January 12, 2024 · Glace Bay, Nova Scotia · Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA)
Climate comfort centres play an essential role during extreme weather events, offering residents a place to shelter, charge devices, use the internet and check in with family and friends.
By providing a space where people can feel safe, supported, and connected during times of upheaval and uncertainty, climate comfort centres help communities recover more quickly once the crisis has passed.
Today, Mike Kelloway, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Fisheries, Oceans and the Canadian Coast Guard and Member of Parliament for Cape Breton-Canso, announced $196,853 in non-repayable funding through the Hurricane Fiona Recovery Fund (HFRF) to upgrade three facilities in Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM). This is in addition to the $1,057,665 announced earlier this week for 29 other comfort centres in Guysborough County and across Cape Breton. The announcement was made on behalf of the Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for ACOA.
The municipality will purchase and install generators at the Glace Bay Volunteer Fire Department and at the John J. Nugent Fireman's Centre in Sydney Mines. It will also make emergency power and lighting upgrades to the Glace Bay Miners Forum so it can function as a climate comfort centre. These improvements will help prepare the communities for potential climate-related disasters, and will help them respond and recover more quickly after an emergency.
Today's announcement further demonstrates the Government of Canada's commitment to supporting communities and businesses impacted by Hurricane Fiona, and helping them prepare for possible climate-related disasters.
