Nova Scotia RCMP says investigators are confident that the deliberate cut of a Bell Aliant communications fibreoptic cable linking Cape Breton with the southwest coast of Newfoundland is not a National Security incident.

The cable was cut on Christmas Eve.

Bell Aliant says the cable, which is lying on the seabed, is not easy to sever and would have had to be lifted to the surface, and cutting tools used to make a clean cut.

It was the second such cable cut on the Cabot Strait in less than a year. A similar incident occurred in the same general area off the coast of Aspy Bay on January 4th of 2024.

The cost of repairs is estimated to be millions of dollars.

The investigation continues.