Officials predict boom in downtown Sydney, N.S. following redevelopment
Downtown Sydney, N.S., was bustling with activity on Tuesday, but the sounds of both vehicle and foot traffic will soon be replaced with the sounds of heavy machinery as part of a redevelopment project.
“It just feels like there's so much happening and with NSCC coming, this couldn't have come at a better time,” said Michelle Wilson, head of the Sydney Downtown Development Association.
A section between Dorchester and Pitt Streets will only be open to people on foot for about 14 weeks. Phase one of three in a $9-million makeover of the city’s core will begin next week.
“You'll see wider sidewalks. We will still have parking on both sides. We will have street trees, benches, it will be more accessible,” said Wilson.
The goal is to improve the overall experience for pedestrians, and it comes at a time when a major build is happening just down the road.
“Both will be done at approximately the same time. You are definitely going to see an interest in new entrepreneurs, young entrepreneurs, we're seeing that happen now,” said Cape Breton Regional Municipality Councillor Eldon MacDonald.
Construction of the new Nova Scotia Community College is well underway on the waterfront.
Macdonald says it's a much-needed boost for an area that's been struggling for a long time.
“In 2018 before COVID, we had four businesses close in downtown Sydney and people thought that was a lot of businesses to lose. But they didn't realize that same year there was 20 new businesses that opened,” said MacDonald.
Wilson agrees and says this project is pushing momentum forward, which she says started with the announcement that NSCC was moving downtown.
“That following year we saw a huge increase in property sales and vacant properties and it was directly because NSCC was coming,” said Wilson.
Wilson says businesses in the area will remain open through the construction phase.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
From outer space? Sask. farmers baffled after discovering strange wreckage in field
A family of fifth generation farmers from Ituna, Sask. are trying to find answers after discovering several strange objects lying on their land.
NEW Iconic Canadian song turns 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.
Oprah Winfrey: I set an unrealistic standard for dieting
Oprah Winfrey said on Thursday evening that she has long played a role in promoting unhealthy and unrealistic diets.
Prince Harry, Meghan arrive in Nigeria to champion the Invictus Games and meet with wounded soldiers
Prince Harry and his wife, Meghan, arrived in Nigeria on Friday to champion the Invictus Games, which he founded to aid the rehabilitation of wounded and sick servicemembers and veterans, among them Nigerian soldiers fighting a 14-year war against Islamic extremists.
Countries struggle to draft 'pandemic treaty' to avoid mistakes made during COVID
After the coronavirus pandemic triggered once-unthinkable lockdowns, upended economies and killed millions, leaders at the World Health Organization and worldwide vowed to do better in the future. Years later, countries are still struggling to come up with an agreed-upon plan for how the world might respond to the next global outbreak.
Toronto police called to Drake's Bridle Path mansion for another alleged intruder on Thursday
Toronto police say a man who allegedly attempted to access Drake’s Bridle Path property was taken to hospital on Thursday after an altercation with security guards.
Ontario family receives massive hospital bill as part of LTC law, refuses to pay
A southwestern Ontario woman has received an $8,400 bill from a hospital in Windsor, Ont., after she refused to put her mother in a nursing home she hated -- and she says she has no intention of paying it.
Flat tire on a highway? Here's why you shouldn't try to fix it
If you're cruising down a highway and realize you have a flat tire, you may want to think twice before stopping to fix it on the side of the road.
Storm-battered U.S. South is again under threat. A boy swept into a drain fights for his life
Dangerous storms crashed over parts of the U.S. South on Thursday even as the region cleaned up from earlier severe weather that spawned tornadoes, killed at least three people, and gravely injured a boy who was swept into a storm drain as he played in a flooded street.