Cape Breton councillors have mixed feelings for mayor’s project funding plans

Published Jul 30, 20257 minute readMayor Cecil Clarke, shown with municipal clerk Christa Dicks, said the CBRM received additional money thanks to a revised surplus in its operational funding — $4.2 million in total — much of it coming from recuperating costs from post-tropical storm Fiona as well as the 2024 major snowstorm. Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POSTArticle contentCape Breton Regional Municipality council greeted Mayor Cecil Clarke’s plans to allocate several million dollars in funding toward several identified projects with mixed reactions.THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentDuring a video-conferenced special council meeting on Tuesday night, Clarke identified a number of what he considered “regional, divisional, and district priorities and help community organizations continue delivering services and programs.”Article contentArticle contentArticle contentMoney for those listed priorities would come from the municipality’s operating reserve, to the tune of nearly $2.8 million.Article contentClarke said the CBRM received additional money thanks to a revised surplus in its operational funding — $4.2 million in total, compared to a previous projected surpluses of $2.4 million and about $1 million reported to council earlier this year — much of it coming from recuperating costs from post-tropical storm Fiona as well as the 2024 major snowstorm.Article content CBRM council, by motion on March 18, approved support for Cape Breton University’s request for $400,000 in support of its Forever campaign, which CBU president and vice-chancellor David Dingwall presented during that day’s council meeting. Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POST FILEArticle contentFUNDING PRIORITIESArticle contentClarke asked council to consider funding one-time allocations to eight identified priorities. Among those:Article content• Cape Breton Exhibition, $500,000: The North Sydney agricultural site sustained substantial structural damage during post-tropical Fiona and subsequent impacts from the major February 2024 snowstorm. “These events, in addition to historical operation and maintenance challenges necessitate significant upgrades.Article contentArticle content• CBRM 30th anniversary, $500,000 total: Funding to mark the 30th anniversary of amalgamation. “Over those years, many challenges and accomplishments have been realized, with growth and optimism driving change and development today,” Clarke said. “Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 25th anniversary (slated to be held in 2020) was unable to be publicly recognized or celebrated;”Article content• Cape Breton University — Forever Campaign: $400,000: Council, by motion on March 18, approved support for the university’s request for $400,000 in support of their Forever CBU campaign, which CBU president and vice-chancellor David Dingwall presented during that day’s council meetingArticle content• Community rinks: $300,000: Sydney Mines, Whitney Pier and Dominion rinks each require differing levels of support to maintain operational and capital needs, Clarke told council. Allotting $100,000 per rink will provide necessary improvements and upgrades. Meanwhile, the New Waterford community arena is being assessed separately by the board and CBRM parks, recreation and buildings department. Upgrades to New Waterford are anticipated to be upwards of $10 million, the mayor added.Article content• Louisbourg Playhouse, $100,000: The CBRM owns the Louisbourg Playhouse property operated by a local not-for-profit organization. According to Clarke, the playhouse’s roof is in need of replacement, along with other structural repairs and maintenance.Article contentOther funding is planned to go toward Cape Breton Search and Rescue ($150,000), community organizational support ($332,000); and CBRM’s public works ($500,000, with the additional resource to help leverage existing operating funding to achieve between $700,000-$800,000 in improved outcomes) to fix up sidewalks and municipal owned parks.Article content CBRM District 4 Coun. Steve Gillespie: “It was my understanding — and correct me if I’m wrong — that this (the allocation of $400,000 for CBU’s Forever campaign) wasn’t approved by council.” Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POSTArticle contentUNCLEAR OF FORMAL OK Article contentWhile council voted 10-2 in favour of allowing the funding to go ahead (District 3 Coun. Esmond (Blue) Marshall opted to abstain), District 4 Coun. Steve Gillespie wondered aloud whether council formally OK’d that $400,000 allocated to CBU.Article contentArticle content“It was my understanding — and correct me if I’m wrong — that this wasn’t approved by council, but it was approved to send back to council to this meeting to decide whether or not we would be able to do it and if we had the funds to do it, and how we would go about doing it, whether it’s over a period of time or one point in time,” Gillespie said.Article contentIn response, Clarke told Gillespie that “the item was for that to come to this consideration, and what we have done with that is to recognize, one, having the fiscal capacity to consider it, and two, rather than to have it drag it over a period of time, the recommendation is to deal with it as a one-time contribution to the CBU Forever campaign.”Article contentGillespie also told council he wished he had more time to study the agenda item.Article content“To receive this information at 3:30 this afternoon, ahead of a 6 p.m. meeting, I’m just wondering, was there anything else discussed?” he said.Article contentArticle content CBRM District 12 Coun, Kim Sheppard-Campbell: “Our rink (in Whitney Pier) needs so much. It needs a new Zamboni; the boards are falling apart; the dressing rooms need to be done. There’s millions (of dollars) that need to be put into it to make it sustainable.” Photo by IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POSTArticle contentDistrict 7’s Steve Parsons and District 2’s Kim Sheppard-Campbell — the two dissenting votes — also took issue with that contribution amount to the CBU campaign, as well as the timing of the agenda item.Article content“We’re giving them a cheque for $400,000 without knowing any details of where that money is going,” said Sheppard-Campbell, adding that, “I wasn’t aware that the $400,000 was approved. I really think that’s a big ask from us.Article contentAdded Parsons, “The mayor should not have done this. He could have put these priorities into separate blocks for each district — the big asks, like half or anything over $250,000 would make up one independent vote, and that gives everybody an opportunity to vote.Article content“But he put all these asks into one big block, because (he felt that) to go up to get along, you got to go along.”Article contentSHORT TIME TO ASSESS Article contentWorse yet, said Sheppard-Campbell and Parsons, the listed priorities were only supplied to council mere hours before Tuesday’s meeting — especially when, as Parsons explained, agenda items mainly get posted 24 hours before a scheduled meeting.Article content“I’m not a fan of not being able to look into things and decipher them myself so I can make an honest vote. You can’t get (fully) prepared in a half-hour.”Article contentAdded Parsons, “Again, here we are getting information at the 11th hour. I’m not even voting for the high-ticket items independently; instead, it’s being put all in the one. So as a councillor, that puts me in a quandary.Article content The New Waterford and District Community Centre. “So there isn’t any money going into the New Waterford rink at this time, and that’s the key thing,” says CBRM Mayor Cecil Clarke. “New Waterford is on hold for consideration until we have our true understanding of how large it is.” Photo by CONTRIBUTEDArticle content‘NOT OFFICIAL’ Article contentClarke told the Cape Breton Post after the meeting that council has yet to formally approve the $400,000 ask for the Forever CBU campaign.Article content“No, that’s not official,” he said. “The motion that council was to approve providing the funding, but we didn’t have the mechanism at the time, and it had to come back.Article content“And the surplus (that was announced the meeting) allowed for the mechanism, and the recommendation was to do it in one fiscal year, so it would take those pressures off so we can look at other priorities in the upcoming 2026-27 budget year.”Article contentArticle content CBRM District 7 Coun. Steve Parsons: “You don’t have a surplus when you’re $17 million in debt.” IAN NATHANSON/CAPE BRETON POSTArticle contentISSUE WITH NEW WATERFORD ARENA Article contentAnother sticking point for Sheppard-Campbell was the community rinks funding allocation — namely the projection of $10 million toward upgrades to the New Waterford community arena.Article content“Since we were talking about this surplus money (we now have), I had been told that each of the rinks in Dominion, New Waterford, Whitney Pier and Sydney Mines were all getting around $100,000 — and so they came in for an ask,” she said. “That was great that they’re all getting that.Article content“But then, when I heard that New Waterford is getting this assessment, and the way I took it as they may be applying for up to $10 million, right? I know we’re not going to be giving them $10 million.Article content“But if our local municipality is working with them to help them get that and to sustain their rink … well, the Whitney Pier rink has been asking for that for over eight years — because I was on the board when we were asked. We did get an assessment, but we didn’t get any other help.Article contentArticle content“Our rink needs so much. It needs a new Zamboni; the boards are falling apart; the dressing rooms need to be done. There’s millions (of dollars) that need to be put into it to make it sustainable.”Article content‘ON HOLD FOR CONSIDERATION’ Article contentClarke’s response?Article content“So there isn’t any money going into the New Waterford rink at this time, and that’s the key thing,” he said. “New Waterford is on hold for consideration until we have our true understanding of how large it is.Article content“There were operating requests within the other three municipal community rinks, and each one of them are different. The Dominion rink is leveraging provincial funding; the Whitney Pier rink was to deal with some of their priorities; and Sydney Mines, again, equally on an operational basis.Article content“Whereas the New Waterford consideration is very large.”Article contentLike Parsons, Sheppard-Campbell felt the priorities should have been broken down into separate blocks rather than presented as one giant ask. The councillors, however, wanted to make clear that they had no other major issues with some of the identified priorities Clarke listed.Article content The Louisbourg Playhouse. According to CBRM Mayor Cecil Clarke, “The CBRM owns the Louisbourg Playhouse property operated by a local not-for-profit organization. According to Clarke, the playhouse’s roof is in need of replacement, along with other structural repairs and maintenance.” Photo by CONTRIBUTEDArticle contentBut Parsons wonders whether the surplus funding could be put to better use in paying down the municipal debt.Article content“You don’t have a surplus when you’re $17 million in debt. Long term, you have one good year. You take that and you put it away for a rainy day, or at least wait till the performance audit’s over,” he said.Article contentOr perhaps a payment to the one item Parsons sees as conspicuously missing from the priorities list: a new central library.Article content“I was disappointed to see that there was no allocation of funding to do design work, class B estimates, for a potential library,” said Parsons. “Because we’re going to need a minimum $500,000 to do the design build, to tell government what is going to cost for the library that we want.”Article content