The Province is investing in two new programs that will help Nova Scotians reduce their greenhouse gas emissions and better prepare for climate change.
Clean Foundation will receive almost $5.4 million to deliver the programs.
Most of the funding – $5 million – is for the Community Climate Capacity Support Program, which will help communities act on their climate change priorities.
Climate change co-ordinators will help communities with their projects.
Nearly $400,000 will be invested to pilot a resilient home retrofit program to address the risk of flooding caused by climate change.
This pilot program will be offered in partnership with the Town of New Glasgow and the Halifax Regional Municipality.
The provincial government is helping the Nova Scotia Co-operative Council preserve 15 affordable housing units through the purchase of three buildings in Truro.
The council is getting a 1.7-million-dollar low-interest mortgage through the Community Housing Acquisition Program.
The Department of Community Services is also providing more than 78-thousand dollars in annual funding for operations and housing support services for tenants.
Under the program, co-ops and non-profit housing providers can access up to 10-million dollars in repayable, low-interest loans to purchase existing rental units.
A new federal-provincial funding agreement will see Nova Scotia’s agricultural sector get 46.25 million dollars over five years.
The Sustainable Canadian Agricultural Partnership will see a 25 per cent increase in program funding for the agriculture and agri-food sector.
The agreement focuses on building growth and competitiveness, helping businesses adapt to climate change, pursuing science, research and innovation and developing markets and trade for agricultural products.
New programs under the agreement were developed in consultation with farmers and others in the agriculture sector.
A fire that burned southeast of Weymouth is under control.
Firefighters say the blaze was brought under control yesterday afternoon, as residents supported crews in the small community of Hassett.
Helicopters assisted dozens of firefighters in Hassett during the battle against the fire.
The fire was spread over an area of roughly 80 hectares, but the flames were “patchy” and the entire area was not on fire.
All four Atlantic provinces will take part in a national test of the Alert Ready system today.
Public test messages from the emergency alerting system will be sent to all radio and T-V stations, as well as mobile phones and other devices at 1:55 p-m in Nova Scotia; 10:55 a-m in Newfoundland and 10:25 a-m in most of Labrador; New Brunswick at 10:55 a-m, and at 12:55p-m in PEI.
