The federal government is spending nearly $25 million to conserve an historic tower in Saint John and to repair and maintain the highway that passes through the Fundy National Park in New Brunswick.
According to a news release from Parks Canada, the Carleton Martello Tower in West Saint John, which dates back to the War of 1812 and was used for the city’s defences until 1944, will receive $14.8 million for the second and final phase of its rehabilitation work. The first phase, which was completed in early 2021, involved work on the exterior stonewall and rubble core, the installation of a temporary roof and drainage system, and stabilization measures.
“It never fired a shot in anger, but it was built for the War of 1812 but then it was used again during the Fenian scares in 1866, I believe, and then in World War I," said Greg Marquis, a professor of history at the University of New Brunswick who also worked at the tower in the 1970s. "In World War II it was used as far command for the harbour.
“A lot of people are interested in history and it’s just great. It adds to the character of Saint John to keep these places operating and in business.”
The federal government has spent more than $11 million on the tower since 2016. The interior of the tower has been closed to the public for seven years.
“I know a lot of people would look at it and say, well maybe it should’ve went to housing or something else but that’s not how federal funding works," said Wayne Long, MP for Saint John—Rothesay. "There’s buckets of money, and pots of money through funds, and if I didn’t go after that funding it would have went to Halifax or some other province.
“People kind of recognize Saint John’s historic significance in Canada. We are a port city, involved in World Wars, involved in harbour defence. We’ve got everything from the Imperial Theatre to the City Market, Fort La Tour, Fort Howe, and the list goes on and on. Martello Tower is a big part of that.”
This new infusion of cash will go towards the replacement of the fire command post on the top of the tower, the construction of a new roof, and the installation of a new heating and humidity control system.
"It will be the exact same silhouette, but it's going to be an awful lot lighter for the new fire command post," said Kurt Peacock, Canada Parks team lead for historic sites in southern New Brunswick. "That will allow, we are hoping...the stone tower to remain standing for another 200 plus years.
“Almost every day we get visitors asking when we can get back inside. Now we have the beginnings of a date we can plan when we will be able to have the public back inside."
The rehabilitation work is expected to resume this fall and the tower is expected to reopen to visitors in summer 2025. according to the news release.
The federal government is also spending $8.3 million for roadway improvements on an 11km stretch of Highway 114 in Fundy National Park that is expected to wrap up this fall. The work will upgrade several drainage infrastructure elements to minimize flood-related damage.
Another $1.05 million is being spent on Fundy Park through the Hurricane Fiona Recovery Fund to help remove fallen trees to restore access to trails and campgrounds.
