East Coast Shellfish Entrepreneurs and Producers Affected by Post-Tropical Storm Fiona are granted $40 million over two years by Ottawa to recover from the damage and rebuild more resilient systems.
The minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Ginette Petitpas Taylor, made the announcement Friday at a facility operated by Prince Edward Aqua Farms, a mussel farm on the island’s northwest coast.
Shellfish farmers in Atlantic Canada and the Magdalen Islands were among the businesses affected by the powerful storm surge and waves of Fionaand are the last to receive a portion of the $300 million fund earmarked for sectors that could not access other federal and provincial disaster relief programs.
Mme Petitpas Taylor said in an interview that the money will help repair damage caused by the storm, replace equipment, compensate for the loss of shellfish and also fund longer-term projects to help the industry develop infrastructure better able to cope with extreme weather conditions.
The minister said the storm had a particularly devastating effect on many of Atlantic Canada’s 266 shellfish farmers, noting that they are major employers who generate income in rural communities.
“It was probably the sector that was hit the hardest by the storm, and (its production) is equivalent to 200 million for the economy here in Atlantic Canada and there are 2,200 people employed,” she said. .
The minister said some of the funds will be used to make the industry more resilient to extreme weather conditions linked to climate change, but she did not specify how much.
The Insurance Bureau of Canada called the post-tropical storm Fiona costliest extreme weather event on record in the Atlantic region, causing $800 million in insured damage to date.
In October, federal officials announced that of the $300 million fund, about $100 million would be spent on recovering lost fishing gear and repairing small craft harbors in Atlantic Canada and Quebec.
Mme Petitpas Taylor said announcements of aid to other sectors will be made in the coming weeks.
When passing from Fiona on September 24, homes were swept out to sea, while bridges, businesses, airports and other infrastructure were badly damaged.