Inverness County December 2020 Council Meeting

During the latest Inverness County council meeting, councillors discussed some residents’ request to close the Canso Causeway. People from across Cape Breton Island have expressed concerns about COVID-19 outbreaks in other parts of the province and saw the causeway’s closure as a possible safety precaution.

Since the decision belongs to the provincial government, the municipality can only make recommendations. At the latest meeting, councillors decided not to push for the closure, but to let the province make the call.

A matter of interest for the region of Chéticamp: a public meeting about changes to the campground zoning bylaw, which was expected to take place in December, will be pushed to January. Council said it needs to look into a COVID-safe way for people to participate, and that means the meeting cannot take place at the local school. The municipality will speak with John Bain, director of the Eastern District Planning Commission, about ways to consult the community.

Councillors also heard an update about the province’s internet service expansion plan. The first round of projects is expected to be rolled out during the first semester of 2021, between March and May, and that includes Chéticamp, Grand-Étang Point-Cross, Capstick, Cape North, Meat Cove, Bay Saint Lawrence and South Harbour. Pleasant Bay has been announced to be in the second round of projects, but a timeframe for the area isn’t available for now.

A citizen group that has been assisting the municipality in its talks with Develop Nova Scotia, the crown corporation funding the project, and Bell, the selected service provider, gave a presentation to council. The committee recommended the county should identify gap areas as Bell works on its optic fiber map and either help the service provider look for more funding to fill to the gaps or research other companies that could do it.

Last month, the federal government announced the new Universal Broadband Fund, which could serve as another source of funding.

The county is reportedly gathering information about Elon Musk’s Starlink, which would be able to provide internet service by satellite starting next year.