New breakwater for Shediac wharf planned to reduce impact of severe weather

A new breakwater at the Pointe-du-Chêne wharf in Shediac will be constructed using continued funding from the federal and provincial governments.

Dominic LeBlanc, federal minister of public safety, democratic institutions and intergovernmental affairs and MP for the riding of Beauséjour, announced Thursday the wharf is on track to receive $8.2 million from the Hurricane Fiona recovery fund.

Réjean Savoie, minister responsible for the Regional Development Corporation, said at the event the provincial government is contributing $2.3 million to the project.

The new breakwater is the final step in repairs to protect the wharf from disastrous weather after much of its infrastructure was damaged by Hurricane Fiona in 2022.

Some of the funding announced Thursday has been used for restoration efforts that are already completed.

"These are millions of dollars to raise the level of the breakwater to make the wharf more resilient to these kinds of extreme weather events, like Hurricane Fiona," said LeBlanc. 

"There's infrastructure underwater that you don't see that also has to be strengthened."

The recovery fund was established by ACOA in 2022 to support local communities and businesses with up to $300 million over two years.

Restoring wharf access roads, enhancing shoreline protection and raising decks and commercial buildings are among the restoration efforts that have already been done. 

Kim Murray-Atkins, president of the Pointe-du-Chêne Harbour Authority, said the wharf has gone through roughly $6 million of ACOA's funding so far. 

The remainder of the money will help build a more structurally sound breakwall on the north side of the wharf for boaters.

"The one that is there now, it's vulnerable," she said. "It's not made for the kind of weather that we're experiencing now." 

Murray-Atkins said construction is set to begin in mid-October and they hope to complete it by the end of March next year.

Impact on local businesses

When the funding was first announced in 2022, it was key to getting the wharf back on its feet for the 2023 and 2024 summer seasons, she said.

Without it, Murray-Atkins said, the 13 businesses that operate on the wharf would not have seen the success they did during the past summer.

"I don't know what we would have to work with," she said. "The next inclement weather that we would experience, any hurricanes, would just take everything out again."

Robert Taylor is the owner of The Sandbar and the Pointe-du-Chêne Ice Cream Shop and the co-owner of Captain Dan's Bar and Grill.

He said when he realized that two of his businesses would need a total rebuild after Hurricane Fiona, he was in shock.

"Everyone was completely devastated," said Taylor, who is also vice-president of the harbour authority. 

Being able to share the details and the impact of the funding with the public at Thursday's announcement has been "a weight off of our shoulders," Taylor said.

He was able to have the Sandbar and the ice cream shop lifted much higher off the ground to deter any future damage from flooding.

"We've prepared for storms that will be coming in 30 or 40 years," he said. "We think we're pretty resilient in the changes that we've made."