With its stunning ocean views, Cape Breton's Cabot Trail is a destination for thousands of visitors each year.
But in recent years, major weather events exacerbated by climate change have significantly damaged popular vacation spots, raising the cost of doing business and requiring tourism operators to plan for the worst.
Cathy Graham-McKinnon, manager of Glenhorm Beach Resort on the Cabot Trail, has worked in tourism in northern Cape Breton for more than 20 years. She said that it is clear that the climate is changing.
“We get a lot of heat and we get a lot of storms. We get heavy rain — rain that I've never seen here — we get a lot of wind with storms,” Graham-McKinnon said.
Ingonish Resort has had to invest in heat pumps to keep guests cool because other air conditioners can't keep up with heat waves. Last summer, heavy rains caused the resort's pub to flood several times.
Three years after North-Tropical Storm Fiona made landfall in Nova Scotia, Graham-McKinnon said the resort is still picking up the pieces.
Fueled by warmer-than-normal sea temperatures, Fiona's punishing winds and storm surge took out the resort's seawall, two cottages and several outbuildings, but insurance paid only $89,000. Due to the loss in income, Fiona incurred almost $500,000 in resort costs.
“Insurance didn't cover what we were hoping for and government funding is unfortunately non-existent,” Graham-MacKinnon said. “We got a minimum amount which would not even replace a small cottage.
“As far as the infrastructure goes, they don't cover the outbuildings, they don't cover the swing sets, they don't cover the gazebos or… the walls or the stairs down to the beach and all that adds up. So you're constantly trying to play catch-up.
Graham-McKinnon said the resort's owner pursued a $2,500 grant from the province, but complications with insurance have delayed it.
A spokesman for the province's Department of Emergency Management could not speak to the specific case of Glenhorm. However, they said 515 small businesses have received grants and only a handful are yet to be resolved.
The Cabot Trail is no stranger to inclement weather.
Parts of the road through the Cape Breton Highlands National Park were washed away by historic floods in 2021. The water not only damaged roads and many trails in the park, but also washed away a recently rebuilt and redesigned retaining wall. The park was further damaged when Fiona tore through on September 24, 2022.
In the immediate aftermath of that storm, the park's field unit worked to stabilize and rebuild damaged bridges, culverts, roads, trails and buildings.
Duggan Kennedy, the unit's project manager, said the team is also looking ahead to future storms and how to protect park property.
“Some of that involved the design and construction of buildings and roads and trails and bridges that needed maintenance or mitigation for future climate change,” he said.
In June 2023, The federal government announced $43 million in funding for the Cape Breton Region UnitThat includes projects and maintenance at Parks Canada sites across the island.
Some of that will go toward upgrading the campgrounds and making them more flexible. For example, the canvas-top cabins for rent at Ingonish Beach will eventually be replaced with real cabins after some of the structures were damaged during the storm.
In Ingonish, Glenghorm Beach Resort had to rebuild its infrastructure away from the water to protect it from storm surges.
A disruption, however, is out of the question, Graham-MacKinnon said. Anything large enough to keep storms out would be prohibitively expensive and block the view for visitors.
Graham-McKinnon said more needs to be done to support small businesses affected by climate change.
“You always see politicians on television saying, 'We're with you, we're going to help you, we're going to help you rebuild.' But, nothing happens, nothing happens,' she said.
“Everyone is just passing the buck.”
