New Federal Funds Will Help Port Hawkesbury Food Bank Upgrade

STRAIT AREA - This week's edition of TELILE 24/7 focuses on several issues around Richmond County and the neighbouring town of Port Hawkesbury, including a major funding commitment for a local food bank that is expected to assist in the 41-year-old operation's planned building expansion.

We begin at 1:53 with an update from Richmond Warden Amanda Mombourquette about the progress of the county's new Accessibility Plan. Speaking at the county's recent Committee of the Whole meeting, Mombourquette confirmed that a new team of consultants was helping the plan's authors to finalize its various details, but added that she has sent correspondence to provincial officials in the hopes of extending the March 31, 2022 deadline for all municipal units to submit their accessibility strategies to the province. 

At 6:40, TELILE 24/7 host Adam Cooke speaks with Kevin MacEachern, the new board chair of the Port Hawkesbury Food Bank Society, regarding the organization's recent approval for $144,000 in federal, provincial and municipal funds. The announcement, made shortly before the end of December by Cape Breton-Canso Liberal MP Mike Kelloway, will enable the Reeves Street operation to refurbish its interior, improve its overall accessibility, and allow more space for its food donations and for those from around the Strait Area that use the service. 

Speaking of Cape Breton-Canso MP Mike Kelloway, he appears at the 24:21 mark as we share samples of a recent interview the Liberal member carried out with Telile station manager Becky Bourinot. 

At 41:51, we'll check in on a conversation from Richmond council's latest Committee of the Whole meeting concerning the potential for electric vehicle charging stations to be implemented beyond the three municipal districts that currently have such facilities available for gas-free vehicles. 

And the show wraps up at 48:04 with additional material from our recent interview with Eastern District Planning Commission director John Bain, about how the independent body conducts investigations on unsightly premises, derelict properties and graffiti in comparison to other such bodies around Nova Scotia.