1. travel
2. tourist destinations
3. canada

ELEVATE BUSINESS P32
Prosperity Framework aims for new heights
THE HIGH ROAD P36
Keeping the Cabot Trail front and center
JUNE 2015 / ISSUE 1
MEMSKI: PROJECTS P37
Saving energy earns income for First Nations School
A PUBLICATION FROM THE CAPE BRETON PARTNERSHIP
GOLF
RENAISSANCE
LINKS COURSES MAKING INVERNESS
A PREMIERE DESTINATION
RISING FROM
THE ASHES
Donkin Mine poised
to resume coal production
ISLAND GEMS
These aren’t your father’s
tourist attractions
forging partnerships
·
c a p i ta l i z i n g o n o p p o r t u n i t i e s
·
building a stronger cape breton
investors leading
cape breton ’ s growth
over one hundred and
fifty organizations have
committed to investing
in cape breton’s future
economic growth.
The current Investors represent
a wide cross section of industry
sectors, such as tourism,
transportation, retail and service,
energy, arts and culture, fisheries,
forestry, manufacturing,
communications, and health,
demonstrating Cape Breton’s
continued economic diversification.
Legacy Investor
Bell Aliant
Casino Nova Scotia
The Chronicle Herald
Emera/Emera Newfoundland & Labrador/
Nova Scotia Power
Membertou
executIve Investors
101.5 FM The Hawk
ACOA Cape Breton
Cape Breton Post
Cape Breton Radio
Cape Breton University
Grant Thornton
Halifax Biomedical
Holiday Inn Sydney-Waterfront
Nova Scotia Community College: Marconi
Nova Scotia Community College:
Strait Area Campus
Nova Scotia Provincial Lotteries and
Casino Corp.
Parks Canada
Scotiabank
Seaside Wireless Communications Inc.
Shannon School of Business –
Cape Breton University
Strait Area Chamber of Commerce
Sydco Fuels Limited & Scotia Propane
Limited
Sydney and Area Chamber of Commerce
The Coast 89.7 FM
The Municipality of the County of
Inverness
The Municipality of the County of
Richmond
TThe Municipality of Victoria County
VVenture Solutions Inc.
VVMP Group
n
nvestors
A
AECOM
AAMEC Earth Environmental Ltd.
B
Belmac Supply Ltd.
B
Boston Pizza
B
Business Development Bank of Canada
Cabot Links
Cambridge Suites
Cape Breton Business College
Cape Breton Island Building and
Construction Trade
Cape Breton Resorts
CBCL Limited
Celtic Colours International Festival
City Printers
Coastal Business CBDC
Crew Productions
Destination Cape Breton
Efficiency Nova Scotia Corporation
Eskasoni Corporate Division
exp.
Hampton Inn Sydney
Harbour Royale Development Limited
Hardwire IT Solutions Inc.
ICON | Branding and Marketing
Strategy Consultants
Innovacorp
J.A. Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport
Jupia Consultants Inc.
Keltic Lodge Resort and Spa
Louisbourg Seafoods
Mactech Distance Education
Marine Atlantic
Maritime Environmental Training Institute
Maritime Inn Port Hawkesbury
Maxxam Analytics
McSweeney & Associates
Mi’kmaq Economic Benefits Office of NS
Molson Coors
Morien Resources
Nova Scotia Business Inc.
Nova Scotia Lands Inc.
Offshore Technical Services
Port Hawkesbury Paper
PowerTel Utilities Contractors
Protocase Inc.
Pure Project Relations & Consulting
RBC Royal Bank
Salveo Enterprises Inc.
Savoy Theatre
Schwartz & Company
Seaboard Industrial
Silver Dart Lodge
Stantec
Subway Sandwiches Restaurant
Sydney Military Garrison
Sydney Ports Corporation
Techlink Entertainment
The Breton Law Group
The Reporter
The Town of Port Hawkesbury
Trans Atlantic Preforms Limited
Vibe Creative Group
Waycobah First Nation
WICO Construction Management Ltd.
YMCA of Cape Breton
MeMbers
ACAP Cape Breton
AG Research
Boudrot Rodgers Law Offices
Bras d’Or Lakes Inn
Breton Ability Centre
Breton Chartered Accountants
Breton Technologies
Breton Wealth Management
Canadian Manufacturers and
Exporters Association
Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design
Cape Breton Regional Police Services
Carol Rizzetto Realty
Colaisde na Gàidhlig / The Gaelic College
Connors Basics
Copol International Ltd.
Dan White and Associates Ltd.
Dillon Consulting Limited
East Coast Credit Union
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Export Development Canada
Flavor by Creative Catering
Glenora Distillery
Health Outcomes Worldwide
Highland Village Museum
Home Instead Senior Care Sydney
Ian McNeil Real Media
Inverness Oran
Island Distributors Ltd.
Jolt PR
Journeyman Film Company
Kim Long & Associates
Lobsters ‘R’ Us Seafood
Mabou Gardens
Mabou River Inn Limited
Maritect Investigation & Security Ltd.
Maritime Environmental Training Institute
Mayflower Mall
McSean Consulting
MediaSpark
Membertou Trade and Convention Centre
Mulgrave Machine Works Ltd.
Natural Forces
New Dawn
Northeast Highlands Chamber of
Commerce
Nova Scotia Co-operative Council
Oravecz Industrial Services
Parkland, Cape Breton
PolyTech Windows and Doors
Preferred Office Environments
Premium Seafood Group
Railroad Recording Productions
Ramsay’s Honda
Robert L. Sampson
Roclan Consutrction, a Division of
Dora Const.
Safety Check Inspections
Sampson McDougall Barristers and
Solicitors
St. John’s Ambulance
Strait of Canso Superport
Superport Marine Services
The Inverness Oran
The Red Shoe Pub
The Victoria Standard
Tourism Industry Association of NS
Town of Mulgrave
Trifos Design Consultants
Wind4All Inc.
Wood Wyant
Workers Compensation Board of
Nova Scotia
Your Dollar Store With More
Zutphen Contractors
Interested in playing a role in growing cape breton’s future? contact the cape breton Partnership today or visit us online at www.capebretonpartnership.com
sydney office: 275 Charlotte Street, Sydney, Nova Scotia
B1P 1C6
tel:
(902) 562-7182
B9A 3K5
port hawkesbury office: The Professional Centre, Suite 205 - 609 Church Street, Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia
tel:
(902) 625-0958
VOLUME 1 ISSUE 1
ONonTHE
the COVER
cover
14
19 Rising from the ashes
38 Going green
Donkin Mine poised to resume coal
production
Saving energy earns income for
First Nations School
22 Island gems
Golf
renaissance
These are not your father’s
tourist attractions
4
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
32 Elevate Business
5
INVESTORS IN THE NEWS
Links courses making
Inverness a premiere
destination
Prosperity Framework aims for
new heights
10 PARTNERSHIP EVENTS
12 NEW MEMBERS
36 The high road
Keeping the Cabot Trail front
and center
Protocase Inc. has been the recipient of a $300,000 loan from the Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency... READ MORE ON PAGE 5
Cape Breton Partnership
Board of Directors
Lorne Martin, CBCL Limited, Chair
Bill Kachafanas, Breton Technologies, Vice-Chair
John MacNeil, Sydney and Area Chamber of
Commerce, Grant Thornton, Treasurer
Martha Campbell, Zutphen Contactors, Secretary
Directors
Andrew Alkenbrack, Cabot Links
Dianne J. Beauchesne, Business Development Bank
of Canada
Paula Condon, Nova Scotia Power Inc.
Jennifer Deleskie, Membertou Corporate
Marc Dubé, Port Hawkesbury Paper LP
Ian Green, North East Highlands Chamber of
Commerce, English Country Garden B&B
Tom Gunn, Strait Area Chamber of Commerce,
NSCC: Strait Area Campus
Fletcher Hunston, Casino Nova Scotia
Gordon MacInnis, Cape Breton University
Donald MacMullen, Scotiabank
Monica McCathy, East Coast Credit Union
Blaire Martell, Lobsters R’ Us Seafood Limited
Steve Parsons, Eskasoni Corporate Division
Alex Paul, Mi’kmaw Economic Benefits Office of
Nova Scotia
Bob Pelley, Innovacorp
PLUS
Cape Breton Partnership Staff
Keith MacDonald, President and CEO
Sidney Reid, Operations Manager
Blayr Billard, Office Manager
Ian McNeil, Prosperity Framework Manager
Kate Gorman, Marketing and Communications
Coordinator
Colleen Wheeliker, Executive Assistant
Cape Breton Partnership Contact
SYDNEY OFFICE
275 Charlotte Street
Sydney, Nova Scotia
B1P 1K9
Telephone: 902-562-0122 or 902-562-7182
Fax: 902-539-7487
PORT HAWKESBURY OFFICE
The Professional Centre
Suite 205 – 609 Church Street
Port Hawkesbury, NS
B9A 3K5
[email protected]
www.capebretonpartnership.com
30 THE PROMISE OF A BRAND
34 CHAMBER FEATURES
PHOTO STEVE WADDEN
Elevate is published by Cape Breton Star &
The Chronicle Herald on behalf of the
Cape Breton Partnership
Publisher: Sarah Dennis
President and CEO: Mark Lever
Manager, Business Development
Eastern Nova Scotia: Matthew Lever
Marketing and Sales: Glen Murrant, 902.564.5870
Advertising Sales: Gordon Mc Vicar, 902.564.6833
Editor: Joey Fitzpatrick, jfi[email protected]
Layout & Design: Sarah Crewe
Contributing Writers: Zack Metcalfe
Norma Jean MacPhee
Erin Elaine Casey
Tracey Boutilier
Vibe Creative Group
Cape Breton Partnership
Efficiency Nova Scotia
Prosperity Framework
Merchandising and Distribution: Michelle Smith
Cover Photo: Laurence Lambrecht
Copyright 2015 by The Chronicle Herald
All rights reserved. Reproduction of any article,
photograph or artwork without expressed written
permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited.
2717 Joseph Howe Drive
Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 2T2
Tel: (902) 426-2811
TheChronicleHerald.ca
Disclaimer
Elevate magazine makes no warranties of any kind,
written or implied, regarding the contents of this
magazine and expressly disclaims any warranty
regarding the accuracy or reliability of information
contained herein. The views contained in this
magazine are those of the writers and advertisers;
they do not necessarily reflect the views of Elevate
magazine and its publisher The Chronicle Herald.
Publications Mail Agreement No. 40065080
Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to the
Cape Breton Partnership.
4
ELEVATE
President & CEO’s Message
Welcome to the first
edition of Elevate
As governments at all levels cope with ever
tighter budgets, it’s increasingly obvious public
spending will not rescue Cape Breton from our
current challenges. There is “no bag of money.”
If our island is to advance towards a more prosperous future, private companies and individual
entrepreneurs have to play a meaningful role in
generating employment.
That is why we at the Partnership think it is
essential to bridge the traditional gap between
the Cape Breton public and the companies, entrepreneurs, and development agencies seeking
to promote investment here.
The oneNS Commission report—commonly
known as the Ivany Report or Now or Never—
challenged Nova Scotians to recognize the
demographic time bomb facing our province.
Ivany urged us to jettison old attitudes and
nourish every opportunity to draw people to
our province and our island, instead of bidding
them adieu to other pastures.
As Ivany warned, that process requires a
shift in attitude—shedding the negativity and
begrudgery that too often dogs anyone who
KEITH MACDONALD
dares to seek success. Bridging that gap is a twoway street. Yes, the public has to realize business
is not the enemy. But business has to do a much
better job explaining what it does, and why.
Our goal is to make Elevate a rallying point
for this necessary change in attitude. Our
pages will highlight women and men making a
positive impact on Cape Breton: People laying
the ground work for a more prosperous future;
People who believe that our island is a place to
build their businesses, raise their families, and
enjoy life.
Please be a part of this effort to elevate attitudes. Share your stories with us so we can
share them with Cape Breton and the world.
Take the time to explain what your businesses
are doing to surmount the very difficult challenges you face and how you are reaching for
new business prospects. Do it in a spirit of
working together. Let’s all be a part of a new
Cape Breton attitude embracing opportunity
and success.
President & CEO, Cape Breton Partnership
The Cape Breton Partnership is joining
forces with Cape Breton Island’s Chambers of
Commerce to bring a fresh perspective to what
is happening in our part of Nova Scotia.
Cape Breton is not the only place that views
business with suspicion, but we are certainly
practiced at it. This is an understandable barrier.
Industrial strife played a formative role in our
island’s history, and Cape Breton is still striving
for economic diversity after the loss of industries that were our cornerstone for a century.
OUR GOAL IS TO MAKE ELEVATE A RALLYING POINT FOR
THIS NECESSARY CHANGE IN ATTITUDE. OUR PAGES WILL
HIGHLIGHT WOMEN AND MEN MAKING A POSITIVE IMPACT
ON CAPE BRETON...
Celebrating our 25th Year in CBRM
9
LOCATIONS
to Serve you
45 Weatherbee Rd.
Health Park
Sydney, NS
902-539-2703
403 Charlotte St
Sydney, NS
902-539-7827
800 Grand Lake Rd.
Mayflower Mall
Sydney, NS
902-539-5433
1102 Kings Rd.
Sydney River, NS
902-567-1499
288 Welton St.
Sydney, NS
902-562-9840
PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
326 Commercial St
North Sydney, NS
902-794-7827
130 Commercial St
Glace Bay, NS
902-849-7827
1250 Grand Lake Rd.
Cape Breton University
Sydney, NS
902-539-4221
4716 Shore Road
Eskasoni, NS
902-379-2211
JUNE 2015
5
Investors In The News
PHOTOS STEVE WADDEN
Eyking Farms wins
Agriculture Sector Award
at Elevate Business Day
Chris Eyking, farmer in Millville
Cape Breton and one of the owners of Eyking Farms accepted an
award in the Agriculture Sector
category at Elevate Business Day,
held at the Membertou Trade and
Convention Centre March 10th,
2015. Eyking Farms has been
rooted in Atlantic Canada for more
than two generations of family
farmers. Their commitment to producing nutritious, healthy and fresh
produce and their new generation
of Green Atlantic Products is a
symbol of their quality and enduring farming values.
Emera and Mi’kmaq
chiefs sign agreement on
the Maritime Link Subsea
project
On Thursday, April 9th, 2015 Emera signed an agreement with
the Mi’kmaq of Nova Scotia to
ensure greater involvement in
the development of the Maritime
Link project. Chief Terrance Paul
of Membertou and Chief Sidney
Peters of Glooskap First Nation,
signed the agreement as members of the Assembly of Nova
Scotia Mi’kmaq Chiefs. Although
the signing of this document signifies the official agreement, the
Mi’kmaq community has been
involved since the project’s inception in 2011. The $1.6 billion
project will include a subsea cable that will connect Newfoundland to Nova Scotia and is a part
of the Muskrat Falls hydroelectric
project. The project is on schedule to be in service in fall 2017
and at its peak will create up to
600 jobs.
ale master’s newest creation. The
Silver Tart is only available in limited release at the Brewery’s location in Nyanza, Cape Breton, and a
few establishments in Halifax.
Protocase Inc.
Parks Canada
BDC
Protocase Inc. has been the recipient of a $300,000 loan from
the Atlantic Canada Opportunities
Agency that was used to purchase
a digital printing machine and nitrogen generation system. Senator Michael MacDonald visited the
Sydney-based office on behalf of
the honorable Rob Moore, Minister of State, to deliver the good
news. Protocase Inc. produces
quality metal enclosures for devices and is a leader in the Cape Breton innovative technology industry.
Steadily growing since 2001, Protocase employs over 100 staff and
is committed to producing quality
metal enclosures for organizations
such as Microsoft, NASA, IBM and
Intel.
Business Development Bank of
Canada honoured Gerry Pond
with the first ever BDC Entrepreneurship Champion award in
March 2015. Pond is an instrumental role model in the entrepreneurial community in Atlantic
Canada. His leadership, motivation and passion were the driving forces behind the creation of
several multimillion dollar startups. The BDC entrepreneurship
Champion is a national award
that recognizes a Canadian Entrepreneur who has created one or
many businesses that contributed
to the overall success of Canadian
entrepreneurship.
The federal government announced they are spending $85
million on several Parks Canada
sites in Cape Breton. The funding will go towards improving
Parks Canada sites along the
Cabot Trail and the Fortress of
Louisbourg. Additional funding
will be allocated to the St. Peter’s Canal Bridge and the Cape
Breton Highlands National Park.
Louisbourg Seafoods
Authentic Seacoast
Big Spruce Brewery
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
Inspired by Cape Breton inventor Alexander Graham Bell, Big
Spruce Brewery presents its latest
craft beer, The Silver Tart. Jeremy
White, owner of Big Spruce, was
inspired by a recipe for Bell’s raspberry cordial that resulted in the
Authentic Seacoast, in collaboration with the Fortress of Louisbourg
Association, unveiled Fortress Rum
in late February of 2015. This is the
first time in 300 years that rum will
be stored in authentic barrels in the
Fortress’ Magazin du Roi. Fortress
Rum will also play a part in enhancing the tourist experience. Fortress
Rum is available at Fortress of Louisbourg, as well as in NSLC locations across the province.
INVESTORS IN THE NEWS
On March 1st, 2015 Louisbourg
Seafoods announced that they
have invested $3 million to modernize its facility. The Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency will provide an additional
$500,000 loan. A percentage of
the invested funds will be used
to conduct applied research,
while a third of the investment
will go into the creation of a new
lobster pound that will allow
Louisbourg Seafoods to house
more of its product.
6
Halifax Biomedical Inc.
The Mabou, Cape Breton based
Halifax Biomedical Inc.’s (HBI)
Implant Stability Assessment Kit
has been implemented into the
Sharp Health Care Centres in
Conorado, California. HBI’s technology will provide Sharp facilities with leading technology in
implant instability, which will give
them an advantage in an aging
active population. HBI is a leading provider of equipment and
services which focus on the early
detection of implant loosening
for hip and knee replacements
and quantification of instability
of the spinal column in patients
with chronic low back pain.
ACAP Cape Breton
ACAP Cape Breton, along with
the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, has been meeting with
community members living along
the coastline to discuss the issue
of climate change and coastal
erosion. These workshops, held
ELEVATE
in February 2015, provided community members with suggestions on how to combat coastal
erosion. Short term solutions
include planting specific vegetation that can be grown to
prevent erosion. ACAP Cape
Breton released a full report on
climate change at the end of
March 2015, and will be moving
forward to implement solutions.
Health Outcomes
Worldwide
On February 10th, 2015, Corrine
MacIsaac, President and CEO
of Health Outcomes Worldwide
announced a new partnership
with Think Research Group, a
Canadian provider of clinical
decision support tools. Think Research will be applying HOW’s
how2trak mobile application
into Entry Point, a cloud based
platform that reaches over 300
North American healthcare organizations. The award winning
how2trak app analyzes complex
data sets, which provides nurses
and physicians with more knowledge to help improve patient
care and reduce expenses.
Celtic Colours
International Music
Festival
Celtic Colours International Music Festival officials released a
report Monday, February 9th,
2015 stating the festival’s attendees spent over $1 million a
day during the nine day festival.
Total economic impact for the
event was recorded to be over
$10.4 million. Celtic Colours is
recognized as a world class event
with international audiences visiting from more than 20 different
countries. The 2015 festival will
take place from October 9-17th,
in various venues across the island. Tickets will go on sale July
6th, 2015.
INVESTORS IN THE NEWS
Port of Sydney
Corporation
Marlene Usher, former acting
Director General of the Atlantic
Canada Opportunities Agency
in Cape Breton was named CEO
of the recently formed Port of
Sydney Corporation on February 8th, 2015. The mandate of
the Port of Sydney Corporation
is to provide a broad approach
to port development.
Breton Chartered
Accountants
Unsworth Kachafans and Nash
Hannem & Associates made
the decision to merge their accounting firms to start a new
firm called Breton Chartered
Accountants. The new company
has a compliment of 16 staff including 8 CA’s that offer a more
specialized skill set that will be
tailored to the specific needs of
their clients.
JUNE 2015
7
Techlink Entertainment
territory stretching from Cape Chignecto on the Bay of Fundy to Meat
Cove on the northern tip of Cape
Breton Island.
Seaside Wireless
Communications
Bear Head LNG
Techlink Entertainment, a Cape
Breton based gaming technology organization, moved to a new
location at 1125 Kings Road in
Sydney River. Its new location has
given the 20 year old company
the space needed to expand its
operations. John Xidos, President
and CEO has over 30 years experience in the technology industry
and with his leadership Techlink
has acquired government and
private sector clients throughout
North America and Europe.
Seaside Communications Inc. and
sister company Seaside Wireless
Communications Inc., are Cape
Breton owned and operated communications service providers, with
offices at 1318 Grand Lake Road
and 500 George Place, Sydney. Services provided by Seaside include
Cable TV, Telephone and Internet
in a number of Cape Breton Communities; and fixed wireless Internet connections for rural residents
and businesses throughout the ten
north-eastern counties of Nova
Scotia—a 30,000 square kilometer
Bear Head LNG is waiting for
a final approval from the Nova
Scotia Environment Department
before construction of the new
export facility may begin. Bear
Head LNG is a subsidiary of the
Australian-based Liquefied Natural Gas Ltd. Construction of the
Point Tupper site will take 36 to
42 months to complete and will
require up to 700 workers from
a variety of specialized fields.
Once completed, the facility will
convert natural gas to a liquid
state then transfer it to markets
around the world.
Lobsters ‘R’ Us
Lobsters ‘R’ Us Seafoods, a Lower
L’Ardoise based company, has
started selling its fresh seafood
products in European and Chinese seafood markets with the
help of a new system supported
by Efficiency Nova Scotia. Its new
long term storage facility and its
new energy efficient systems save
over $90,000 in electrical costs.
These lower operating costs allow Lobsters R’ Us to reinvest into
their plant, sell local catches at a
higher margin and create a positive economic outlook for the surrounding community.
Canadian Manufacturers
and Exporters
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters has named Carole Lee
Reinhardt as Vice President of its
Nova Scotia Division. Reinhardt
is based out of the Halifax office
and will oversee a vast number
of operations relating to regional
export trade and development.
Canadian Manufacturers and Exporters strive to improve business
conditions through saving money
and connecting their clients’ international partners.
Seaside Communications
WIRELESS HIGH SPEED
TV - PHONE - INTERNET
Nova Scotia’s leader
in rural broadband.
Completely rebuilt
fibre-optic network.
Let Seaside help drive your business communications TODAY!
seaside.ns.ca/business
902-539-6250
seasidehighspeed.com/business
1-888-965-5511
INVESTORS IN THE NEWS
8
ELEVATE
East Coast Credit Union
East Coast Credit Union has recently relocated its Port Hawkesbury branch to 714 Reeves St. The
new branch has 20 full time staff
and houses financial planning, teller services, drive through banking,
wealth management, administration and a variety of other member services all under one roof.
East Coast Credit Union currently
serves over 27,000 members. The
East Coast Credit Union branches
not only serves local members, but
it also has the capability to serve
Credit Union members across the
country.
to grow sustainable business operations on the wharf. The wharf
has rail and truck access, with a
warehouse and large lay-down
area that gives it the capacity to
handle a diverse range of products. Potential products to be
moved from the wharf include
craft pulp, wood pellets and the
mill’s supercalendered paper
products.
Hampton Inn by Hilton Sydney
The Hampton Inn Sydney is the
recipient of the Hilton Circle of
Excellence Award. The annual
award is given based on highest
quality scores given by guests.
The Circle of Excellence Awards
are only given to the top 10 percent of Hampton Inn Suites in
Canada, the United States, Puerto Rico, Ecuador, Costa Rica and
Columbia.
Ports of
Angela Houston and her husband Jim Houston are the proud
owners of Glace Bay’s trendy
new eatery, TALO Café and Bar.
TALO, an acronym for Take A
Load Off, opened its doors February 8, 2015. TALO has a diverse
menu selection and has a spot reserved for local artists to perform
acoustic sessions. Angela’s entrepreneurial spirit, excellent staff
and comfortable atmosphere has
driven the popularity of TALO
and the community has rallied
behind her growing success.
Sailing CBI
Slyce has been settling into their
operational headquarters in New
Waterford and have even started
to expand its setup by hiring
more staff on a full-time permanent basis. Slyce integrates with
the world’s leading retail brands
to provide shoppers with the capacity to find products by taking
photos with smartphones.
Enterprise Rent-A-car welcomes
Wendy Rhodes as the new
manager of its Sydney location.
Enterprise is an internationally
recognized brand and has established more than 7,000 branch
locations throughout Europe
and North America.
Paul Jamieson has been sailing
the waters of the Bras D’or Lake
for 20 years and has decided to
share this incredible experience
by starting Sailing CBI, a quality
sailing experience. Sailing CBI
will begin its first chartered tours
on June 1, 2015 and will sail until the end of the Celtic Colours
International Music Festival,
October 17, 2015. Guests will
be sailing around the Bras D’or
on a 42 foot catamaran, which
is being built by a company in
Long Island, New York. Jamieson
looks forward to sharing the Bras
D’or Lake with tourists from all
around the world.
Gerald McCarron
Tel: (902) 564-7944
[email protected]
Opportunity
Harbourside Commercial Park
- Newly dredged Sydney Harbour (55 ‘ depth)
- 1200’ wharf / 300 acres of land
- Industrial power and water available
- Easy access to rail /Trans-Canada Highway
- New road network throughout park
- 25 businesses onsite
www.harcom.ca
Slyce
Enterprise Rent-A-Car
Port Hawkesbury Paper
Port Hawkesbury Paper has reached
an agreement with with Eastern
Canada, Steve Doring to expand
operations of its wharf facilities.
Port Hawkesbury Parper intends
TALO Café and Bar
Port Mersey Commercial Park
- Home of Innovacorp Centre of
Excellence near Liverpool, NS
- 625’ wharf/ over 88 acres of land
- Industrial power and water available
- Easy access to Trans-Canada Highway
- 8 businesses onsite
www.portmersey.ca
INVESTORS IN THE NEWS
Pictou Wharf
- Recently upgraded
commercial property
- Available 300’ wharf
- Dredged Depth – 25 ‘
- 4 acres of laydown area
- Upgraded power/water
www.harcom.ca
JUNE 2015
9
THE #1 CHOICE FOR
RETIREMENT LIVING
IN ATLANTIC CANADA.
Parkland Retirement Living offers
an exceptional way to live. You have
a choice of service levels, traditional
retirement living and assisted living, each
offering freedom and variety in beautiful
surroundings - all on one campus.
Contact Linda Coleman at (902)270-7275 to arrange a personalized tour.
PUTTING CAPE BRETON ON THE FRONT PAGE
PORT HAWKESBURY PAPER IS MAKING SOME OF THE
WORLD’S BEST PAPER, FOR SOME OF THE BIGGEST
NAMES IN MEDIA, RIGHT HERE IN CAPE BRETON.
Together, with the tireless commitment of hundreds of
employees and the unwavering support of our community,
we strive to be the safest and most sustainable paper
production facility in North America. We will never stop
innovating, whether it’s upgrading our environmental
practices, improving our energy efficiency, or investing in
our employees and infrastructure.
We’re proud to call Cape Breton home. We can’t imagine
being anywhere else.
porthawkesburypaper.com
10
ELEVATE
Partnership Events
Throughout the year, the Cape Breton
Partnership hosts events at which guests
from many business sectors take part
in interactive luncheons and training
sessions that expand their knowledge
and skill in key business areas.
PHOTO WENDY MCELMON PHOTOGRAPHY
The Partnership takes pride in spreading
the word of positive developments
in our economy and also in helping
members understand and surmount
the challenges of doing business in our
picturesque Island locale. We celebrate
the hard work and achievements of our
region’s business and community leaders
with events such as the Investor Summit,
Elevate Business Day and the Vital
Excellence Awards.
Jordan Musycsyn Band Vital Awards on November 20, 2015
PHOTO ANITA CLEMENS PHOTOGRAPHY
Jeff Ward oneNS Winter Warm-Up
Reception on January 13, 2015.
PHOTO NEIL GASCOYNE, VIBE CREATIVE GROUP
Michael de Adder
Investor Summit on October 2, 2014
PARTNERSHIP EVENTS
PHOTO WENDY MCELMON PHOTOGRAPHY
Frankie MacDonald
Vital Awards on November 20, 2014
JUNE 2015
John Malcom
Elevate Business Day on March 10, 2015
PHOTO NEIL GASCOYNE, VIBE CREATIVE GROUP
11
Amanda MacDougall
Vital Awards on November 20, 2014
PHOTO WENDY MCELMON PHOTOGRAPHY
PARTNERSHIP EVENTS
Mark Lever
Investor Summit on October 2, 2014
PHOTO NEIL GASCOYNE, VIBE CREATIVE GROUP
12
ELEVATE
NEW MEMBERS
STRAIT AREA
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
BDM PETROLEUM & CONVENIENCE
144 Highway 4
Port Hastings, NS B9A 1M8
1-902-625-2046
CÔTÉ & SON’S RESIDENTIAL
CONTRACTING LTD.
Grand Greve
St. Peter’s, NS
1-902-631-3639
[email protected]
BEAR HEAD LNG CORPORATION
A subsidiary of the Australian company
Liquefied Natural Gas Limited (LNGL),
Bear Head LNG Corporation plans
to resume the development of an
LNG export facility that includes LNG
liquefaction trains, LNG storage tanks,
a marine terminal and associated
infrastructure. An estimated 82-124 vessels
per year will take delivery at the site.
John Godbold, COO/Project Director
1-902-403-7607
[email protected]
www.BearHeadLNG.com
L’ARCHE CAPE BRETON
L’Arche Cape Breton was founded in
1983 by Tom and Anne Gunn. The
L’Arche community believes that
everyone, regardless of ability or
disability has the right to life, proper
care, a home, education, and the
dignity of meaningful work.
CAMBRIDGE SUITES HOTEL SYDNEY
Cambridge Suites Hotel in Downtown
Sydney has a free breakfast buffet,
Wi-Fi, full gym and room service
available until midnight. Their central
location and superior guests services
ensures that your stay will be more than
comfortable.
3 L’Arche Lane
Whycocomagh, NS B0E 3M0
[email protected]
1-902-756-3162
Terri Nolam, Area Director of Sales
380 Esplanade
Sydney, NS B1P 1B1
1-902-564-2017
[email protected]
DAIRY QUEEN PORT HAWKESBURY
The first Dairy Queen opened its doors
in 1940 in Joliet, Illinois. More than 70
years later the Dairy Queen franchise is
one of the largest fast food chains in the
world with more than 6,000 restaurants
in operation. The longstanding success of
DQ is as simple as it was in 1940; satisfied
customers lead to successful restaurants.
317 Reeves St
Port Hawkesbury, NS B9A 2R6
1-902-625-1700
DORA/ROCLAN CONSTRUCTION
DORA/ROCLAN is committed to
delivering the best possible building
expertise using the latest technologies
in a pursuit of excellence. They deliver
verifiable results and exceed customer
expectations, build pride within their
employees and yield success for the
company.
Howie Doiron, Division Manager
301 Churchill Dr. Unit 203
Membertou, NS B1S 0H1
1-902-562-3400
[email protected]
VICTORIA COUNTY
Home To More Entrepreneurs Per Capita
Than Any Other Municipality In The Province.
Follow your Dream
Come Home to Victoria County
Check out www.victoriacounty.com
for more information.
NEW MEMBERS
JUNE 2015
EAGLE TAXES
Eagle Taxes opened in July, 2014
and specializes in personal income
tax preparation and planning. Owner
and founder Shelley MacPherson has
40 years of experience working with
the Canada Revenue Agency and
completing personal tax returns.
Shelley MacPherson
10-634 Reeves St.
Port Hawkesbury, NS B9A 2R7
1-902-631-4255
[email protected]
www.eagletaxes.ca
MARTIN MARIETTA MATERIALS
An American based company with
substantial operations in the Strait Area,
Martin Marietta is a leading supplier
of aggregates and heavy building
materials. Dedicated teams in North
American and the Caribbean supply
the resources for roads, sidewalks and
foundations.
266 Lower Quarry Rd
Mulgrave, NS b0E 2G0
1-902-747-2882
MILL CREEK ENVIRONMENTAL
SERVICES
Mill Creek Environmental Services
operates one of the largest waste water
treatment facilities in Nova Scotia,
supported by a fleet of vacuum trucks
and a large tank for storing used oils
and fuels.
Doug Hill, General Manager
276 Stable Road
Harbourside Commercial Park
Sydney, NS B1P 6H1
1-902-539-6161
[email protected]
SYDNEY & AREA
CHAMBER OF COMMERCE
EZ FLOW PLUMBING &
HEATING LTD.
PO Box 155 Stn A,
Sydney, NS B1P 6H1
1-902-549-6272
13
K.A.C.E. GAS & CONVENIENCE
Kevin Buchanan
1449 Donkin Morien Hwy
Port Caledonia, NS B1A 6V3
1-902-217-6489
I KARE YOGA WEAR
Based in Baddeck, Nova Scotia, Karen
Welton has developed I Kare Yoga wear
to empower women recovering from
cancer to feel good on their journey
back to health.
DAVE THE PLUMBER
Specializing in plumbing services
ranging from design and drafting
rough-ins, Dave’s plumbing adds
value to clients homes and businesses
by providing a customer-centered
approach and high quality plumbing
products at a reduced cost.
Karen Welton, Owner
Baddeck, NS
1-902-295-1815
Ikareyogawear.com
Dave Hachey, Owner
60 Johnson Street
Sydney, NS B1P 1T1
1-902-371-4601
[email protected]
HABITAT FOR HUMANITY,
CAPE BRETON CHAPTER
A branch of Nova Scotia Habitat for
Humanity, the Cape Breton chapter
completed the Glace Bay Company
House Project in 2013 and has
purchased land in Whitney Pier, where it
plans to build in 2015 with the support
of Habitat for Humanity Canada Builds,
A Global Village Program.
Adrian Wilson, Cape Breton Branch
Manager
Box 766, 269 Charlotte St.
Sydney NS, B1P 1C6
1-902-539-9906
[email protected]
HOLIDAY INN SYDNEY
WATERFRONT
The Holiday Inn Sydney prides itself
on being the perfect starting point for
a Cape Breton Island visit. Offering a
comfortable welcoming environment,
Holiday Inn suits a variety of needs from
family vacations, business meetings and
group events.
Paulette Jolley, General Manager
300 Esplanade
Sydney, B1P
1-902-562-7500
[email protected]
NEW MEMBERS
MACHOLL IT SERVICES
Founded in 1984, MACHOLL IT
Services offers computer related
services to individuals, businesses and
organizations in CBRM and surrounding
areas.
Joe MacHoll, Owner
21 Joanne Langford Dr.
French Road, NS B1K 3P9
1-902-577-8973
[email protected]
SILVER DART LODGE & MACNEIL
HOUSE SUITES
With more than 90 acres of nature
surrounding the property, the Silver
Dart Lodge accommodates all tastes
and budgets. With feature suites in
MacNeil House, hilltop chalets, as well
as comfortable hotel rooms in our West,
East and Main lodges, the Silver Dart
Lodge is an excellent place to stay
while vacationing in Cape Breton.
257 Shore Rd,
Baddeck, NS B0E 1B0
1-902-295-2340
[email protected]
THE SOCIAL SALON & SPA
The Social Salon & Spa provide
a number of services including
haircuts, facials, waxing and skin care
products, and fashion accessories. A
notable service is their organic colour
treatments that provide an ammonia
free hair colouring to avoid skin
irritation.
Sharon Mumford, Owner
319 Charlotte Street
Sydney, NS
1-902-270-3313
14
ELEVATE
STORY ZACK METCALFE
PORTRAITS NICOLE BOUTILIER
Golf
renais
renaissance
Links courses making Inverness
a premiere destination
True links golf courses are rare. In fact, there are only a few hundred
in the world. Sculpted by Mother Nature rather than human hands,
with landscapes unadorned by trees, exposed to the elements and
with firm soil, fescue and ocean view on virtually every hold, a links
course offers the sublime golf experience.
Cabot Links is just such a golf course, the
first of its kind in Canada. Nestled between
the community of Inverness and the Gulf of
St Lawrence, Cabot Links has gone from a
humble tourist destination to being ranked
42nd among the world’s finest courses by
Golf Digest. It’s been open a mere four years
and this year it will be joined by a second
course just up the road.
Cabot Cliffs, sister course to Cabot Links,
will be open for its first season this year,
offering limited play on its virgin fairways.
While the fescue of Cabot Cliffs takes root,
the course will be open for “preview play,”
48 rounds of golf per day. This compares to
the hundreds of rounds hosted daily by the
mature Cabot Links, approximately 15,000
rounds last year alone.
COVER STORY
“With Cabot Cliffs, it’s such a great
design and such a great layout that we really
want to get people on there,” said Andrew
Alkenbrack, general manager of both
courses. “But we want to balance that with
the need for it to mature and let it grow into
itself.”
Alkenbrack expects even this soft opening
of Cabot Cliffs will have a profound impact
on Inverness County, a region now absorbing
the economic spinoffs of Cabot Links. While
quoting one of the co-owners of Cabot Links,
Mike Keiser, Alkenbrack said: “One course is
a curiosity, whereas two is a destination.”
“Now that the second course is here, you
can stay an extra day or a couple of extra
days,” continued Alkenbrack. “You can
play two courses, so you get to change your
experience a little bit, and by elongating your
stay you also have a little time to explore the
island. The more people we can get to the
Cabot Trail and to the surrounding communities — and some of the other tourism
offerings here in Cape Breton — the better
off we all are.”
The economic potential outlined by
Alkenbrack has already been demonstrated
by Cabot Links, which employs nearly 200
people in peak season and attracts return
golfers from as far as Ontario and across the
Northeastern United States.
“In a couple of very short years I wouldn’t
be surprised if we were up to 400 employees,”
said Alkenbrack.
Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs follow the
traditional style of course championed in
Scotland, the birthplace of the sport some
600 years ago. The two courses have their
differences, however. For one, Bill Coore and
Ben Crenshaw designed Cabot Cliffs, while
Cabot Links was the craftsmanship of Rod
Whitman, a designer based in Alberta.
Tom Ryan works as a starter at the Cabot
Links and has been there for four years.
Having played both locations, he points out
Cabot Cliffs — aptly named — stand over
75 feet above sea level. He said Cabot Cliffs
has more hills and the course is built right
against the shore, giving players a more intimate view of the ocean. In some locations,
golfers will hit over the ocean itself to reach
the green.
“It’s a spectacular layout,” said Ryan.
“People will be down. I think there will be
great demand.”
As an avid golfer, Ryan can attest to the
very different style of play offered by links
golf, as opposed to your average North
American golfing experience. For one, there’s
the wind.
“The whole thing is that you’re exposed
to the elements,” said Ryan. “If you hit a golf
ball, the wind will affect your ball right off
JUNE 2015
15
On the way to the distant green on hole 16, the cliffs which
inspired the name of the new Cabot Cliffs golf course.
PHOTO LAURENCE LAMBRECHT
COVER STORY
16
the club. You don’t wait until it gets above
the trees for the wind to start pushing it. The
ground is very sandy and firm, so when you
hit the ball, it runs. It doesn’t just stop like on
your regular course.”
He said links golf is a game played more
on the ground than in the air. The ball must
be escorted to the green, not flown. Because
the wind is always a factor and the roll of
the ball must be played after it lands, he said
links golf is more strategic.
“It’s a very different game,” he said.
Alkenbrack observed another key difference offered by links golf — walking. The
strategic element of links golf and the need to
run the ball keeps players on their feet, rather
than in their carts.
“It has a tendency to both balance and reenergize you,” he said. “Walking, as opposed
to riding, allows you to better connect with
the seaside landscape, your playing partners
and the game. It’s an exciting brand of golf.”
Cabot Links was originally built in
partnership between Mike Keiser, owner of
the Bandon Dunes Golf Resort in Oregon
State, and Ben Cowan-Dewar, creator of Golf
Travel Impresarios (GolfTI), a golf travel
agency based in Toronto. This same partnership created Cabot Cliffs.
But this golf enterprise in Cape Breton didn’t
begin with the combined vision of these two
businessmen. Instead it began with the efforts
of Inverness residents trying to save their community, back when the land between their town
and the Gulf of St Lawrence was littered with
abandoned coal mines, rather than a world
class golf course.
Inverness was a mining town, with some
1,000 people employed in local coal operations until they were shut down in the 1950s
Inverness began a slow decline. Rankin
MacDonald, born and raised in Inverness, bore
witness.
“The town was losing people, the businesses were all closing, the government services were decreasing, so we knew Inverness
ELEVATE
The town has new
life. We call it the
renaissance
and we’re sure glad
it happened.
Rankin MacDonald, Editor,
Inverness Oran & Inverness
Development Association member
was going to be just a little village with no
hope for the future,” said MacDonald, creator
and editor of the Inverness Oran newspaper
and long-time member of the Inverness
Development Association (IDA). “The hope
had died.”
The idea of building a golf course over
Inverness’ abandoned coal mines was an
old one, even in the late 1980s when the
IDA began working toward it. But it was
Tom Ryan, also a long-time member of the
IDA, who first thought of building a links
course. It came to him while watching the
British Open on television, a golf championship played exclusively on links courses in
Scotland, England and Ireland. He realized
the landscape necessary to build, say, the historic St. Andrews Golf Course in Scotland,
one of the oldest courses in the world, also
existed within his community.
A study later determined it was indeed
feasible to build a links course on the land
between Inverness and the coast, and the
IDA convinced the province to make good
on an old promise to reclaim land still
scarred with coal mines. The reclamation
cost $3 million. County land and private
COVER STORY
Rankin MacDonald is creator and editor of
the local newspaper, The Inverness Oran and
also actively involved in the creation of The
Cabot Links course
property alike were donated to the project
until IDA owned everything it needed for the
course.
However, preparing the land was only the
first hurdle. Finding someone interested in
building the golf course was quite another
JUNE 2015
17
MEET SOME OF THE CABOT LINKS & CABOT CLIFFS STAFF
thing. Progress was slow.
“It seemed every time we got to the top of
the roller coaster, down we came again,” said
MacDonald.
It was a twist of fate that seated Nova
Scotia’s minister of tourism at the time,
Rodney MacDonald, next to Ben CowanDewar during a dinner in Toronto. Their
conversation quickly turned to the plot of
land outside Inverness, the potential for a
links course, and the rest came together in
short order.
“Ben Cowan-Dewar came down to see
the land and he just fell in love with it right
away,” said MacDonald. “He said it was a
perfect spot for a links golf course.”
Mike Keiser was brought in on the project
some time later, and Inverness turned over
the land it had collected, securing a 15 year
agreement that would have a portion of the
course’s profits shared with the IDA. This
amounted to nearly $13,000 last year alone,
money the IDA has reinvested in its community and used to pay debts accumulated over
the lifetime of this project.
It’s in this way the community of Inverness
traded its pickaxes for golf clubs.
“It saved our town,” said MacDonald. “The
plywood was on the windows, we were in
danger of losing our school, our hospital was
going to be downsizing, but now it’s been
upsized. It’s a beautiful hospital. The town
has new life. We call it the renaissance and
we’re sure glad it happened.”
Now the community is experiencing the
best problem of all — growing pains —
trying to sort out housing for the influx of
people coming to visit and live and work in
Inverness.
“What’s interesting now is we even
have foreign workers in Inverness,” said
MacDonald. “You talk to the young people
in the summer time and they’re from all over
Canada. There’s people from Toronto and
a lot of people coming down from Halifax,
looking for jobs in Inverness. If you’d have
said that to me 25 years ago I’d have said,
you’re nuts!”
Dealing with the more tangible consequences of these growing pains is county
councillor Jim Mustard, who represents the
Inverness region at the municipal level. He
estimates tax revenue has increased $350,000
from 2011 to 2013 as a result of the Cabot
Links and has seen for himself the increases
in property value throughout district 3 – the
region encompassing Inverness and both golf
courses.
“We are experiencing both an increase in
commercial activity and people in the district,” said Mustard. “As a matter of fact, there
were 27 children enrolled in the Inverness
Education Centre and Academy in 20132014, up from an average of 20 over the past
number of years.”
Kathy Hannigan,Director of Operations,
Cabot Links & Cabot Cliffs
Ryan Hawley, Head golf professional at
Cabot Links & Cabot Cliffs
Tom Ryan, Member of the Inverness
Development Association, Course Starter and
visionary for a links course concept in Cape Breton
Janice MacKayDirector of Housekeeping
The flood of people coming to Inverness
is fast overwhelming the community’s ability to receive them, said Mustard. Existing
housing isn’t enough and in some cases, what
does exist needs work. The same goes for
public services. In response, the municipality
is expanding sewer and water systems and
considering affordable housing options. The
municipality is also working with local businesses on community beautification through
signage and streetscapes.
“Besides all that,” said Mustard, “we have
water systems to upgrade and roads to pave
and infrastructure that includes arenas, arts
centres, museums, etc. that needs sustaining
as we try to foster a revitalized year-round
economic base in Inverness County.”
It isn’t only the county’s infrastructure
that’s expanding. Services on both courses
are growing with demand. Alkenbrack said
a dozen new rooms are being built at Cabot
Links, along with a series of standalone
homes near the course’s first hole, overlooking the course and the Gulf of St. Lawrence.
COVER STORY
A fleet of Mercedes Sprinters is on hand to
shuttle golfers from the Links to the Cliffs, at
which still more expansion is planned.
Alkenbrack hopes to open Cabot Cliffs’
18 holes for preview play come Canada Day,
July 1. The grand opening is planned for
2016.
“They say it could be one of the greatest
courses in the world,” said Alkenbrack. He
said the success of Cabot Links is a testament
to the course’s designers, the turf crew and
the staff. If Cabot Cliffs becomes one of the
world’s greatest courses, he said these same
people will be the ones to thank.
To learn more about the world class Cabot
Links and the up-and-coming Cabot Cliffs,
visit cabotlinks.com. Booking and contact
information can be found there as well.
18
ELEVATE
Grow with us
THE MUNICIPALITY OF THE COUNTY OF INVERNESS IS POISED FOR GROWTH
…Raising your family,
growing your business
and living your life
to the fullest!
Contact us: 902-787-3500 •
www.inverness-ns.ca
JUNE 2015
19
PHOTO ERDENE RESOURCE DEVELOPMENT CORP.
Rising again
Donkin Mine poised to
resume coal production
STORY NORMA JEAN MACPHEE
Mining is intimately woven into the history and culture of
Cape Breton. The first mine opened in 1720 and by the
first half of the 20th Century the industry was booming,
employing thousands of men until the late 1960s. The
Donkin Mine, developed by the Cape Breton Development
Corporation (DEVCO), shut in 2001 when, after decades of
closures, all mining operations ended.
DONKIN MINE
20
ELEVATE
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
It’ll create a
hundred mining
jobs when open,
that’s plus all the
construction jobs in
advance.
Hugh Kennedy,
Community Liasion Chair
Earlier this year Kameron Colleries, a subsidiary of the U.S. mining giant The Cline
Group, began removing groundwater from
the slopes of the mine. This is the first step in
returning the mine to production.
Donkin Mine produces high quality coal
(known as high-volatile coal) that is in high
demand in the steelmaking industry. It is
no coincidence this is the same type of coal
produced by the Cline-owned mines in Illinois. Cline controls more than three billion
tonnes of coal reserves in the Illinois Basin
and in the Appalachian Region, where they
have developed and operated more than 25
coal mining, processing and transportation
facilities.
Originally, Donkin was simply known
as #6, going by a designate number like the
Hugh Kennedy is the
Community Liason Chair in Donkin.
DONKIN MINE
other mining towns in the area. Then, after
mail was frequently lost, #6 became Donkin,
named after the first manager of the Dominion Colliery. The community grew around
the mine and was devastated by its closure.
The success of The Cline Group serves as a
beacon of hope in this small coastal community, now that the company’s sights are set
on Donkin.
Community Liaison Chair, Hugh Kennedy
says he is cautiously optimistic about what
the re-opening of the mine could mean.
“If they open, first of all, its jobs,” He
elaborates. “Construction alone would mean
a couple of million dollars. Then getting the
tunnels ready, putting equipment in to move
the coal. There’ll be service and sub-surface
work going on at the same time.”
Cline’s aggressive marketing of coal and
the company’s history of starting new sites
impresses Kennedy, and he is confident
Donkin will be next. The committee chair
takes it as a good sign that owner Chris
Cline, his father, and grandfather were all
coal miners.
“He’s a miner at heart,” says Kennedy. “If
the owner is willing to go down in the mine,
that says a lot, in terms of safety standards.”
Chris Cline grew up in West Virginia, and
according to Forbes, he has a net worth of
$1.7 billion, ranking 278 among American
billionaires and 736 in the Forbes list. Legend
says that his father would pay him a penny a
bag to excavate dirt from under their family’s
front porch. When the porch later collapsed,
it is said Cline learned a crucial lesson about
the importance of engineering. It’s a lesson he
has since applied to the roofs of mines.
JUNE 2015
Kennedy has been involved in the revival
of Donkin Mine since another company,
Glencore Xstrata, showed interest nine years
ago. When that fell through, he says people
in the community were disappointed, hence
their reserved excitement about The Cline
Group’s plans. But, Kennedy says, if it all
goes as planned it means terrific things for
the area. The Cline Group expects Kameron
Collieries to move three million tonnes of
coal a year.
“It’ll create a hundred mining jobs when
it’s open, that’s plus all the construction jobs
in advance,” says Kennedy. “People will buy
houses, cars, shoes, groceries — the spin-offs
will be hundreds more jobs.”
Those economic spin-offs will run deep.
Along with the hundred skilled miners, truck
drivers will be needed to cart the coal, and
then there is the maintenance of both the
mine and all the intermediary machines and
trucks along the way. And all those workers
will spend money.
Kevin Buchanan cannot wait for the mining to start. He owns a convenience store in
Donkin.
“It’ll be good for the whole area, actually,”
says Buchanan. “The added job opportunities… plus to have the extra payroll in the
community would be great.”
Buchanan opened K.A.C.E. Convenience
five years ago. The store is named after himself, his wife Arleen and their two grandchildren, Carter and Emily. Buchanan grew up
in Donkin and returned to the town in 2007
after a career in the military. He says the store
changed hands a lot since he was a kid, and
many still refer to it as Dearn’s Corner store.
21
It’ll have a definite
impact on the
entire community.
It will be a huge
positive for
everybody.
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
Kevin Buchanan,
Owner, K.A.C.E. Convenience
He agrees with Kennedy that the community is keeping their enthusiasm limited until
the mining begins. Buchanan himself says he
has plans to expand his small store, but he
is waiting until things get going to make his
investment.
“The day the first coal truck drives by, I’ll
grab my hammer,” Buchanan says with a
good-natured chuckle.
Overall, both Buchanan and Kennedy say
the mine re-opening is just what the community needs. People in the area are worried
about jobs and they would rather not go out
West, if it can be avoided.
“I always thought it was a great thing,”
Buchanan says of re-opening the mine. “It’ll
have a definite impact on the entire community. It’ll be a huge positive for everybody.”
Donkin Mine is estimated to have reserves
of around 480 tonnes of coal, worth more
than $1 billion.
Kevin Buchanan is the owner of K.A.C.E.
Convenience in Donkin.
JA Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport
A proud sponsor of “The Bells of Baddeck”. This summer ~ fly YQY!
Airline Service
Air Canada:
• Daily - Sydney - Halifax ~ Year Round
• Daily Direct - Sydney – Toronto ~ Year Round
WestJet:
• Daily Direct - Sydney – Toronto ~ May 14 to October 23, 2015
• WestJet Encore Takes Off – Sydney – Halifax ~ July 15th, 2015
• Air Saint Pierre – Seasonal Charter Service
to Saint Pierre & Miquelon ~ July & August
www.sydneyairport.ca
DONKIN MINE
22
ELEVATE
ISLAND GEMS
BUSINESS PROFILES
JUNE 2015
23
ONE OF THE PICTURESQUE VIEWS EXPERIENCED ON A
NORTH RIVER KAYAK TOURS ADVENTURE PHOTO JUSTIN LONE
These are not your father’s tourist attractions. A new generation of
Cape Breton operators is raising the bar and carving new niches in the
travel destination market. With a creative mix of romance, outdoor
adventure, fine dining, local history and stunning vistas, they specialize
in the unforgettable experience.
Check out these five good reasons to visit Cape Breton
Island this summer, read on…
STORY ERIN ELAINE CASEY
PORTRAITS RYAN SINGLER
24
ELEVATE
When the moon hits your eye
Romance, fine food and
secluded beaches all part of
the kayak experience
WHEN THE MOON IS HIGH, THE
PADDLE BACK AROUND THE
ISLAND IS SPECTACULAR.
ANGELO SPINAZZOLA,
OWNER, NORTH RIVER KAYAK TOURS
Angelo Spinazzola,
Owner, North River Kayak Tours
When you think about romance, you don’t
usually think about kayaks, but at North River
Kayak Tours the two go together like Romeo
and Juliet.
The full moon kayak tour around Kidston
Island in Baddeck is one of the most popular
outings on the North River Kayak menu,
and sells out every time. “You get an hour of
instruction, kayak around the island, then settle
in and enjoy a gourmet meal prepared by Chef
Bryan Picard from Bite House restaurant in
Baddeck,” explains owner Angelo Spinazzola.
During evening refreshments you’ll enjoy live
music, often performed by Angelo himself, a
2015 ECMA winner for children’s recording of
the year. “When the moon is high, the paddle
back around the island is spectacular,” he adds.
Want to take the romance up a notch? Try
the Roughing It & Romance Tour, which includes a guided kayak trip, delicious waterside
dinner for two, overnight camping stay on a
secluded beach, and a hearty breakfast the next
morning. “Don’t worry,” laughs Angelo. “The
guide goes home overnight and comes back for
you in the morning!”
Other North River Kayak offerings include
standup paddleboard clinics, Sea Kayaking
101, level 1 certification courses, and half-day
to five-day kayak tours. And it’s not just for the
athletic traveler. Angelo leads the Songwriting
Kayaker Tour, which includes collaborative
songwriting and even a recording to take
home, and the Painted Kayaker Tour is led by
a professional artist who guides participants in
BUSINESS PROFILES
creating their own masterpieces on canvas.
This year, North River Kayak Tours will celebrate 21 years in business and sister company
Paddledog Tours in Baddeck will celebrate five
years in business. There’s a kayak adventure for
everyone, from the beginner to the experienced paddler. “Our boats are stable, easy to
handle, and safe,” says Angelo, “so you can
enjoy the scenery, be comfortable, and most of
all have fun.”
North River Kayak Tours
Angelo Spinazzola, Owner-Operator
northriverkayak.com
902-929-2628
1-888-865-2925
Murray Road, North River
JUNE 2015
25
Bitter Get ‘Er India
The Big Spruce Brewing Company just celebrated its second birthday. You might expect
a business this young to be unsteady on its feet,
but Big Spruce is off and running, getting ready
for what is expected to be the busiest season yet.
Owner Jeremy White plans to move about
40 per cent more beer through the brewery this
year. “Our focus this summer is going to be on
production,” he says. “We’ve expanded to make
sure we have our favourites on tap all season.”
Located in a rural farm setting with a stunning view of the Bras d’Or Lake, Big Spruce is
the perfect stop for the beer-loving traveller.
“We have an open door policy,” explains Jeremy,
who runs the business with his wife, Melanie.
“You can walk right onto the brew floor and talk
to a brewer. We grow hops here, and you can
visit the hop yard. We’ve always been about that
engagement with our customers. We want to
be seen as a hard-working brewery where our
patrons can really see how their beer is brewed.
It’s why people seek us out and why we’ve been
a success.”
The core products at Big Spruce include the
memorably named Cereal Killer Stout, Kitchen
Party Pale Ale, Ready Yer Knot Regatta Red
Ale, You Spin Me White Round, and Bitter Get
’Er India Black IPA. Each batch takes 18 to 30
days to make, and this slow and careful process
creates flavourful beers that customers can’t get
enough of. “People love our product and want
to support our business – our focus is satisfying
those customers who keep coming back.”
Of all the new Big Spruce products coming
out this summer, Jeremy is most excited about
the sour raspberry wheat beer. Inspired by a
recipe for “raspberry vinegar” that Alexander
Graham Bell made and drank in the hot months
of summer, this new concoction grew out of
a partnership with the Bell Museum National
Historic Site. But get it while you can. “This is
a style of beer not commonly made in Nova
Scotia,” says Jeremy. “It’s intentionally soured to
create a crisp, refreshing beer. We’ll only brew
it two or three times this summer for sale at
the brewery, one or two taps in Baddeck, at the
museum, and at a couple of taps in Halifax.”
Ingeniously, this tangy new offering is named
after Bell’s early aircraft the Silver Dart —they
call it the Silver Tart.
Big Spruce Brewing Company
Jeremy White and Melanie Bock-White,
Owner-Operators
Bigspruce.ca
[email protected]
902-295-ALES (2537)
64 Yankee Line Road, Nyanza
(just west of Baddeck)
Jeremy White,
founder and alesmith at Big Spruce Brewing
BUSINESS PROFILES
26
ELEVATE
The art of glass
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
PHOTO CONTRIBUTED
A glass inukshuk, one of the unique pieces available at
Glass Artisans Studio and Gallery
Visitors tend to stay awhile at the Glass
Artisans Studio and Gallery on the north shore
of the Cabot Trail. Located 15 minutes from
the Englishtown Ferry, across the street from
the Clucking Hen Bakery, this artistic haven is
home, studio, and storefront for owner Wendy
Smith.
“Women are in shopping, and men are
watching the glass blowing. They can stay and
have lunch and walk through the woods to the
Clucking Hen,” she says. “I want them to have
a positive experience to take home with them.
They all remember the glass place.”
Glass Artisans opens in May, and starting
July 1 a parade of glass artists takes up residence until well into September, giving dem-
onstrations in glass blowing and flamework.
Not only can you watch the artists at work, you
can take short one-on-one glass blowing or
flameworking classes and make a paperweight,
figurine, or jewelry from blown or fused glass.
A stained glass artist herself, Wendy’s business has been open in its current location for
10 years. She saw that people wanted to know
how things were made, and her open studio
was born.
Every summer, artists move right onto
Wendy’s rambling property, coming from
as far away as New Brunswick, Ontario, and
Saskatchewan, often bringing their kids and
pets. It’s not unusual to see hammocks hanging
between trees, tents in the shade, and campers
YOU GET ALL THESE NEW IDEAS YOU WANT TO TRY!
IT’S ALL DAY AND ALL NIGHT CREATIVITY.
WENDY SMITH, OWNER, GLASS ARTISANS STUDIO AND GALLERY
BUSINESS PROFILES
in the yard. “There are a lot of creative juices
flowing once you have more than one artist
around — you get all these new ideas you
want to try! It’s all day and all night creativity,” she says.
At Glass Artisans, all the products are one
of a kind, and most of them are made on site.
In addition to stained glass, last year Wendy
started making fused glass pieces from the
glass blowers’ scraps. Jewelry is one of the
number-one-sellers, which doesn’t surprise
her.
“People like to have something personal
to remind them of their special time in Cape
Breton.”
Glass Artisans Studio and Gallery
Wendy Smith, Owner-Operator
glassartisans.ca
[email protected]
902-929-2585 or 1-888-262-6435
45054 Cabot Trail, North Shore
JUNE 2015
27
The single malt experience
Lauchie MacLean, president and CEO of
Glenora Inn and Distillery, is expecting a busy
summer. Advance bookings are flooding in
from as far away as Texas, North Carolina,
Georgia, Illinois, California, New York,
Massachusetts, and Florida. “These are not our
traditional markets,” says Lauchie, “so it’s a nice
surprise.”
This year is Glenora’s 25th anniversary, so
a limited release of 25-year-old whiskey is
planned, as well as the release of a 21-year-old
product into selected European, American, and
Canadian outlets.
The first company in North America to
make single malt whiskey on the premises,
Glenora’s distillery is open year-round, and the
inn, restaurant, pub, and gift shop are open
from May to October. The property attracts
about 12,000 tourists a year, and distillery tours
run on the hour.
Glenora Inn and Distillery is an extraordinarily photogenic place to spend the day,
surrounded by nature, wildlife, and a beautiful brook. A full time gardener makes sure
the grounds are in bloom as early as possible,
and the changing seasons guarantee stunning
scenery all year long. Free ceilidhs are open to
the public every day and evening, and feature a
full complement of well-respected Cape Breton
musicians. With nine luxurious guest rooms
and six cozy chalets, you might want to spend a
few days in this magical place.
“People are doing the research and seeing
we’re a premium property with a restaurant
that’s ranked the best place to eat in Cape
Breton by Where to Eat in Canada,” explains
Lauchie. “They’re looking for an experience
and a memory. They’re looking for something
unique they’ll be able to talk about in the
future, a story and a culture.”
But a trip to Glenora isn’t just for tourists.
“We hope everyone in Cape Breton comes to
visit this season,” says Lauchie. “Reserve early
because it’s going to be a busy one!”
Glenora Inn and Distillery
Lauchie MacLean, President and CEO
glenoradistillery.com
[email protected]
1-800-839-0491
13727 Route 19, Glenville
Lauchie MacLean, President & CEO of
Glenora Inn and Distillery
BUSINESS PROFILES
28
ELEVATE
The Beggar’s Banquet
A few years ago, Linda Kennedy had an idea.
As a member of the costumed staff at the
Fortress of Louisbourg, she wanted to offer
tourists a hands-on experience and give them
a taste of 18th century life. So in 2010, she
and her husband Tom launched the Beggar’s
Banquet as part of their hotel business at Point
of View Suites.
They started out with a big tent decorated to
look like an 18th Century tavern, but this year
they’ve built a brand new permanent structure
to house this raucous journey into Cape Breton
history. “We’ve collected props from all over
the place and had 120 costumes made, so people can dress in full 18th Century regalia,” says
Linda. “We’ve only had about 10 people over
the years who wouldn’t put on a costume.”
What exactly happens once you’ve arrived
at the Banquet and put on your costume?
“We have a musician who animates, plays and
sings,” explains Linda. “Stephen Lefort tells
stories, introducing the place and what it’s all
about in French and English. He sings 18th
century French ballads, and it’s amazing how
many people remember the French songs and
sing along.”
All this builds the anticipation for Linda’s
character, Sabean, the tavern keeper. “I am
widowed, and I am looking for a husband, and
no one is safe,” she laughs. “The kids call me
the sea hag.”
The Beggar’s Banquet is fun for the whole
family. Everyone gets up to dance and sing.
“When you’re dressed up, you can be someone
else, and it really lifts the spirits,” says Linda. “It
doesn’t matter who our guests are — everyone
is equal, from all walks of life. It’s lots of
nonsense, just two hours of silliness.”
In between the shenanigans, though, is a
seriously delicious dinner. Guests start with a
halibut chowder or pea soup, made fresh every
day, followed by lobster, snow crab, pan-friend
halibut, or roasted chicken. All the seafood is
fresh from the docks of Louisbourg. To finish
it off, a slice of fresh ginger cake is served with
whipped cream.
“If I can help people forget their troubles and
just relax for two hours, I feel I’ve accomplished
something,” says Linda. “When people are
leaving, not one person gets by me — I thank
everyone personally. I gauge my success by the
number of hugs I get.”
Beggar’s Banquet
Point of View Suites at Louisbourg Gate
Linda and Tom Kennedy, Owner-Operators
louisbourgpointofview.com
902-733-2080 or 1-888-374-VIEW (8439)
15 Commercial Street Extension, Louisbourg
Linda Kennedy, Owner of The Beggar’s Banquet
BUSINESS PROFILES
JUNE 2015
29
colaisde na gàidhlig | the gaelic college proudly presents
8 days | 18 venues | 100+ events | 150+ performers
the perfect summer kick off — one big Cape Breton kitchen ceilidh!
www.gaeliccollege.edu/kitchenfest
tr c
ad a an
iti pe a
on br nn
al eto ua
mu n- l
sic wi
fe de
st
iva
l!
30
ELEVATE
The promise of a brand
T
It must stay true to
the central message and
design principles
TRACEY BOUTILIER
Vibe Creative Group
To quote international designer and branding
expert Erik Spiekermann, “You cannot not
communicate.” When you open a business,
grow an organization or market an event, it's
vital to think about how you will position the
new entity to your audience. Generally, as
individuals, we make quick judgments and
our first impression can last a long time — if
you see a logo that looks poorly designed
and unprofessional, that’s how people may
perceive your business.
Logo design (a part of brand development)
can be one of the most effective ways to say
the right things about your business and it
can also be the best place to start. A wellconsidered and executed logo can lay a solid
foundation for your venture. By telling a
simple story in seconds, the logo will connect
with your audience, help them to trust what
you are saying and help to build a long-term
relationship.
For many, the process of producing a new
logo/brand with a designer or agency can be a
frustrating one, ending in multiple renditions
THINK OF THE PROCESS IN AN OBJECTIVE WAY, DEFINE
YOUR OBJECTIVES CLEARLY AND TRY AND MAKE THEM
SPECIFIC TO YOUR BUSINESS RATHER THAN GENERIC, THEN
ASK YOUR DESIGNER TO DO THE REST.
COLUMN — VIBE CREATIVE GROUP
of ill-conceived designs that can ultimately
get approved just to put an end to the process.
When working with a branding professional,
it’s best to think carefully about what you wish
to communicate and to whom. Think of the
process in an objective way, define your objectives clearly and try and make them specific
to your business rather than generic, then ask
your designer to do the rest. Designing a logo
is visual engineering, not fine art.
Other aspects of branding include the style
and tone of writing, photography, colour pallet and typeface selections. These elements are
used to create posters, web pages and other
promotional materials that have a coherent
look or feel — a ‘brand’. To be effective over
time, you must commit to using your brand
consistently and professionally. It doesn’t
matter what your budget, if you manage your
brand so that it stays true to the central message and design principles, your promotional
“reach” will strengthen and your customers
and stakeholders will notice you.
Don’t underestimate the power of your
brand, however small your venture — it could
lead to higher levels of awareness, increased
sales and a healthier long-term outlook.
JUNE 2015
31
Positioned
for success.
THE GOAL:
The new Port of Sydney Development Corporation has
a mandate to manage and develop the largest port
development opportunity in eastern North America:
the Port of Sydney, Nova Scotia, Canada.
The Port of Sydney’s wide development mandate
includes the harbour and the development of its
infrastructure, including marine, truck, rail and air
transportation services. The development mandate
includes facilities contributing to or engaged in
the movement of commercial goods through the
seaports, highways, railroads and airports and all
complementary and support services.
www.portofsydney.ca
32
ELEVATE
Elevate Business Day
Prosperity Framework
elevating Cape Breton to
new heights
CONTRIBUTED BY
Prosperity Framework
The Prosperity Framework (Framework) is a
major project of the Cape Breton Partnership
and is in its third year of operation. The goal
of the Framework is to work with privatesector led industry teams to advance Cape
Breton’s economy in sectors where the region
has an existing competitive advantage such
as: Digital, Seafood and Aquaculture, Culture,
Environmental Engineering, Agriculture,
Oceans, Tourism, Advanced Manufacturing,
and Social Enterprise. Each of the sector teams
worked collaboratively to establish an action
plan with priority initiatives that work toward
achieving a more sustainable future with
economic growth for all industries on Cape
Breton Island.
The oneNS Coalition mentioned the
Framework in the Now or Never report, calling
the Framework an “exemplary initiative” for
Nova Scotia. Before the release of the report,
the oneNS Coalition recognized the work
that the Framework had done to elevate Cape
Breton to new heights.
The Framework emerged from unprecedented consultation with business and community
leaders in Cape Breton. Because of the cooperation and collaboration that has been a part of
the Prosperity Framework from the beginning,
there was a large turnout for the first annual
Elevate Business Day at the Membertou Trade
and Convention Centre on March 10, 2015.
Nearly 200 stakeholders, partners, business leaders and sector team members met to
discuss the Framework’s accomplishments
to date and set priority initiatives for the
up-coming year. In the morning, those in attendance heard from two of the maritime region’s leading economic thinkers: Don Mills
of Corporate Research Associates (CRA)
and David Campbell from Jupia Consulting
and who is now chief economist for New
Brunswick. David Campbell reviewed the
unique labour profiles of each of the municipalities on Cape Breton Island while Don
Mills addressed his analysis of the progress
achieved on the goals outlined in the oneNS
Coalition Now or Never report.
PHOTO NEIL GASCOYNE, VIBE CREATIVE GROUP
Don Mills, CRA discusses Nova Scotia’s progress
made on oneNS Coalition at Elevate Business Day
on March 10th, 2015.
Don Mills, always thought provoking,
presented the audience with a number of
economic indicators that demonstrate Nova
Scotia’s economic performance as well as the
necessary actions to change Nova Scotia’s
economic well-being. Following this statistical
analysis, he outlined the top eight things Cape
Breton needed to do to achieve prosperity.
These were:
1. Retaining our youth.
Further to this, Mills demonstrated that if
the province were to focus on developing eight
urban service areas across the province, no
community or resident in Nova Scotia would
be further than a 45 minute drive to the necessary services for community success including:
education, health care, business services, and
leisure and recreation.
Stimulated by the morning discussion and
a luncheon with an awards ceremony, the
delegates separated in sector specific groups to
plan priority initiatives for the coming year:
2. Educating the world.
3. Building an entrepreneurial environment.
4. Increasing the population.
5. Re-Balancing the workforce.
6. Creating urban centered economic zones.
7. Developing regulatory environment to allow
natural resource development.
8. Rebrand CBRM.
ELEVATE BUSINESS DAY
• The Advanced Manufacturing Team will
focus on the provision of LEAN training
with a view to equipping human resources to
make sector businesses more productive and
competitive.
• The Workforce Development Team, launched
the Vital Awards for youth engaged in the
economic development of Cape Breton and
JUNE 2015
supported the NextGen Leadership Society’s
development of a Young Talent Attraction
Strategy.
• The Oceans Team has set a goal of becoming
a marine service centre hub for companies
wishing to explore for oil and gas off Nova
Scotia’s coast. Six Cape Breton entities were
represented at the Oceans 14 Conference – a
trade mission to St. John’s, NF, in October of
2014.
• The Seafood/Aquaculture Team , has set goals
to grow the sector in Cape Breton, including
dealing with issues which hinder development, research and development of species of
shellfish which are resistant to disease, public
education about aquaculture (with a view to
improving public acceptance) and the creation of branding under which to market Cape
Breton seafood.
• The Digital Sector Team, with the support
of the Entrepreneurship Strategic Partners
Group, promoted the Spark competition
for IT start-ups in 2014. Development of an
international student business competition is
a goal for the coming year.
33
• Environment Engineering Cape Breton
sector team created new Environmental
Engineering Cape Breton branding, as well as
a video about the sector’s accomplishments
(“Cape Breton Alchemy”) to sell its expertise at trade shows. Six Cape Breton entities
were represented at the March 2015, PDAC
Convention in Toronto.
• The Agriculture/Food Sector Team, has set to
work on the creation of a prize for innovation
in the sector. It also plans to build upon the
emergence of Farm Markets in Cape Breton
as both retail outlets and centres for the
development of entrepreneurship.
• The Social Enterprise Team, having drafted
terms of reference and an action plan, will
set about creating public awareness of this
business model, exploring ways to become
approved suppliers to the government of
Nova Scotia and creating partnerships for the
development and sales of these innovative
enterprises.
• The Tourism Sector Team, led by Destination
Cape Breton Association (DCBA), will continue developing tourism experiences based
on its proven formula “research leads to product development, then marketing.” DCBA
will also focus on the emerging collaboration
among Cape Breton municipalities which
have recognized tourism as a key economic
development pillar with a view to achieving
a doubling of the sector’s economic impact
within ten years.
• The Culture Sector Team, largest in numbers among Prosperity Framework Teams,
buoyed by financial support from Cape
Breton University, has united partners in the
creation of a strategy for the culture sector in
Cape Breton. An application for government
funds has been made as the team seeks to
align Cape Breton’s priorities with those to be
identified in the creation of a strategy for the
entire province.
Those in attendance left the day with a better
sense of the work of each of the sector teams
as well as a renewed momentum for their own
projects and activities.
Features:
Deep water, ice free port.
Natural gas available.
Accessible by rail, air, road and sea.
Heavy industry friendly.
Land available for development.
Closest North American deep water
port to Europe.
For more information contact:
Jeff Stanley
Phone: 902-226-3982
Email: [email protected]
ELEVATE BUSINESS DAY
Home of:
Acadia Drywall
Mayflower LNG Ltd.
Nova Scotia Power
NuStar Energy
Port Hawkesbury Paper
Raw Steel Fabrication
Strait Supplies
34
ELEVATE
Putting members first
PHOTO STEVE WADDEN
Linda Ouellette, David Hart and Katelyn MacDonald of the Strait Area
Chamber of Commerce
Strait Area Chamber
of Commerce
advocates for
business
CONTRIBUTED BY
Cape Breton Partnership
The Strait Area Chamber of
Commerce works to make the
Strait Area one of the best places
to live, work, and play.
The Chamber provides a voice
for the business situated in the
Strait of Canso area.
The Chamber’s main initiatives focus on member services,
providing networking opportunities and business advocacy,
followed by a prominent focus on
developing stronger relationships
with aboriginal partners. The
Women In Business Conference,
In Business Together Symposium,
Inverness County Job Fair and the
Strait Regional Year End Business
Update are just a few examples
of events that have helped build
membership and facilitate community conversations about positive economic action.
Elevate Magazine will serve as
a new platform to highlight the
distinct and passionate business
leaders from the Strait and give
them the space to tell their own
narrative.
“Elevate will allow our local
businesses to showcase good news
stories throughout the region and
highlight our current needs in
terms of future development. We
see this as an added benefit to our
membership and future members
as we all attempt to drive our
regional economy forward,” says
Damian MacInnis, Executive
Director of the Strait Area
Chamber of Commerce.
Moving forward in 2015, the
Chamber is committed to helping
their region strive forward and
push their economic goals into
actionable means. The Chamber is
driving the numerous opportunities for partnerships to help break
down barriers to business that
have hindered growth in the past.
Through their numerous community partnerships, the Chamber is
able to provide vital resources and
guidance to new and existing business owners to create sustainable
organizations that contribute to
the overall growth and prosperity
of not only the Strait Area, but the
entire Island.
902-625-1588
[email protected]
BUSINESS &
LEISURE EXPO
June 13 & 14, 2015
Port Hawkesbury
Civic Centre
SMALL BUSINESS WEEK OCT. 19-24, 2015
CELTIC OKTOBERFEST
October 19: Funding/Support for Business - Whycocomagh
October 20: Small Business Dinner - Port Hawkesbury
October 21: Business After 5 - Inverness
October 22: Bringing Tourism to the Forefront - Arichat
Craft Beer, Food & Music
Saturday, October 24th
Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre
Tickets: celticoktoberfest.ca
CHAMBER FEATURES
JUNE 2015
35
Back in business
Sydney and Area
Chamber of
Commerce welcomes
back a familiar face
PHOTO STEVE WADDEN
CONTRIBUTED BY
Cape Breton Partnership
Bruce Meloney, owner of Smart
Shop Place in Sydney, is back for
round two as he takes his seat
as Chair of the Sydney and Area
Chamber of Commerce Board of
Directors. Meloney has ambitious plans set for the upcoming
year, which include renewing
a stronger focus on membership and raising the profile of
the Chamber of Commerce as a
united voice for the Sydney and
Area business community.
Much of Meloney’s time
outside his own business has been
spent lending his, talent and vision to create a more sustainable
business climate that helps build a
bright and prosperous future for
local businesses to thrive. In 2004,
Meloney started a two year term
as President of the Sydney and
Area Chamber of Commerce. He
has also been a board member for
the Sydney Ports Corporation for
the past seven years and he served
as Executive Director of the Cape
Breton Partnership during its
early stages nearly 10 years ago.
Meloney isn’t wasting any
time settling in and has already
gotten started with plans to address some hot topic issues that
are creating heavy barriers in
business. The Cape Breton and
Central Nova Scotia railway is
one of the main areas of concern
for Meloney, especially for local
export based companies. But
other plans include trying to
build a stronger downtown.
One challenge that Meloney
Bruce Meloney, owner of Smart Shop Place in Sydney
anticipates will take a serious
investment of time is overcoming
the mistrust of business in Cape
Breton. The Chamber is looking
to increase its presence and raise
awareness about the value of the
Chamber for the community.
“The Chamber provides a
number of activities to show their
appreciation for our members,”
explains Meloney. “We will be
keeping up this tradition by
hosting our Business after Four
Seminars, the Business Hall of
Fame and Excellence In Business
Awards. These events are crucial
for member appreciation and we
want to make sure they stay well
focused on the accomplishments
and needs of local businesses.”
Upon hearing of the release of
Elevate Magazine, Meloney was
thrilled that there would be an
outlet to share all of Cape Breton’s
positive business news.
“Cape Breton is full of talented
businesspeople,” says Meloney.
“There is an abundance of
ambitious young people who are
working to make a difference and
bring more people back home.
Elevate provides a platform so
that we can confidently show that
Cape Breton is a great place with
an abundance of potential to do
business.”
CHAMBER FEATURES
Meloney believes that our
new and upcoming business
leaders have the ability to make
Cape Breton a noteworthy business hub, capable to significant
change.
“If ever there was a time that
we need to change our attitudes
and become believers that this
Island and its economy can
grow, it is now. We are leaders; we just need to start to
believe in our own abilities. The
topic has been continuously
discussed, but it is time to stop
talking and starting doing.”
36
ELEVATE
Taking the high road
Keeping the Cabot
Trail front & center
PHOTO 123RF
CONTRIBUTED BY
Cape Breton Partnership
In the heart of the Cabot Trail,
the Northeast Highlands
Chamber of Commerce (NHCC)
is working to improve the surrounding business environment
and help the Island’s economy
prosper through public engagement and stronger community
networks. Ian Green, President
of the NHCC Board of Directors
believes that by focusing on
developing the strengths of
NHCC’s members, and ensuring
the legacy of the Cabot Trail
their area’s economy will grow
and flourish.
One of the looming challenges
that Green anticipates for the
members is finding dependable
successors for the aging population of business owners. By easing immigration processes and
providing access to affordable
housing, Green hopes to build
an environment where young
families will become inspired to
take the place of aging business
owners and keep successful, and
in many cases historic, endeavours running.
Over the years the Northeast
Highlands area has developed
into one of eastern Canada's premiere vacation spots. The Cabot
Trail is home to an abundance
of attractions and activities that
strike at the very core of what
people want to do when they
are on vacation. Green wants
to use local tourism as a way to
promote many of the Chamber’s
members and showcase Cape
Breton’s unique heritage, arts,
and culture.
Due to the remoteness of the
Cabot Trail different members
of the NHCC face challenging
communication barriers, because of limited use of working
Over the years the Northeast Highlands area has developed into one of eastern
Canada’s premiere vacation spots.
technology due to sparse Wi-Fi
connections. The widespread
mountainous and rural area
proves to be a challenge when
trying to install reliant wireless communication networks,
leaving many businesses in the
dark when it comes to customer
engagement with different social
media platforms. Tackling the
slow and sometimes non-existent
Wi-Fi connections is one of
Green’s top priorities for 2015.
Upon hearing about the
creation of Elevate, Green was
excited to hear of a new tool
helping to connect the business
community.
“Elevate will be a showcase of
the positive business that exists
here,” shared Green. “It allows
us to create a network where we
can talk about the commonality
of our challenges and keep the
business community on the same
page as we work toward our goal
of a diverse, prosperous Cape
Breton.”
CHAMBER FEATURES
Green also views Elevate as
a way for businesses to gain
exposure that normally wouldn’t
be available to them.
“Business owners can be
consumed with the challenges
of maintaining a profitable business. Elevate will open their eyes
to their fellow business owners
and allow them to make connections necessary to keep the
economy growing.”
JUNE 2015
37
Memski Projects Inc.
3RF
In 2013, Chief Terrance Paul of Membertou
and Chief Leroy Denny of Eskasoni signed a
Memorandum of Agreement creating Memski
Projects Inc., a sophisticated response to the
needs of growing and future industry. Memski
Projects Inc. provides access to the collective
skills, labour and expertise of the Aboriginal
workforce while creating opportunities for
members and industry partners. This timely
collaboration demonstrates the commitment to
economic development and capacity building of
the talented and diversely-trained workforce.
Memski’s advantage to major industry is the
creation of a community-owned database that
acts as a resource tool to assist companies in
meeting diversification requirements on major
projects throughout Atlantic Canada. Currently,
more than 150 skilled First Nations workers are
listed in the database and this number continues to grow every day. The database includes
heavy equipment operators, skilled labourers,
truck drivers, metal fabricators and welders,
environmental technicians, security personnel
and much more.
Over the past two years, building on the
foundation of partnerships, Memski Projects
Inc. has joined forces with several local companies by signing joint ventures to competitively
pursue contracts. These joint ventures include:
• East Eagle Contracting – a partnership
between Memski and East Cost Metal
Fabrication
• Mi’kmaq Crane Services – a partnership with
Memski and Scotia Crane Rentals Inc.
In the short time Memski Projects Inc. has
existed, under the guidance of Chief Terry Paul
and Chief Leroy Denny and an executive team,
Memski has worked alongside industry to
identify opportunities and to build capacity and
economic opportunities, across Nova Scotia.
To learn more about Memski Projects
Inc., please visit www.memski.ca
Executive Team
Membertou:
Jennifer Deleskie
Richard Paul
Eskasoni:
Steve Parsons
Alyssia Jeddore
Memski HR and Client Care Coordinator
Sheila Isaac
Project Lead
Tanya Collier MacDonald
memski.ca
Memski Projects Inc. is a strategic partnership that
provides exclusive access to the collective skills, labour
and expertise of two Mi’kmaq communities.
We have a growing database of community members from
Membertou & Eskasoni with real experience on major projects.
Memski provides a sophisticated response to the needs of
growing and future industry and is a powerful project resource.
Our partnerships include:
CONTRACTING
For more info contact Sheila Isaac: [email protected] (902) 270-4400
CHAMBER FEATURES
38
ELEVATE
Going Green
Saving energy earns
income for First
Nations school
CONTRIBUTED BY
Efficiency Nova Scotia
It’s the end of another school
year for most Cape Breton
schools. It’s also the start of a
new season for Membertou First
Nations in Sydney, Nova Scotia,
as it marks its first anniversary
of its new elementary school.
In Mi’kmaq, Maupeltuewey
Kina’matno’kuom means “the
place where we learn.” During
the summer months, the new
Membertou First Nations
elementary school is also “the
place where we earn” thanks to
support from Efficiency Nova
Scotia and energy efficient solutions.
“Before we started, we wanted
to be as green as possible,” says
Chief Terry Paul. The goal came
with added upfront expenses,
like an open-loop groundsource heat pump, but Paul
says assistance from Efficiency
Nova Scotia and ecoEnergy
for Aboriginal and Northern
Communities Program “took
some of the fear” out of the
required investment.
The band also hired David C.
Stewart & Associates to energy
model the school’s plans.
The $8.6 million elementary
school installed 93 photovoltaic
modules as one of the many
green features. It supplies about
eight per cent of the schools
electricity during the academic
year. In the summer, the electricity is sold back to the power
grid, a feature that is expected
to bring in $12,500 to $15,000
a year.
The savings potential is not all
that is unique about the 30,000
Chief Terry Paul
BEFORE WE STARTED, WE WANTED TO
BE AS GREEN AS POSSIBLE.
CHIEF TERRY PAUL
sq-ft school. Energy efficient
technologies, including the heat
pump system, improved insulation, low-flow faucets, light
fixtures and occupancy sensors
have been incorporated into the
design. The school exceeds the
energy code baseline by 60 per
cent, reducing annual energy
costs by $70,000.
Reduced operational cost is
also critical for Membertou First
Nations. “Our school is actually
three times bigger than the one
it replaces, but we aren’t getting
any more federal operating
dollars,” says Mike McIntyre,
Membertou’s Chief Financial
Officer (CFO) who expects to
recover investment costs in less
than five years.
“We don’t like to think things
are impossible for us,” says Chief
Paul. “But things would have
been much harder and more
difficult to achieve without
Efficiency Nova Scotia. The
school certainly wouldn’t be as
efficient without their participation. It was very, very welcome.”
Currently, students from
Kindergarten to Grade six
attend the school, but it has a
built-in expansion capacity, so
the band can provide a sustainable learning environment for
Grades seven and eight within
the next five years.
CHAMBER FEATURES
THE SAVINGS
EQUATION
The school
exceeds the
energy code
baseline by
60 per cent,
reducing annual
energy costs by
$70,000
During construction
of the Maritime Link
Project please pay
attention to work
related signage and
maintain a safe
distance from
operating equipment.
GRANITE CANAL
BOTTOM BROOK
CAPE RAY
POINT ACONI
WOODBINE
Your Safety is
our Priority.
Questions, Comments? Contact Us:
1-855-722-3373
[email protected]
www.EmeraNL.com
Prime Office and
Commercial Space Available
Can Be Designed to Suit
Harbour Royale Development Ltd. M. Chernin – President
500 George Street, Sydney Nova Scotia
Phone: 902.539.4146
[email protected]