Nova ScotiaMayor Cecil Clarke says the new capital works plan will require an increase in spending by CBRM and depends on funding from other levels of government.Mayor says municipality will have to hike its spending, secure federal and provincial fundingTom Ayers · CBC News · Posted: Sep 10, 2025 11:22 AM EDT | Last Updated: 2 hours agoCape Breton Regional Municipality has approved a five-year, billion-dollar capital plan that would require an increase in local spending and funding from other levels of government. (Tom Ayers/CBC)Cape Breton Regional Municipality councillors have approved a $1-billion capital plan with increased spending on roads and sidewalks, sewer and water systems, upgrades to the Centre 200 arena and construction of a new library.The plan, which covers the next five years, relies heavily on funding from the federal and provincial governments. Mayor Cecil Clarke said CBRM will have to find new ways to pay for its share of the cost.”It absolutely depends on partnering money,” he said Tuesday, after council unanimously approved the capital plan. “It also means that we’re taking other innovative approaches.”We will have a presentation on the library coming forward that we’re trying to find new approaches [for] so that we won’t require provincial investment, so that provincial investment can go to other infrastructure items.”Clarke did not elaborate on what those approaches could include.The mayor said not all of the projects will get done, but he will use the plan to demonstrate CBRM’s infrastructure deficit and “negotiate from that list” with other levels of government and community stakeholders.”It really provides clarity of what is the magnitude of the need within our community,” he said.Chief engineer Wayne MacDonald told council the plan examines historical spending patterns and includes figures showing the increase in spending needed to improve and maintain the current capital works to reduce or eliminate CBRM’s infrastructure deficit.Mayor Cecil Clarke says he intends to take the new plan to other levels of government to demonstrate the need for funding and provide a multi-year plan to fund the works. (Tom Ayers/CBC)He said the municipality’s current annual capital budget for roads is $9 million, which would need an additional $4.5 million to bring it up to $13.5 million and “hold the line.”According to the plan, industry standards suggest CBRM should be spending $17.1 million a year on roads, but MacDonald said staff are recommending the middle ground.”It’s about hold the line, keep your head above water and maintain a level of infrastructure that is operationally feasible to continue to meet the demands … but you’re not exceeding it,” Clarke said.”You’re not moving to that next level.”Chief engineer Wayne MacDonald says CBRM’s plan includes works that go beyond five years and with those included, the total is around $1.5 billion in infrastructure needs. (Tom Ayers/CBC)In addition to roads, sewer and water and transit, the plan includes a list of community “signature” projects totalling nearly $170 million over five years.It lists $60 million for Centre 200 in Sydney, $40 million for a new central library in downtown Sydney, projects in North Sydney and New Waterford, as well as works across the municipality.MacDonald said other projects go beyond the five-year time frame, bringing the total list up to about $1.5 billion.Those include projects that are not likely to be ready to go within the next five years, such as light rail transit and electrification of the transit system, he said.MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORTom Ayers has been a reporter and editor for 39 years. He has spent the last 21 covering Cape Breton and Nova Scotia stories. You can reach him at tom.ayers@cbc.ca.
CBRM approves billion-dollar capital plan for next 5 years
