond to climate change, transform how Nova Scotians produce and use energy, make homes more energy efficient, and more
• the fund provides $15 million over three years for projects that help communities adapt to climate change, mitigate its impacts and help Nova Scotia reduce its greenhouse gas emissions
• the Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities was selected through a request for proposals process to develop and administer the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund on behalf of the government Additional Resources: More information on the Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund is available at: https://nschallengefund.ca/

Environmental Goals and Climate Change Reduction Act: https://nslegislature.ca/sites/default/files/legc/statutes/environmental%20goals%20and%20climate%20change%20reduction.pdf

News release – Nova Scotia Federation of Municipalities to Deliver Sustainable Communities Challenge Fund: https://novascotia.ca/news/release/?id=20220414003