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The federal government is spending nearly $130 million on infrastructure at Parks Canada sites across Cape Breton Island to rebuild aging infrastructure and repair damage from extreme weather events over the last several years.
Some of the money has already been spent, while other projects are just getting started.
“On the Cabot Trail, we’re rebuilding sections of one of Canada’s most recognized scenic highways, strengthening its resilience and helping it withstand increasingly frequent and severe weather events,” Patrick Boucher, Parks Canada’s vice-president of real property and assets, said during an announcement Tuesday in Baddeck.
“Here at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site, we’re preserving the landmark A-frame building by replacing aging structural beams and windows. This requires careful, specialized work that protects both an architecturally significant building and the nationally important collection it houses.”
Construction fences and scaffolding surround the Bell museum and the work is expected to continue into mid-2027, but the facility remains open to visitors.
Repairs have also been made at national historic sites such as the St. Peters Canal and the Fortress of Louisbourg, as well as the Canso Islands site near Cape Breton’s Isle Madame.
Patrick Boucher, Parks Canada’s vice-president of real property and assets, says it’s important to maintain access to the country’s heritage while building in climate resilience. (Tom Ayers/CBC)
Boucher said the bulk of the funding has already gone into the Cape Breton Highlands National Park to replace roads, bridges and trails that have been hit hard by weather and to refurbish aging buildings such as the Glebe House in Ingonish.
Jaime Battiste, the Liberal MP for Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish, said it’s important to maintain and improve park infrastructure because of its historical significance to Canada and to local communities, as well as the tourist economy.
But it’s also important for historic cultural reasons.
“One of the things that we learn as Mi’kmaq is that we have a relationship with our environment,” he said.
Jaime Battiste, the Liberal MP for Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish, says repair work will help ensure that national parks and historic sites remain safe, accessible and welcoming for all. (Tom Ayers/CBC)
“We have responsibility for it and it brings me great joy to be able to say that we’re preserving it for future generations.
“Whether it’s rebuilding sections of the Cabot Trail, preserving the iconic Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site, improving visitor facilities, or protecting historic and cultural assets across the regions, these projects help ensure that these places remain safe, accessible, and welcoming for everyone.”
Terry Smith, CEO of the tourism promotion agency Destination Cape Breton, welcomed the funding.
“Our visitors have increasingly high expectations and there is a need for reinvestment in our product and that’s what we’re seeing here with this announcement,” he said.
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