Develop Nova Scotia, along with the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), the Municipality of the County of Victoria and the Village of Baddeck have announced investments to build and improve shared-access marine infrastructure in Baddeck.
“For locations like Baddeck and Mahone Bay, having a developed, working waterfront with flexible marine infrastructure acts as an attraction to visitors by land and sea,” said Minister of Business Geoff MacLellan. “It creates destinations where locals and visitors can enjoy the scenery, visit local shops and restaurants and use the amenities, resulting in increased density along the water, employment, tax revenue, property values and business.”
Repairs to the Baddeck wharf will extend its working life by 25 years, while Develop Nova Scotia will build new floating docks as well as gangways and attachments.
The government will provide an investment of close to $1.2 million while Develop Nova Scotia will also invest $85,000 in flexible floating docks in Mahone Bay. Both investments will help grow ocean-related sectors and preserve the public’s access to the water’s edge. Community investments have also been raised to support the projects.
In Mahone Bay, new flexible floating docks will provide waterfront protection as a breakwater and accommodate a variety of boats, including local and visiting recreational vessels. These projects continue to build on past investments in Halifax and Lunenburg marine infrastructure to create a reliable, inviting and accessible network of marine destinations along Nova Scotia’s 13,300 km of coastline.
These waterfront projects are based on Develop Nova Scotia’s marine visitation plan, which identifies a provincial boating itinerary based on port market readiness, existing demand, clusters of recreational and marine businesses to support visitation, as well as community mobilization.
The floating dock structures in both Baddeck and Mahone Bay will be owned by Develop Nova Scotia and maintained and managed through agreements with the village and town, respectively.
For further information on the Develop Nova Scotia Marine Visitation Plan, click here.
