Cape Breton council approves $321M budget for 2025-2026

Cape Breton City Hall is pictured. (Source: Google Maps)

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality council has approved the 2025-2026 capital and operating budgets, which totals at $321.1 million for projects such as a new firefighting training program, downtown security cameras and improving traffic signal response times.

The capital budget will be $93 million while the operating budget will be $187.5 million, according to a news release from the municipality. There will be no increase in tax rates.

“A cautious budget for uncertain times, focused on modernizing our infrastructure and operations while building on the opportunity growth presents to us,” said Mayor Cecil Clarke in the release.

The 2024-2025 operating budget was $178,082,548 while the 2023-2024 operating budget was $173,995,545.

The municipality plans to create a firefighter training division to allow volunteer firefighters to achieve the necessary credentials for career positions.

They are also installing body cameras for Cape Breton Regional Police and downtown security cameras, upgrading the encryption of the trunked mobile radio first responder system, hiring an electrician to improve traffic signal response times and combining Communications and 311 communications centre staff.

Other budget highlights include:

-$31 million for the completion of the Glace Bay wastewater collection and treatment plant project by 2027

-$15 million for a wastewater collection and treatment project in New Victoria

-$3.5 million for efficiency upgrades at Centre 200

-$3.4 million for fire department fleet and building upgrades

-$2.5 million for new salt trucks, front-end loaders and fleet vehicles

-$1.7 million for landfill cell expansion

-$1.3 million for smart card technology in the transit system and six new accessible small buses

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