ARICHAT: Municipal staff will compile a report about the new look for the Cape Breton side of the Canso Causeway.
During the regular monthly meeting of Richmond Municipal Council on Sept. 27, Warden Amanda Mombourquette said the Strait of Canso Gateway Project is entering the next stage.
While the municipality has already submitted a letter of support for the project, the warden said this new phase involves preparing a multi-faceted, multi-year plan. She said the Cape Breton Partnership (CBP) has taken a leadership role by seeking a draft Request for Proposals (RFP) from a multi-disciplinary consultant team to prepare a development strategy.
Before issuing the RFP, Mombourquette said the CBP is looking for funding commitments from stakeholders and partners to cover the $50,000 to $70,000 strategy. While the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) has committed half, up to $35,000, she said the partnership is asking for $5,000 from each municipality.
The Town of Port Hawkesbury and Destination Cape Breton Association committed funding, and Victoria and Inverness counties gave verbal agreements, Mombourquette told council.
“The intention is then for them to go back and also ask the Cape Breton and Unama’ki First Nation Chiefs for a single contribution together towards the project as well,” the warden told council. “Each funding partner has been asked to commit up to $5,000.”
The warden said the Cape Breton Regional Municipality was approached last week, and Destination Cape Breton Association also expressed its support.
The warden said time is getting tight since the CBP is getting ready to issue the RFP and ACOA has committed the funding for this fiscal year.
While all councillors support the project, they wondered where that money would come from in their already tight budget.
“My only question would be to the CAO as to where we could possibly find it, but I think in principle I’d definitely be in support of the project,” District 5 Councillor Brent Sampson remarked.
“It’s necessary, it’s a great project. It’s a big bang for $5,000. The question always for me is where would the money come from,” District 3 Councillor Melanie Sampson asked.
Despite the financial commitment, Deputy Warden Michael Diggdon and District 1 Councillor Shawn Samson both support the project.
Chief Administrative Officer Don Marchand said he will discuss this funding request with Chief Financial Officer Jason Martell, and he hopes to update council at October’s regular council meeting.