IRON MINES: L’Arche Cape Breton was recently awarded $25,000 in funding which the organization plans to use to build accessible nature trails on their property in Iron Mines.
The funding was announced on Oct. 18 by the Community Foundation of Nova Scotia, Rural Communities Foundation of Nova Scotia, and Ulnooweg Indigenous Communities Foundation, alongside Jamie Battiste, the Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations and Member of Parliament for Sydney-Victoria.
A total of $40,187 was budgeted for seven community-led projects throughout Nova Scotia, as part of a program called the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative. The program was created to help communities adapt to the COVID-19 pandemic and to create safe ways for residents to access services and enjoy the outdoors.
“Public spaces are a big part of what makes communities safe, vibrant and connected,” says Daniel Holland, CEO of Community Foundation of Nova Scotia in a press release associated with the announcement. “With funding from the Canada Healthy Communities Initiative, these projects are helping people, including those who have been disproportionately impacted by COVID-19, come together in supportive spaces, while bolstering the wellbeing and social fabric of our society,” he says.
The initiative funds eligible projects between $5,000 and $250,000 that look to create vibrant public spaces, improve mobility options and offer digital solutions. This was the second year L’Arche Cape Breton applied for funding for the project and Mukthar Limpao, Executive Director and Community Leader at L’Arche Cape Breton, says the organization is excited about the announcement and the project is a big goal for the community at L’Arche Cape Breton.
“We’re really grateful to have this addition through this grant. At some point it’s hard to inspire people when we’re getting nowhere when it comes to funding, and $25,000 dollars is something that really re inspired the group about the project,” Limpao says.
He says the funding won’t cover all the costs needed, but it will be enough to start the project they’ve been hoping to see happen for quite some time now.
“It’s going to be done in phases; it’s going to require a lot of money. The first phase is to open everything up and remove as many barriers as possible. The second phase is when it really becomes more accessible when it comes to the surface and slopes.”
L’Arche Cape Breton offers unique programs, spaces such as outdoor gardens, places to work and create art, and is an organization providing a safe place for people with disabilities.
The grant they received can be used for anything from community gardens and activity spaces to digital infrastructure, and the funding is allowing organizations to adapt programs and services support economic recovery, create jobs, and build vibrant, resilient communities.
Limpao says their trail project was inspired by the members of L’Arche Cape Breton during the pandemic while people were limited to staying within their communities, something Limpao says the members there struggled with.
“L’Arche is a community that thrives to be with others, to be with people, to be in the community and not within L’Arche but outside of it. So, we really struggled with that and we don’t really have many other places to go to. It’s all of that combination and inspiration that really made us think of this trail.”
When it comes to accessible spaces, Limpao says there’s a lot of work to be done within the community to create more and this is only a start. He says the trails will improve the quality of life for people with disabilities and at the same time allow others in the community to come enjoy the area as well.
“It’s good to open it up to the wider community, especially our friends and neighbours within Inverness County. And specifically focusing on people with physical disabilities, there’s not many trails that are accessible and this is one we want to make really accessible for people with disabilities and people that are aging,” Limpao says.
“I think it will be a good place for them to go to as well and at the same time it serves one of the missions of L’Arche which is outreach. We are only L’Arche if we are interacting and connecting with the wider community.”