ARICHAT: A new investment by the province is laying the groundwork for improved infrastructure in Richmond County, beginning with a $12,500 sidewalk study in the Village of St. Peters.

The project, announced by Richmond MLA Trevor Boudreau on April 25, is part of the Growth and Renewal for Infrastructure Development (GRID) Program – an initiative of the Houston Government designed to strengthen local communities by supporting critical infrastructure planning and upgrades.

“This study may be small in scope, but it reflects a big idea – that local infrastructure decisions matter,” Boudreau said. “We are laying the groundwork for thoughtful growth.”

The sidewalk study is expected to assess opportunities to improve pedestrian access and community safety in St. Peters, an important step toward building more inclusive and connected neighbourhoods.

The initiative is among 35 projects across Nova Scotia receiving support from the GRID Program, which covers up to 50 per cent of eligible project costs. The program funds a wide range of community priorities including water and wastewater systems, disaster mitigation, and accessibility improvements.

Since launching in 2021, the Houston Government has invested over $257 million in municipal infrastructure province-wide.

In Richmond, local leaders hope this new investment signals a continued commitment to rural infrastructure and livability.

Drake Lowthers

Drake Lowthers has been a community journalist for The Reporter since July, 2018. His coverage of the suspicious death of Cassidy Bernard garnered him a 2018 Atlantic Journalism Award and a 2019 Better Newspaper Competition Award; while his extensive coverage of the Lionel Desmond Fatality Inquiry received a second place finish nationally in the 2020 Canadian Community Newspaper Awards for Best Feature Series. A Nova Scotia native, who has called Antigonish home for the past decade, Lowthers has a strong passion in telling people’s stories in a creative, yet thought-provoking way. He graduated from the journalism program at Holland College in 2016, where he played varsity football with the Hurricanes. His simple pleasures in life include his two children, photography, live music and the local sports scene.

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Drake Lowthers has been a community journalist for The Reporter since July, 2018. His coverage of the suspicious death of Cassidy Bernard garnered him a 2018 Atlantic Journalism Award and a 2019 Better Newspaper Competition Award; while his extensive coverage of the Lionel Desmond Fatality Inquiry received a second place finish nationally in the 2020 Canadian Community Newspaper Awards for Best Feature Series. A Nova Scotia native, who has called Antigonish home for the past decade, Lowthers has a strong passion in telling people’s stories in a creative, yet thought-provoking way. He graduated from the journalism program at Holland College in 2016, where he played varsity football with the Hurricanes. His simple pleasures in life include his two children, photography, live music and the local sports scene.