Parks Canada's ability to meet its mandate of protecting and presenting national historic sites, national parks, heritage canals, national urban parks and national marine conservation areas in Canada is founded on its assets. More than just supporting visitors, these assets provide support for critical functions, such as transportation, water management, climate change resilience, and services to residents and businesses, while being a source of shared pride for Canadians.
Several Parks Canada administered places in Cape Breton/Unama'ki will benefit from this funding and will undergo significant rehabilitation or repairs. Some projects have recently begun, while others are set to begin this year, with varying anticipated completion dates between 2023 and 2025. The total investment in these projects is just over $43 million. The work supported through these investments includes:
● Rehabilitation of the Keltic Road and water line that runs beneath it which both service Keltic Lodge and Highlands Links Golf Course. Roadwork will address significant erosion issues to ensure safe, sustainable access to these sites, as well as the replacement of the aging water line that has reached the end of its lifespan.
● Completion of emergency repairs and stabilization work as a result of the November 2021 extreme weather event that severely impacted several assets. Designs are currently being completed which incorporate sustainable and climate change resistant features (and accessibility where feasible) for various locations along the eastern portion of Cape Breton Highlands National Park. This includes improvements and upgrades to affected hiking trails and day use areas. The Glebe House in Ingonish has also been stabilized.
● Improvements to drainage and stabilization of rock slopes along the Cabot Trail to help re-establish aquatic connectivity, and lower risk along the transportation corridor for all users, improving safety for local communities and visitors.
● Rehabilitation of the Day Use Area at Ingonish Beach to replace the Ingonish Beach Washroom and Change room facility, destroyed due to arson in 2017, with a new building including fully accessible washrooms, change rooms, and showers. A third-party rental space, previously a food take-out area, will be utilized as a rental area. Improved energy efficiency, through greening practices and products, and long-term climate change resiliency by raising the building to a higher grade, will be achieved.
Hurricane Fiona Recovery Projects:
On September 24-25, 2022, extratropical cyclone Fiona, still delivering hurricane-force winds, landed in Atlantic Canada, causing a major wind and rain event affecting five provinces in Eastern Canada. All areas within Parks Canada's Cape Breton Field Unit experienced damage due to extreme high winds and rain. To manage such a large, wide-spread project, it has been split into two phases. The first phase consists of emergency repairs and stabilization, as well as inspections, investigations, detailed design and costing for construction. The second phase includes reconstruction of destroyed assets which require extensive design and construction to replace.
● Removal of deadfall from Hurricane Fiona, including, in some areas, buffer zones around existing infrastructure
● Repairs to roofs, flashing, chimneys, building exteriors, storm and sewer lines at the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site
● Repairs to the roadbed at Kennington Cove and the Lighthouse Road in Louisbourg
● Repairs to fences, shutters, gates, and doors at the Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site
● Improving drainage and repairing the museum building at Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site
