Candidates Speak Out, Square Roots Expands, and Richmond Council Covers Key Issues

Cape Breton-Canso-Antigonish Liberal candidate Jaime Battiste and NDP candidate Joanna Clark weighed in on their endorsements and looked ahead to the federal campaign.

Battiste responded to questions about why he chose to run for the Liberals in this riding, despite previously expressing interest in the Liberal nomination for neighbouring Sydney–Glace Bay.

Meanwhile, Clark addressed concerns over her party’s polling numbers—often under 10%—and pushed back against the idea that voting NDP is a “wasted vote.”

In other news, the Square Roots project, developed at Saint Mary’s University’s Sobey School of Business, continues its expansion across Nova Scotia, including into Port Hawkesbury and D’Escousse.

Launched in 2016 by SMU students, Square Roots purchases “imperfect” but perfectly edible food from local farmers and sells it at roughly half the price of grocery store produce. The initiative benefits both farmers—who generate revenue from food that might otherwise go to waste—and Nova Scotians, who gain access to affordable, healthy food.

This month, Square Roots celebrates delivering one million pounds of food since its inception. With operations now in over 25 Nova Scotia communities, the project aims to be active in all counties by May 2025, and has national expansion plans for 2026.

Co-project manager Sarah Wheeler spoke about how they select communities, how they get operations started locally, and the community response so far. She also shared insights into what they’re hearing from participating farmers.

Square Roots is part of Enactus, an international student program that connects entrepreneurial students with social impact projects. According to SMU, around 30% of harvested produce is discarded due to cosmetic imperfections. Square Roots rescues this food and makes it accessible for people facing barriers to healthy eating.

Meanwhile, Civic Journalist Jake Boudrot attended the March 25 regular meeting of the Richmond Municipal Council. Following the meeting, Warden Lois Landry and Deputy Warden Brent Sampson took questions from the media.

Before the session, council hosted a presentation from Destination Cape Breton.

Key issues discussed during the meeting included the renewed push to bring a CT scanner to Strait–Richmond Hospital and funding for the St. Peter’s Community Hub Project.

Council also addressed housing development efforts and the Flood Hazard Mapping Project and received a staff briefing on the Climate Risk Assessment and Prioritized Adaptation Project.

Lastly, the River Bourgeois Community Services Society requested funding to install lights at the River Bourgeois Lighthouse.