Bedford, N.S., businesses rebuild after flood damage

John Connors has owned East Coast Kicks at Bedford Place Mall since 2017.

“I started from my spare bedroom,” said Connors, who added the day that stands out the most was July 21 of this past summer.

“It was actually my birthday,” said Connors. “And the whole entire mall here was underwater.”

The damage to Connor’s business was overwhelming.

“Over $200,000 and that’s not including my loss of business, not including the floor, and not including these walls,” said Connors.

He reopened Nov. 4 and he hopes insurance helps depressurize the situation as he rebuilds his business.

“I am still waiting on a few cheques from them, and to pay myself back, essentially,” said Connors.

Other stores in the mall have also reopened while others remain closed.

CTV News reached out to CIBC to see when the nearby bank branch will reopen, but did not receive a response by news time.

The Resto restaurant reopened last week following a staggering amount of damage.

“Our estimates were around $105,000,” said owner Ryan Hayes.

Insurance did not cover the damage so Hayes applied for government assistance.

“They came back with the answer of $9,100,” said Hayes, who is trying to stay focused on positive themes. “This is a big part of our comeback and I cannot wait to see what happens over the next couple of years.

“We are just so happy for all of the support that people have shown us.”

Tim Outhit, the HRM councillor for the area, says government assistance has helped many in this area.

“I was happy when the province announced what they were going to do for a homeowners and business owners,” he said. “So that’s good and I also think there are things we are going to have to do to have these programs available faster.”

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