Smoke Alarm Installation Program

The Smoke Alarm Installation Program provides and installs smoke alarms free of charge for eligible homeowners in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM).

Smoke alarms are your best line of defence against fire and can cut the risk of fatality in a house fire nearly in half. Smoke alarms save lives. But a smoke alarm can’t save your life if it isn’t working.

To ensure more residents can benefit from this program, the program offers one smoke alarm per floor with bedrooms. For example, if you have two bedrooms on the same floor, you’ll receive one alarm. If bedrooms are on two different floors, you’ll receive two alarms.

Due to limited supply, smoke alarms will be distributed based on need and in the order requests are received. The deadline to apply is October 31, 2025, or while supplies last.

If you do not have a working smoke alarm, please fill in the form HERE or call 311 for assistance in filling out the form. The Fire Department will contact you if you are eligible for the program.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

1. What do I do after filling in the form?

The Fire Prevention Officer will review the requests and assign them to the appropriate local fire department for service.

2. How much does it cost?

The smoke alarms and installation are free of charge to eligible homeowners as part of this program.

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Property tax bills issued online this year: Residents asked to check balances online before paying

October 6, 2025

CBRM RELEASE-- Property tax bills issued online this year: Residents asked to check balances online before paying
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Final 2025 property tax bills have been issued, and residents can now check their balances online through the CBRM website.

Because of the ongoing Canada Post work disruption, property tax bills will not be mailed as usual. 
Residents are advised that the payment due date remains November 4, 2025. The work stoppage does not delay or change the deadline for payment.

Balances can be viewed online at:
🔗 CHECK YOUR TAX BILL BALANCE OWING

To check your tax bill balance, you will need:

• The first and last name listed on the bill, and
• Your tax account number

Your tax account number can be found on a previous bill, through your online banking, or by contacting 311 by phone or through the online 311 form: CONTACT THE 311 CENTRE ONLINE.

Online access to water bill balances will be available starting October 14.

There are several methods to pay a tax or water bill:

1. Online banking through your banking institution. Cape Breton Regional Municipality “Tax”  and  Cape Breton Regional Municipality “Water” are separate payees.

2. In person by cheque or cash at the Citizen Service Centre at City Hall, 320 Esplanade, in Sydney. Hours are Monday-Friday, 8:30 am - 4:30 pm.

3. Cheque by delivery to: 
City Hall  - Tax Accounts
320 Esplanade 
Sydney, Nova Scotia 
B1P 7B9 

Indicate your account number on the cheque.

4. Online by credit card through Paymentus (there is additional fee for this service) CREDIT CARD PAYMENT

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District 10 Councillor Paul Nickituk On Medical Leave

TRANSIT NOTICES Bus to Louisbourg, Hot August Nights detours

TRANSIT CAPE  BRETON NOTICES

FREE BUS TO LOUISBOURG: Every Saturday until the end of August, a free bus will shuttle CBRM residents to the Fortress of Louisbourg. 

The bus departs Sydney on Saturdays at 10:00 am, 12:00 pm and 2:00 pm and returns at 1:00 pm, 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm

The park is open from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm and entry is free.

Riders:

A rider can get on a bus to Sydney from across the system in CBRM. The riders pay a fare for this ride to the downtown hub, but once riders board the Louisbourg bus, they will receive a free ticket to return home and additional free ticket for a free transit ride to be used anytime in August.

Celebrate safely:

This initiative is part of CBRM’s 30th anniversary year celebration. Residents can enjoy CBRM's many local attractions this summer while following fire safety precautions.  Transit routes are found on the Transit App and CBRM website at https://www.cbrm.ns.ca/transit

HOT AUGUST NIGHTS ANTIQUE CAR FESTIVAL DETOURS: 

During the Hot August Nights car festival on the evenings of August 8th and 9th, transit will detour the following routes:

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Municipal Trail Systems Temporarily Closed

**update - the trail closure was ended on Sept 2, 2025  **

Following the Province's announcement restricting travel and activities in the woods, the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) is closing all wooded municipal trail systems, effective today, August 7, at 4 p.m. The fine for violating these restrictions is $25,000.

The municipal trail closures include:

• Rotary Park, including Greenlink Trail and the disc golf course
• Renwick Brook Trail
• Coal Town Trail
• Scotchtown Summit Park

“Our fire crews are responding to far too many preventable calls,” said Mayor Cecil Clarke. “The province has put restrictions in place to prevent wildfires, and we are doing the same. We need residents to take this seriously. Stay out of the woods. Don’t burn anything.”

Hiking, camping, fishing, and the use of vehicles on municipal trail systems is not permitted. These restrictions will remain in effect until 2 p.m. on October 15, unless the province’s proclamation is revoked or amended.

Municipal parks with open green spaces, playgrounds, sports fields, and ballfields remain open for public use.

The CBRM municipal trail closures are in addition to the provincial restrictions put in place on August 5. The Province is restricting travel and activities in the woods because continued hot, dry conditions have greatly increased the risk of wildfires.

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NOTICE: Glace Bay - Watermain break at Reserve Street

July 30, 2025
7:45 am

NOTICE: GLACE BAY

There is an active watermain break on Reserve Street in Glace Bay near the intersection at Gannon Street. The water system isolation to repair this leak will affect the entire business area of Reserve Street, as well as residential properties. The estimated affected area is Phalen’s Road to Official Row.

Public Works is mobilizing equipment, traffic control and planning of the response for the repair. 

Estimated repair is approximately 3:00 pm. 

More updates will be provided as they become available on CBRM’s Facebook page @CBRMgov and website at www.cbrm.ns.ca.

NOTICE to Residents: Extreme Fire Danger Conditions

July 17, 2025

NOTICE TO CBRM RESIDENTS: 

CBRM's fire danger conditions are among the highest the country. Fire Danger is a relative index of how easy it is to ignite vegetation, how difficult a fire may be to control, and how much damage a fire may do.

It is imperative that no outdoor burning occurs. Campfires are attributed to 17 wildfires a year in Nova Scotia.

Absolutely no campfires and no fireworks. Do not discard cigarettes. Use extreme caution with barbecues and gas flames. A vehicle or lawnmower can ignite tall grass if operated on it.

Link to Natural Resources Canada Fire Weather Map.

https://cwfis.cfs.nrcan.gc.ca/maps/fw?type=fwi

Notice of Service Disruptions Tomorrow, June 11, Davis Day

There will be a temporary street closure on Plummer Ave from Baker St to St Anne St from 10 am to 1 pm tomorrow, June 11th for Davis Day celebrations. As a result of the street closure, transit buses will detour from Heelan St to Wilson Ave, then Gibbon St before returning to Plummer Ave. The return trip will follow the same route in reverse.

Glace Bay residents are advised that there will be no curbside collection on Davis Day, Wednesday, June 11. Extra garbage bags and green cart material will be collected in your area next regularly scheduled collection day. Blue bags will be collected in your area next regularly scheduled blue bag collection week.

NOTICE - STREET CLOSING (UNDEVELOPED)

A Portion of an Undeveloped Road Reserve, off Dalton Lane, Sydney,  Nova Scotia, Measuring Approximately 23,680.271  square feet +/-

Take notice that the Council of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality intends to close an Undeveloped Portion of a Road Reserve, Sydney, Nova Scotia, measuring approximately 23,680.271  square feet +/- more or less, which is more particularly delineated on the above map.

A public hearing in relation to the closing of the undeveloped portion of the said road reserve will be held on Tuesday, the 10 day of June, at 6:00 p.m. at the Council Chambers, 2^nd Floor, Civic Centre, 320 Esplanade, Sydney, Nova Scotia, at which time Council will hear those in favour and those opposed to the closing of a portion of this road reserve. 

Annual Lead and Copper Sampling for Residential Tap Water

May 27, 2025

The CBRM Water Utility is seeking volunteers for the 2025 annual lead and copper sampling program for residential tap water. The program is for customers of the CBRM Water Utility, not for those whose water source is a well.

The Water Utility routinely monitors water quality within distribution systems. In 2020, Nova Scotia Environment introduced additional sampling requirements for lead and copper within customers’ homes.

This sampling program will be provided free of charge to a limited number of customers in each CBRM distribution system (Sydney, Glace Bay, Northside, New Waterford, Louisbourg, Floral Heights and Centreville).

Participants will be registered on a first come, first served basis until the program goals are met. The program occurs every year, but sampling will not begin until July.

People can sign up online at: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1Z_LdnqOc50CxgTv-pIzMVXwfDnlLQ41hmetmG0oqFrA

This water sampling will determine if lead and copper are present in customers’ tap water, and a results letter will be provided. Although lead and copper can occur naturally in the environment, a main source in drinking water is through leaching of plumbing materials such as pipes, solder, faucets, and fittings. While copper is an acceptable material for use in plumbing, lead is no longer an acceptable building material.

The National Plumbing Code allowed lead material in pipes until 1975, lead in solder until 1986, and lead in fittings or faucets until 2013. In 2019, Health Canada lowered the maximum acceptable concentration for lead in drinking water from 0.010 mg/L to 0.005 mg/L, and introduced a new maximum acceptable concentration for copper of 2 mg/L.

Health Canada also changed the acceptable locations for sample collection. Samples for lead and copper must now be collected within homes and buildings where customers obtain water for drinking and cooking.

The municipality aims to conduct sampling at approximately 150 residences from among the municipality's water system customers.