PORT HAWKESBURY: The federal, provincial and municipal levels of government announced funding for a $3.3 million project to upgrade water infrastructure in the town.
During an announcement on Monday at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre, it was confirmed that the Government of Canada is providing $1,320,000 towards the project, while the Government of Nova Scotia has approved $1,100,000, with the Town of Port Hawkesbury contributing $880,000.
According to Port Hawkesbury Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton, the Pitt Street water tower and controls building will be replaced, the out of service water tower in Tamarac will be removed, upgrades will be made to the water treatment plant, and water system district metering will be installed for leak detection and water loss control at Queen Street.
The federal government said the MacDonald Street pressure reducing valve vault will be replaced with a new above ground building and associated equipment.
Noting that the funding will enable the town to move forward on essential upgrades, Chisholm-Beaton said the water system upgrades are imperative to ensure the ongoing, security, safety, and reliability of water treatment and distribution infrastructure.
“Citizens and businesses here in Port Hawkesbury can turn on their taps and expect and receive exceptional potable water to do their every tasks, to cook daily meals, to serving water in restaurants, and even to fill their water bottles before heading to the rink,” she told the crowd. “It seems simple but we know in actuality, providing water to businesses and citizens is complex and requires a lot of work and a lot of critical infrastructure to ensure that water gets to your taps.”
Port Hawkesbury Mayor Brenda Chisholm-Beaton and Inverness MLA and Deputy Premier Allan MacMaster were at the announcement on Jan. 16 in Port Hawkesbury.
Inverness MLA and Nova Scotia Deputy Premier Allan MacMaster said the funding will help meet long-term development and water demands for the town.
MacMaster said he will miss the old water towers that have been part of the town’s skyline for decades.
“It’s money well spent. I think you’d be hard pressed to find anyone who would say investing in something like this is not a good use of money,” he said. “We have to prepare for the future and this investment today is preparing for that future.”
Cape Breton-Canso MP Mike Kelloway said clean drinking water and more efficient water distribution are vital to the success of local development, while also creating good jobs and economic growth for communities.
“We’re seeing some incredible uptake, in terms of, over the last three years, of people wanting to come to the Quad Counties, people wanting to set up businesses in the Quad Counties, and also looking at some projects, that I think, have a tremendous amount of legitimacy; green hydrogen, offshore/inshore wind,” he told The Reporter. “This is the right thing to do, obviously, from a health perspective, but it’s also what communities do when they’re preparing for growth, and you have to manage growth. That comes from an infrastructure standpoint as well. You need the amenities; you need the infrastructure to bring people here, to service people here, both now and into the future.”
From his perspective, Kelloway said he is “100 per cent bullish” about the future of the Strait area, and he expects to make more announcements in the coming months.
“If you look at the opportunities that are in Inverness County, Richmond County, Guysborough, Antigonish, they are ones that are not just fly-by-night opportunities, they are ones that have a lot of people pulling together in the same direction to take it to the next level,” he added. “We’ll be making, I think, some significant announcements for Inverness County, for Richmond County, that addresses the need to improve and create new infrastructure to meet, not just the needs now, but into the future.”