New breakwater for Shediac wharf planned to reduce impact of severe weather - Action News
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New Brunswick

New breakwater for Shediac wharf planned to reduce impact of severe weather

Point-du-Chne wharf is on track to get $8.2M in funding from Ottawa and $2.3M from the province.

Final step to protect wharf from storms after severe damage by Hurricane Fiona in 2022

boats lined in a marina on a sunny day
The final phase in repairs will see a steadier breakwall built, which divides the wharf's yacht club from the Shediac Bay. (Katelin Belliveau/CBC)

A new breakwater at the Pointe-du-Chne wharf in Shediacwill be constructedusing continued funding from the federal and provincial governments.

Dominic LeBlanc, federal minister of public safety, democratic institutions and intergovernmental affairs and MP for the riding of Beausjour, announced Thursday the wharf is on track to receive $8.2 million fromthe Hurricane Fiona recovery fund.

Rjean Savoie, minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation, said at the event the provincial government is contributing $2.3 million to the project.

The new breakwater is the final step in repairs to protect the wharf from disastrous weather after much of its infrastructure was damaged by Hurricane Fiona in 2022.

a man in a suit at a podium
Dominic LeBlanc announced $8.2 million in federal funding for repairs to the Pointe-du-Chne wharf as part of the Hurricane Fiona recovery fund. (Katelin Belliveau/CBC)

Some of the funding announced Thursday has been used for restoration efforts that are already completed.

"These are millions of dollars to raise the level of the breakwater to make the wharf more resilient to these kinds of extreme weather events, like Hurricane Fiona," said LeBlanc.

"There's infrastructure underwater that you don't see that also has to be strengthened."

The recovery fund was established by ACOA in 2022 to support local communities and businesseswith up to $300 million over two years.

A bald man stands on a wjarf in front of the ocean with a microphone in front of him.
Rjean Savoie, minister responsible for the province's Regional Development Corporation, says the work will create 'a secure environment for businesses to grow.' (Bader Ben Amara/Radio-Canada)

Restoring wharf access roads, enhancing shoreline protection and raising decks and commercial buildings are among the restoration efforts that have already been done.

Kim Murray-Atkins, president of the Pointe-du-Chne Harbour Authority, said the wharf has gone through roughly $6 million of ACOA's funding so far.

a woman in glasses in front of a blue building
Kim Murray-Atkins, the president of the Pointe-du-Chene Harbour Authority, says the Hurricane Fiona recovery fund has been key to re-establishing the wharf's presence as a popular tourist area in Shediac. (Bader Ben Amara/Radio-Canada)

The remainder of the money will help build a more structurally sound breakwall on the north side of the wharf for boaters.

"The one that is there now, it's vulnerable," she said. "It's not made for the kind of weather that we're experiencing now."

Murray-Atkins said construction is set to begin in mid-October and they hope to complete it by the end of March next year.

Impact on local businesses

When the funding was first announced in 2022, it was key to getting the wharf back on its feet for the 2023 and 2024 summer seasons, she said.

Without it, Murray-Atkins said, the 13 businesses thatoperate on the wharf would not have seen the success they did during the past summer.

"I don't know what we would have to work with," she said. "The next inclement weather that we would experience, any hurricanes, would just take everything out again."

a man with black sunglasses and a blue sky
Robert Taylor says his businesses on the wharf needed to be completely rebuilt after Hurricane Fiona. (Bader Ben Amara/Radio-Canada)

Robert Taylor is the owner of The Sandbar and the Pointe-du-Chne Ice Cream Shop and the co-owner of Captain Dan's Bar and Grill.

He saidwhen he realized that two of his businesses would needa total rebuild afterHurricane Fiona, he was in shock.

"Everyone was completely devastated," said Taylor, who is also vice-president of the harbour authority.

a bright orange building and a wooden deck on a wharf
The Pointe-du-Chne Ice Cream Shop was one of several businesses that required repair and structural adjustments, such as raising it higher above the water. (Katelin Belliveau/CBC)

Being able to share the details and the impact of the funding with the public at Thursday's announcement has been"a weight off of our shoulders," Taylor said.

He was able to have the Sandbar and the ice cream shop lifted much higher off the ground to deter any future damage from flooding.

"We've prepared for storms that will be coming in 30 or 40 years," he said. "We think we're pretty resilient in the changes that we've made."