Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada

🇨🇦 Cape Breton Regional Municipality (often referred to as simply "CBRM") is the Canadian province of Nova Scotia's second largest municipality and the economic heart of Cape Breton Island. The municipality was created in 1995 through the amalgamation of eight municipalities located in Cape Breton County.

The region is home to a significant concentration of government services, social enterprise and private sector companies, including the Canadian Coast Guard College, Cape Breton University, NSCC Marconi campus, and New Dawn Enterprises. The rural areas of the municipality continue to host resource industries such as agriculture, fishing, mining, and forestry. CBRM is host to many cultural landmarks and institutions such as the historic Savoy Theatre, the Celtic Colours International Festival, the Cape Breton Centre for Craft, the Highland Arts Theatre, and Holy Angels Arts & Cultural centre, currently undergoing a $12-million renovation.

The area hosts one of Nova Scotia's premier tourism destinations, the Fortress of Louisbourg national park site, operated by Parks Canada as a living history museum. The site stands as the largest reconstruction project in North America. The Port of Sydney was projected to welcome a record 135,000 cruise ship visitors in 2017, a 67 per cent increase on 2016. The Trans-Canada Highway terminates in North Sydney where Marine Atlantic ferries connect to both Channel-Port aux Basques, Newfoundland and Labrador, where the highway starts again, and Argentia.

History The glaciers began their retreat from the Maritimes approximately 13,500 years ago, with final deglaciation, post-glacial rebound, and sea level fluctuation ending and leaving the New England-Maritimes region virtually ice free 11,000 years ago. The earliest evidence of Paleo-Indian settlement in the region follows rapidly after deglaciation. Evidence of settlement found in the Debert Palaeo-Indian Site dates to 10,600 before present, though settlement seems likely to have occurred earlier, following large game animals such as the caribou as they expanded into the land revealed by the retreating glaciers. The record of continuous habitation through the paleo and archaic period over ten thousand years culminated in the development of the culture, traditions, and language of the First Nations people now known as the Mi'kmaq.

Mi'kmaq The Palaeoindians inhabiting the area prior to European arrival lived a semi-nomadic lifestyle, following the cycle of the seasons in search of food and resources, which required the frequent moving from place to place. The area known as Cape Breton Island has been a part of the territory of the Mi'kmaq nation of Mi'kma'ki. Mi'kma'ki included what is now the Maritimes, parts of Maine, Newfoundland and the Gaspé Peninsula.

French settlement The French were the first Europeans to claim the region, which was named Acadia. Control passed back and forth between the English and French throughout the late 17th and early 18th centuries. Under the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713, France retained control of "Île Royale". In 1719, France began construction on a fortified town located along the sheltered south-western shore of Havre Louisbourg, naming the settlement Louisbourg.

The fortress was captured by British colonial forces, then returned by the British to France. It was captured again during the Seven Years' War which saw the inhabitants expelled and the fortress completely destroyed by British Army engineers in 1760.

Post-Acadian settlement By proclamation of October 17, 1763, after termination of the Seven Years' War, Île Royale was renamed Cape Breton Island and was formally annexed to Nova Scotia. For a time thereafter Cape Breton Island was part of Halifax County. On December 10, 1765, Cape Breton Island was set apart as a separate county. In 1784, the island was made a separate colony with its capital at Sydney however by 1820 the colony was remerged into Nova Scotia.

Industrial activity Coal mining began during the 18th century to supply Fortress Louisbourg. Industrial mining began in 1826 under the General Mining Association monopoly, followed in later years by independent American-owned mines south of Sydney Harbour. Large-scale mining commenced in 1893 under the auspices of the Dominion Coal Company (DOMCO) which merged these independent mines. Coal production under Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation (DOSCO) peaked in the early 1940s and in 1957 the company became a subsidiary of Hawker Siddeley Group. The company announced in 1965 that it would be exiting the coal mining business within months.

In response to a public outcry, the minority government of Prime Minister Lester B. Pearson announced J.R. Donald would head a Royal Commission of Inquiry into the Cape Breton coal industry, with hearings held in 1965 and 1966. The Donald Commission recommended that a federal Crown corporation be established to acquire and manage DOSCO's coal operations, with the aim being to slowly wean the area economy from its dependence on the coal industry.

On July 7, 1967, the Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO), was established to operate the mines in the interim, while phasing them out throughout the 1970s and, at the same time, develop new economic opportunities for the surrounding communities. At the same time, the provincial government expropriated DOSCO's steel mill in Sydney, creating the Sydney Steel Corporation (SYSCO), while DEVCO would continue to operate the adjacent coke ovens. By 1992 the Lingan Colliery was closed followed by the Phalen Colliery in 1999 and the Prince Colliery in 2001. At the same time, the provincial government decided to dismantle and sell SYSCO.

DEVCO ceased to exist on December 31, 2009, with its remaining assets and staff turned over to Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation (ECBC), a federal government economic development initiative, in an attempt to diversify the CBRM economy. On June 19, 2014, the operations of ECBC were transferred to both the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and the Public Works and Government Services Canada.

Amalgamation In 1992, the Task Force on Local Government Report (often called the Hayward report) stated that 67 municipalities in Nova Scotia were too many to efficiently and cost effectively provide services in a province having a population of slightly more than 900,000. The report was commissioned for the Progressive Conservative government of Donald Cameron, but was taken up and implemented by the incoming Liberal government of John Savage.

The provincial government subsequently forced the amalgamation of both Halifax and Cape Breton counties and supported the voluntary amalgamation of Queens county. The Cape Breton Regional Municipality Act was implemented and the CBRM was created on August 1, 1995, whereas the amalgamation in Halifax County didn't take place until April 1, 1996, and Queens County several years later.

The municipalities from which the CBRM was created included the Municipality of the County of Cape Breton, the City of Sydney, the Towns of Glace Bay, Sydney Mines, New Waterford, North Sydney, Dominion and Louisbourg.

Economy After a long struggle to recover from the disappearance of coal and steel industries and while continuing to suffer from high annual population loss the economy of Cape Breton is projected to achieve sustainable growth from 2017 to 2021. Cape Breton Island, of which CBRM is home to over three quarters of the population, has continued economic strength in its fishing and forestry primary sectors and in services (trade, transportation and warehousing, business and other support services), education, health care, and accommodation & food. While the region boasts a diverse industrial economy when compared to other regions in Nova Scotia, the region continues to struggle with an unemployment rate of 13.7% in December 2017, significantly higher than the Nova Scotia and national averages.

CBRM is home to a significant tourism industry. Nearby attractions such as the Cape Breton Highlands, Bras d'Or Lake and Fortress of Louisbourg have made Cape Breton Island a tourism destination for many years. Visitors can experience the art and history that Sydney and area has to offer, or experience Sydney's surging culinary scene. A growing cruise ship business has been making use of the port of Sydney to give cruise passengers access to the area. The Port of Sydney hosts more than 70 cruise ships per season, most notably the Queen Mary 2, Queen Elizabeth 2, and MS Maasdam. A recent study found that a strong tourism cluster is emerging and will be reinforced with the recent announcement of a second cruise ship dock in Sydney.

Currently, the former Sydney Steel Corporation's site in Sydney has been transformed into the Harbourside Commercial Park focused on office and light industrial use, connected in 2010 by the Sydney Port Access Road to Highway 125. As the province's second largest municipality, recent federal policy of increased infrastructure spending will provide added economic stimulus.

Geography The boundary of CBRM includes all of Cape Breton County except for the Eskasoni and Membertou First Nations.

Religion 75.6% of Cape Breton residents identify as Christian in 2021, down from 90.5% in 2011. About 21.9% affiliate with no religion, up from 8.5% in 2011. The remaining 2.6% affiliate with another religion, up from 0.9% in 2011. The largest non-Christian religion was Hinduism with 0.7% of the population. In 2011 there were zero recorded Sikh residents, however by 2021 they accounted for 0.6% of the population making Sikhs the second largest non-Christian group.

Transport The Port of Sydney Development Corporation was established in 2015. Owned by the municipality, the port corporation manages and operates the port, including the emerging cruise ship business, the Joan Harriss Cruise Pavilion and Marina. International investors have announced construction of the Novaporte, the deep-water marine container facility able to accommodate ultra-class container ships at the port. Novaporte is proposed to operate as an officially designated Canadian Foreign Trade Zone. The Port of Sydney was projected to welcome a record 135,000 cruise ship visitors in 2017, a 67% increase on 2016.

J.A. Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport serves CBRM and Cape Breton Island, providing domestic flight connections via Air Canada and WestJet as well as charter flight service. The airport is classified as an airport of entry, staffed by the Canada Border Services Agency. The region is served by Maritime Bus, a coach bus service connecting North Sydney and Sydney to the mainland via Whycocomagh and Wagmatcook. The Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway provided rail service connecting Cape Breton to the mainland and CN Rail in Truro. Service ended December 30, 2014 though negotiations between the province and the owner to revive the railway are ongoing. Sydney Coal Railway is a short line railway connecting the coaling piers on Sydney Harbour in Sydney to the Lingan Generating Station near New Waterford.

The municipality is the western terminus of the Marine Atlantic ferry services to Newfoundland. It is also the eastern terminus of two east–west highways in the province: Highway 105, the Trans-Canada Highway, runs along the north shore of Bras d'Or Lake and accesses the northern part of CBRM, whereas Trunk 4 extends along the southern part of Bras d'Or Lake and accesses the western and eastern part of the municipality. Within the municipality communities are served by Highway 125, a regional 4-lane arterial limited access highway that circles Sydney Harbour.

Public transit service is delivered by Transit Cape Breton, which offers thirteen bus routes within the municipality, serving the region's larger communities: Sydney, Sydney River, Glace Bay, New Waterford, Dominion, Reserve Mines, North Sydney and Sydney Mines. Handi-Trans paratransit is available for passengers whose disabilities restrict them from using Transit Cape Breton's regular bus service. Fares range from $1.25 to $5, depending on how many zones are travelled.

Education The regional municipality is home to several institutions of higher learning: • Cape Breton University • NSCC Marconi Campus • Canadian Coast Guard College

English language public schools in CBRM are operated by the Cape Breton – Victoria Regional Centre for Education on behalf of the provincial government's Department of Education. This regional education office provides instruction for grades primary to 12 in CBRM as well as in neighbouring Victoria County.

French language public school education is administered throughout the province by the Conseil Scolaire Acadien Provincial.

Culture While Cape Breton Island is known for its Scottish Gaelic or Celtic culture and heritage, the industrial strength of Sydney and industrial Cape Breton attracted a diverse community from around the world. CBRM's cultural scene continues to be influenced by a mixture of these other cultures including African Canadian, Jewish, Irish, and a variety of Eastern European countries.

The region is home to several festivals of art and music such as the Celtic Colours International Festival, Lumiere Art at Night, the Cape Breton International Drum Festival, Makin' Waves, and Gobblefest Music Festival. The area is also known for its vibrant music scene, which includes celtic, singer-songwriter, and country artists, as well as underground alternative rock, metal, and punk bands who have played the local circuit since the mid to late 1990s. Among the musicians from CBRM was Canadian country singer Rita MacNeil from the CBRM community of Big Pond, and known for her songs including "Flying On Your Own" and "Working Man". Other notable artists include Tom Fun Orchestra, Slowcoaster, Pretty Archie, Matt Minglewood, Jordan Musycsyn, Carmen Townsend, Morgan Toney, Alicia Penney, and Fire Valley Fire.

CBRM is home to several performance centres, including the Centre 200 sports arena in Sydney, home to the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles (a Quebec Major Junior Hockey League team), the Highland Arts Theatre performing arts centre, also in Sydney, and the historic Savoy Theatre, in Glace Bay. The Holy Angels Arts & Cultural centre is currently undergoing a $12 million renovation. Glace Bay is also home to the Cape Breton Miners' Museum, the Marconi National Historic Site and the Glace Bay Heritage Museum. Louisbourg is home to Fortress of Louisbourg, the largest historical reconstruction in North America.

CBRM is home to several media outlets. CBC Radio broadcasts local morning and afternoon broadcasts across Cape Breton Island. Caper Radio, a campus and community radio station, broadcasts local music and college radio from the Student's Union Building in Cape Breton University. There are also five commercial radio stations. Cape Breton's daily newspaper the Cape Breton Post is a broadsheet focusing on Cape Breton Island. Its editorial style is populist conservative, and it is owned by The Chronicle Herald.