Cape Breton youth and family centre receives $500,000

A multi-purpose community and youth hub in Glace Bay has received a significant financial boost from the federal government.

On Thursday, Sydney-Glace Bay MP Mike Kelloway announced that the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency will provide a non-repayable $500,000 contribution to the New Dawn Youth and Family Centre in Glace Bay.

The money will support fully accessible spaces at the centre, which is currently under construction at the corner of Reserve Street and Official Row.

The 25,000-square-foot facility will host free and low-cost programs for children, teens, families and seniors and feature 49 licensed daycare spaces, a commercial community kitchen, indoor and outdoor recreation spaces, and an indoor skatepark.

“Every person carries within them gifts, ideas, and possibilities that deserve to be seen and nurtured. Too often, those possibilities are limited not by a lack of talent or ambition, but by a lack of opportunity, resources, and spaces where people feel they belong. The New Dawn Youth and Family Centre reflects our belief that Glace Bay’s future is something we can imagine and build together. We are grateful to ACOA for this investment in inclusive, accessible spaces where people can discover their strengths, pursue their ideas, and help shape a different kind of future for themselves and their community,” said Erika Shea, president and CEO of New Dawn Enterprises, in a media release.

Kelloway, who made the announcement on behalf of the minister responsible for the ACOA, said the youth and family centre will be a “welcoming space where people of all ages can access support, develop new skills and create pathways to success.”

“Growing up in Glace Bay, I saw firsthand the strength of this community,” he said. “This initiative by New Dawn will help strengthen opportunities for youth, families and the organizations that work every day to make Cape Breton a great place to live and work.”