ARICHAT - A local couple whose home of 20 years was devastated by Hurricane Fiona is one step closer to having a new home on the same site. 

Janasta and Vincent Chaisson lost their trailer in late September when hurricane-force winds and heavy rain blasted the roof off the structure and caused extensive water damage on the building's exterior. The Chaissons dismantled the remainder of the trailer and had the rubble hauled away in late October. 

However, organizers of a major fundraising drive for the couple have come up with nearly $24,500, with two-thirds of that figure coming from a GoFundMe page set up by the Chaissons' nephew Cody Pardy, Another $8,000 came courtesy of a day-long mid-October fundraiser at the Acadiaville Community Centre in West Arichat. 

As a result, Janasta Chaisson's sister Jennie Pardy now says the couple is close to securing a new mini-home in nearby Louisdale, and is now only missing the estimated $10,000 required to move the structure onto the Highway 206 property they have owned for the past 20 years. 

Also on this week's TELILE 24/7:

8:44 - Richmond Warden Amanda Mombourquette explains why the municipality is re-examining its Wind Turbine Policy, just as Point Tupper-based EverWind Fuels holds open houses in St. Peter's and Arichat to explain the company's plans for using wind energy to produce green hydrogen. 

11:17 - The Provincial Lead for Peer Support and Community Suicide Prevention for the Canadian Mental Health Association's Nova Scotia division, Keith Anderson, discusses the programs currently available from the association and the provincial government, and explains the importance of recognizing Men's Mental Health Month in November.

27:50 - One year after receiving approval from Nova Scotia Public Works for funding under the provincial J-class roads program, Point Tupper's Langley Lane is still in a state of disrepair, according to the community's municipal councillor, District Three representative Melanie Sampson. 

31:37 - As the Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board (NSUARB) enters the second phase of its regular review of municipal units' district boundaries and number of elected councillors, Richmond Warden Amanda Mombourquette is thanking those who got involved in the first round of discussions and urging county residents to continue the discussion throughout the fall. 

33:40 - The recent discussion on giving municipalities more power to set the Cape Breton Island Tourism Marketing Levy leads to a broader discussion of whether Richmond County properties - inside and outside of the tourism sector - are being properly assessed and taxed.