Ottawa will not ask New Brunswick to pay for bringing in the military during the ice storm that began ravaging the province in late January.

A spokesperson for the Department of National Defence told CBC News the cost of the operation was $185,300.

About 200 Armed Forces members were deployed to the Acadian Peninsula, along with staff and equipment from the Defence Department, to provide maintenance and support after the storm brought regular life to a halt in some areas.

The province says the request for assistance by the Minister of Justice and Public Safety, was made after "confirmation by the Canadian Armed Forces reconnaissance party, and with the support of the premier and Cabinet."

Troops arrived on Jan. 30, and spent about a week helping ice storm victims, delivering emergency supplies such as water and wood, helping to clear roads of debris and checking door-to-door on the well-being of residents.

According to the province, the presence of the military raised morale among the citizens and emergency officials.

Presence 'reassured' public

A consultant report prepared for New Brunswick's Emergency Measures Organization concluded that while the military help was appreciated, in the end it was unnecessary.

During this same period, the report said Premier Brian Gallant's presence drew on emergency measures resources during the crisis.

"There was a public perception that the military should be involved and their deployment went a long way to reassure the public," Jim Bruce of Jim Bruce Security and Emergency Management Services said in his 25-page report.

"However ... there were no planned tasks for them when they arrived on site."

The military took on several tasks after the storm, including providing supplies to ice storm victims. (CBC)

Bruce said emergency measures and NB Power staff were unaware the military was coming and had no idea how the help should be employed.

Military engineers assigned to assist with power restoration could not be employed in that role for safety reasons, he said.

Bruce recommended that elected officials and emergency management network be educated on the use of military resources.

Part of department's budget

The Gallant government made a request for assistance on Jan. 27 and a reconnaissance was conducted to determine how troops could help.

The Department of National Defence said it has absorbed the costs of the operation in the defence budget.

Although requests are assessed on a case-by-case basis, the department said, it has not sought cost reimbursement from provinces and territories that have requested assistance with natural disasters in the past 10 years.