Sydney, N.S., construction set to wrap up before September
The third and final phase of the Charlotte Street construction in Sydney, N.S., is taking shape, but the street remains torn up, including a section in front of a restaurant that closed its downtown location until the fall.
"The first week that we were closed for construction, we were down 50 per cent, and we were like 'OK, we'll make some adjustments. We can do it,’” said Kara Lackie, co-owner of Selkie’s Neighbourhood Diner. “Then, the next week was 75 per cent and then the next week we were down 85 per cent with our business."
The owners have continued to sell food at a second location – The Mermaid – and while they made new customers out of construction workers, they said the work downtown can't be finished soon enough.
"Especially at this point, we are really stretched,” said co-owner Cory Blundon. “We're doing what we can. Our customers have been amazing. Everyone's been showing up to support us, but we're missing out on tourists and walkthroughs."
The Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) says the target date for completion of the Charlotte Street redevelopment project remains the end of August. The work should be finished just before the new Nova Scotia Community College Marconi Campus opens in the downtown area in September.
"I'm happy to say that we're still on time for the final phase,” said Jenna MacQueen with CBRM communications. "It will all be reopened in advance of the opening for the NSCC Sydney Waterfront Campus."
Principal Carla Arsenault told CTV Atlantic in an email construction outside the NSCC campus remains on schedule and on budget.
The owners of Selkie’s are not against the construction; in fact, they’re hoping it will be worth it in the end.
"But we're really looking forward to it being over, having a beautiful new street and having a couple of thousand new customers to feed,” Blundon said.
According to the NSCC's academic calendar, fall term classes are set to begin Sept. 4.
For more Nova Scotia news visit our dedicated provincial page.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
![](https://www.ctvnews.ca/polopoly_fs/1.6450420.1725820142!/httpImage/image.jpeg_gen/derivatives/landscape_800/image.jpeg)
Bloc Quebecois ready to extract gains for Quebec in exchange for supporting Liberals
The Bloc Québécois says its ready to wheel and deal with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's party for support during confidence votes now that the Liberal government's confidence and supply agreement with the NDP has ended.
Over 200 firearms seized in Waterloo weapons investigation
According to police, during a traffic stop officers noticed firearms and ammunition inside the vehicle.
'It's morally wrong': A rural Alberta town reacts to homeless shelter closure
At the end of a side street in Slave Lake, Alta., Lynn Bowes looks at a grey job-site trailer with boarded-up windows and doors that once operated as her town's only homeless shelter.
Timeline: The rise and fall of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's political fortunes
In the wake of the NDP withdrawing its automatic support of the minority Liberal government, here is a timeline of key events charting the arc of Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's fortunes in federal politics.
The controversial plan to turn a desert green
Ties van der Hoeven's ambitions are nothing if not grand. The Dutch engineer wants to transform a huge stretch of inhospitable desert into green, fertile land teeming with wildlife.
Military surplus store in Calgary, destination of celebrity shoppers, closing doors
Cher, Anthony Hopkins, Heath Ledger, Alec Baldwin and Tom Hardy are just a few of the celebrities John Cumming met while growing up in his family's military surplus store.
Trump threatens to jail adversaries in escalating rhetoric ahead of pivotal debate
With just days to go before his first and likely only debate against U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris, former U.S. president Donald Trump posted a warning on his social media site threatening to jail those “involved in unscrupulous behavior” this election, which he said would be under intense scrutiny.
Mother of Georgia shooting suspect called school to warn of emergency, aunt says
The mother of the 14-year-old who has been charged with murder over the fatal shooting of four people at his Georgia high school called the school before the killings, warning staff of an 'extreme emergency' involving her son, a relative said.
Canadian drivers enjoying unusual low gas prices for time of year
Drivers across the country are keeping more money in their pockets after filling up a tank of gas.