Government of Canada invests close to $130 million in critical infrastructure and heritage assets in Parks Canada administered places across Cape Breton/Unama’ki and Canso
News release
Multiple projects will modernize and stabilize infrastructure and improve visitor experience
September 1, 2026 Baddeck, Nova Scotia Parks Canada
Today, Jaime Battiste, Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations, on behalf of the Honourable Julie Dabrusin, Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature, announced close to $130 million in federal funding for investments in critical infrastructure and heritage asset improvements in Parks Canada administered places, including Cape Breton Highlands National Park and Alexander Graham Bell, Fortress of Louisbourg, Canso Islands, and St. Peters Canal National Historic Sites.
Parks Canada protects and presents national historic sites, national parks and national marine conservation areas in Canada, enabling people to discover and connect with history and nature, and helping sustain the economic value of these places for local and regional communities.
These investments support several completed, as well as a number of ongoing and upcoming projects, all aimed at improving public safety, enhancing visitor infrastructure, strengthening climate resilience, and conserving nationally significant heritage assets. This work is part of the federal government’s ongoing commitment to maintaining safe, accessible, and high-quality experiences for visitors while protecting Canada’s treasured places for future generations.
This investment funded multiple projects in Cape Breton Highlands National Park, including work on the Cabot Trail, and visitor-use areas affected by extreme weather events in recent years. Projects include roadway and bridge improvements, trail rehabilitation and rerouting, parking area upgrades, and retaining wall stabilization.
Investments also support important heritage conservation work at Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site including the rehabilitation of windows and structural elements of the museum building. Additional projects include improvements to visitor and operational infrastructure at Fortress of Louisbourg, Canso Islands, and St. Peters Canal National Historic Sites.
Through infrastructure investments, the Government of Canada conserves national treasures for future generations, supports local economies and benefits local tourism. This investment will ensure public safety, enhance visitor experiences, and protect built heritage in Canada.
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Quotes
“National parks and national historic sites in Canada are among our country’s greatest shared treasures. The federal government is committed to investing in the infrastructure that supports them, helping to protect our natural and cultural heritage, strengthening resilience to a changing climate, and ensuring visitors can safely experience these remarkable places for generations to come.”
The Honourable Julie Dabrusin,
Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature
“Cape Breton/Unama’ki and Canso are home to extraordinary natural landscapes and nationally significant historic places that are deeply important to our communities and to visitors around the world. These federal investments help ensure these places remain safe, accessible, and resilient while protecting the natural and cultural heritage that define this region. By investing in infrastructure today, we are helping preserve these special places so they can continue to be enjoyed and appreciated for years to come.”
Jaime Battiste,
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Crown-Indigenous Relations
“The funding announced today represents an investment in Cape Breton’s history and in the future of our region. These projects help protect the places that tell our stories, strengthen local communities and create opportunities for visitors to discover what makes Cape Breton and eastern Nova Scotia so special. I’m proud to see federal funding supporting infrastructure projects across the region.”
Mike Kelloway,
Parliamentary Secretary to the Minister of Transport
Quick facts
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Parks Canada's wide-ranging infrastructure portfolio includes more than 18,500 built assets such as highways, bridges, dams and other marine infrastructure, historic buildings and fortifications, water and wastewater treatment facilities, campgrounds, visitor centres and operational buildings and compounds.
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Since 2015, the federal government has invested approximately $297 million in infrastructure projects across Cape Breton/Unama’ki and Canso, ensuring safe, high-quality and meaningful experiences for visitors, and enabling Canadians to discover nature and connect with history.
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Cape Breton Highlands National Park, located on Cape Breton Island in northern Nova Scotia, consists of 950 km² of Acadian, boreal, and taiga forests and represents a classic example of Maritime Acadian Highlands natural region. Its pristine beauty, dramatic coastlines and vibrant cultures attract approximately 300,000 visitors annually.
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Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site pays tribute to the genius of the famed inventor and his wife, Mabel Bell, in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, near the site of their Cape Breton home. The museum contains the original remains of Bell’s hydrofoil, the HD-1, as well as a full-scale replica of the famed Silver Dart airplane. About 85,000 visitors explore the museum each year.
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The Fortress of Louisbourg is the largest historical reconstruction in North America. The 40-km2 national historic site also includes the historic Louisbourg Lighthouse, as well as important siege sites related to 18th century conflicts between the French and British in their quest to expand their overseas colonies.
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St. Peters Canal National Historic Site commemorates an important transportation corridor that evolved from a traditional Mi’kmaw portage route into an impressive 19th century engineering achievement, connecting the Atlantic Ocean with the Bras d’Or Lakes. Completed in 1869, the canal helped facilitate trade and economic development in Cape Breton and remains an operational waterway today.
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Canso Islands National Historic Site acknowledges Canso’s importance as a major North Atlantic fishing centre from the 16th through the 18th centuries, including its role in the French-British struggle for control of the region. The site is rife with archaeological evidence that preserves the story of this once-thriving fishing settlement.
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Contacts
Keean Nembhard
Press Secretary
Minister of the Environment, Climate Change and Nature
343-292-6096
keean.nembhard@ec.gc.ca
Media Relations
Parks Canada
855-862-1812
pc.media@pc.gc.ca
Adam Young
A/Public Relations and Communications Officer
Cape Breton Field Unit
Parks Canada
902-574-8206
adam.young@pc.gc.ca