Cape Breton, Strait of Canso Applicants Awarded Grants

Communities in the Cape Breton and Strait of Canso regions have an opportunity to make more sustainable, active and accessible transportation choices through the latest round of the Nova Scotia Moves program.

Through Nova Scotia Moves, the province offers grants of up to $200,000 to groups supporting sustainable transportation at the local level, including municipalities, band councils, community benefit organizations and social enterprises.

Three successful applicants from the regions were awarded grants in this round, totalling $176,565.

"The Nova Scotia Moves program is a key element of the province's Sustainable Transportation Strategy," said Guysborough-Sheet Harbour MLA Jim Boudreau, on behalf of Energy Minister Charlie Parker. "This program provides financial support to community-based or regional projects in Nova Scotia that help further the objectives of this important strategy. I congratulate the successful applicants from Cape Breton and the Strait of Canso area for their hard work."

Cape Breton Regional Municipality was awarded $124,750 for the first phase of the Grand Lake Road Multi-Use Path, which will connect Cape Breton University, Sydney and Glace Bay. The Town of Mulgrave was awarded $36,815 for the construction of a town trail, and the Municipality of the County of Victoria was awarded $15,000 to develop an active transportation plan.

Across the province, 37 successful applications were awarded funding during the latest round, totalling $1.4 million.

"This round's applicants were diverse and address a broad range of sustainable transportation issues," said Mr. Boudreau. "The people of Cape Breton and the Strait of Canso area want transportation options that are healthier and will help protect and preserve the environment."

The program helps Nova Scotians drive less distance, move more actively and efficiently, use cleaner energy, access a wider range of sustainable transportation options and engage communities around sustainable transportation issues.

The province consulted with a number of municipalities, environmental organizations and transit-oriented community groups in designing this program to ensure it responds to the needs of those doing work at the ground level.

In the 2012-13 pilot round, the province awarded over $900,000 to projects developing ideas from active transportation routes to online information services. Twenty-eight grants were awarded and are now under way.

For more information, visit http://novascotia.ca/sustainabletransportation/ .