Funding to Upgrade Community Infrastructure in Annapolis, Digby Counties

Major improvements are coming to community facilities and trails located in Annapolis and Digby counties with provincial grants.

“Enhancing infrastructure can positively affect the social, emotional and physical aspects of many individuals,” said Jill Balser, Minister of Labour, Skills and Immigration and MLA for Digby-Annapolis, on behalf of Allan MacMaster, Minister of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage. “These spaces can foster a sense of connection, offer a safe environment, and promote personal growth to help achieve desired goals and objectives.”

The volunteer-run Annapolis Community Pool in Annapolis Royal received funding to install a pool liner. The pool provides swim lessons and other recreational programming, as well as employment for young lifeguards.

The Searidge Foundation in Annapolis Royal, which operates a treatment centre that supports people struggling with drug addiction dependencies, received funding to install heat pumps in the centre.

The Electric City/La Nouvelle France Society, located in Weymouth, was established to share the history of the community of La Nouvelle France (New France) and develop a permanent home for the story. The society received funding to insulate its building and install a generator.

Other organizations are also receiving provincial grants:

• Nature Conservancy of Canada – restore the Brier Island Coastal Trail
• Growth Opportunities Limited, Digby – make accessible improvements to bathrooms in its building
• La Societe Vieille Maison, Meteghan – for work on the 18th-century house, including repairs to the roof and foundation, installing and electrical panel and plumbing, restoring specialty carpentry and replacing floor furnace
• Clarence United Baptist Church, Annapolis County – paint building and renovate kitchen
• Middleton Swimming Pool Society – revitalize outdoor swimming pool
• Annapolis Heritage Society – renovate storage space at Carriage House
• Middleton Railway Museum Society – bring a 1920s CN caboose to the museum from Truro
• Digby Area Learning Association – improve classroom space and electrical system
• Freeport Community Development Association – make accessibility improvements to parking spaces, building entrance and green house.

These community grants are part of a series of announcements taking place across the province.

Quotes:

“Our building was built in 1864 and has required extensive renovation to bring it to today’s standards. The generous provincial funding will allow us to stabilize and secure our 26 stained glass windows and will guarantee our centre can be open year-round and that it will last for another 100 years.”
— Hal Theriault, co-Chair, Electric City/La Nouvelle France Society

“Lifelong learning is the key to unlocking endless possibilities, and with the funding we have received, it has allowed us to offer more opportunities for adult learners. This new classroom space has empowered individuals to acquire new knowledge and develop valuable skills.”
— Stephanie Journeay, Executive Director, Digby Area Learning Association

Quick Facts:

• grant recipients and funding amounts:
  • Annapolis Community Pool – $200,000
  • Nature Conservancy of Canada – over $98,000
  • Growth Opportunities Limited – $50,000
  • Searidge Foundation – $48,000
  • Electric City/La Nouvelle France Society – over $42,000
  • La Societe Vieille Maison – $40,000
  • Clarence United Baptist Church – over $35,000
  • Middleton Pool Society – over $31,000
  • Annapolis Heritage Society – over $27,000
  • Middleton Railway Museum Society – over $19,000
  • Digby Area Learning Association – over $18,000
  • Freeport Community Development Association – over $6,000
• La Nouvelle France (New France), also known as Electric City, was the name of a settlement inland from Weymouth started in the late 19th century by French immigrants
• the Province’s accessibility strategy, Access by Design 2030, outlines how the government will achieve its goal of an accessible province by providing people with disabilities equitable access to programs, services, information and infrastructure

Additional Resources:

Department of Communities, Culture, Tourism and Heritage grants and programs: https://cch.novascotia.ca/investing-in-our-future

Online grant finder tool: https://beta.novascotia.ca/find-grants-offered-through-department-communities-culture-tourism-and-heritage

Access by Design 2030: https://novascotia.ca/accessibility/access-by-design/