Prime Minister announces $300 million recovery plan for Atlantic Canada following Fiona

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau announced a $300 million recovery fund for Atlantic Canadians struggling with the damage caused by post-tropical storm Fiona.

Trudeau made the announcement today in Halifax, explaining that the funding would be distributed through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and other federal departments.

« This fund will be there for anyone who is not covered by any other program, » Trudeau said.

« We’re here to help people rebuild from Fiona, whether it’s federal infrastructure, community infrastructure, people facing uninsured structural damage issues in their homes. We’re here to help. to help. »

The minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, said the federal government would make the money available as soon as possible to help Canadians facing crisis conditions.

Ten days after Fiona crossed Nova Scotia, there are still thousands of Nova Scotia Power customers waiting for power and some have no idea when she’ll be back.

Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston says more than 20,000 Nova Scotians are still without power in his province and many won’t get their power back on until the weekend. He says having extra troops for things like traffic control could free up electricians and restore power more quickly.

A total of 850 troops have been deployed to Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Newfoundland and Labrador, according to a spokesperson for Defense Minister Anita Anand’s office.

« We will continue to deploy the right number of personnel to accomplish the tasks…and we will be there for as long as it takes to accomplish these critical tasks, » the spokesperson said in a statement.

More soon …