Strait Area Chamber of Commerce

What do you get when you set up shop in Nova Scotia's Strait area?

• access to world markets by sea, road and rail
• natural resources available through forestry and mining
• an educated, skilled workforce that's eager to work for you
• community support for your business and your family
• a thriving cultural scene
• and some of the most breath-taking scenery in the world.

No wonder members of the Strait Area Chamber of Commerce are confident that they can live up to their mission of ensuring "that the Strait area is one of the best regions in which to invest, live, work, and conduct business."

Chamber president Bob MacEachern says the area is uniquely positioned to take advantage of the burgeoning economies in India and the rest of Asia. He calls the Strait area "the front door to North America" for these new economies.

The Strait in question is the Strait of Canso, that narrow band of deep water that separates mainland Nova Scotia from Cape Breton Island. But if the Strait separates the two, the Canso Causeway, built in 1955, brings them together and much more.

The rail line that crosses the causeway connects to Canadian National Railway, Canada's largest freight railroad. The highway brings road traffic from all over North America and links it to Newfoundland via Marine Atlantic ferries in Sydney - a two-hour drive from the strait.

The causeway also prevents ice from flowing into the Port of Canso during the winter and spring months so that the port is ice-free 12 months of the year. That means goods can be transported through the port from anywhere in the world and can travel from the port to almost anywhere in North America all year round.

In addition to all of that, there is a small airport in Port Hastings that can accommodate executive jets and small aircraft.

What makes the Strait area stand out among other ports like Halifax and ports along the United States eastern seaboard is that there is so much potential surrounding the port.

"It's unique in the sense that it's underdeveloped at this point," MacEachern says. "That's where our advantage lies. It's the land mass that's available and adjacent to the deep water port."

The area, bordered by Mulgrave and Auld's Cove to the south, Port Hood to the west, Whycocomagh to the north and Arichat to the east has plenty of resource material attractive to industry. The area is heavily forested with a mix of softwood and hardwood trees. There are gypsum deposits, rock used for crushed stone, and Cape Breton marble that is among the finest in the world.

"We are very pro-development in this region and we welcome industry and business with open arms," MacEachern says. "It's always an exciting time for our community when industry or business want to establish here."

Peg Bosdet agrees. She immigrated to Isle Madame from southern California in 2002 and in 2004 had started two businesses - Isle Madame Confections, Cape Breton's only chocolate manufacturing plant and the Candy Shop where the chocolate is sold. The business has moved to Port Hastings to take advantage of the traffic coming off the causeway.

"It was really easy to find people to work," says Bosdet who employs about 25 area residents. "These are people you love. I feel completely accepted and celebrated here. I'm enchanted," she said.

She said her husband Charles, who was born in Winnipeg and moved to the United States when he was 5, always wanted to return to his Canadian roots. They decided to settle on Isle Madame and start a business in the Strait area because the people are so friendly. By happy coincidence, it turned out that Charles' grandfather was the last baby born on Isle Madame.

While Charles Bosdet has reconnected with his family's Cape Breton roots, Chamber president MacEachern, owner of the popular Port Hawkesbury radio station 101.5 The Hawk, has never left his.

"I've worked all my life here," he says. "It's a great place to bring up a family. We've got a good education system for our kids and when you're in business you very quickly realize that the community is very supportive of what you do and they make you successful. We wouldn't think of packing up and moving someplace else because we couldn't imagine doing what we're doing at another location any more successfully."

MacEachern adds the region has a well-educated, skilled workforce some of whom have been working in industries like paper making for decades. They are also a people who have a good balance between work and play.

"People work hard, there's no question about that. They are engaged in companies that are international in scope so they have those demands but at the same time, when they go for social time, it's in a very relaxed setting," he says, adding that Strait area residents have the luxury of living in a country setting while being a relatively short drive away from big city attractions. "You can't beat the rural living," he said.

Chamber member Barbara MacKinnon, Port Hawkesbury Shopping Centre manager and a photographer, has also called the Strait area home all her life.

She describes doing business with people in the area as "familiar and friendly," she likes the individual attention children get at smaller schools, and she enjoys the quality of life you get in a semi-rural setting. MacKinnon admits to being "a little spoiled" to live where she does. "We're lucky," she says. As well as her favourite seaside beaches in Port Hood and Isle Madame, Mackinnon says, "There's freshwater lakes, there's fishing, there's all kinds of activities to keep kids and adults occupied through the summer."

It may sound laid back but Cape Bretoners also come by their party reputation honestly and the Strait area is home to two of the region's most famous fiddlers, Natalie McMaster and Ashley MacIsaac, who still play local shows.

"Any night of the week you can find a céilidh (pronounced kay-lee) somewhere featuring musicians that are famous across Canada but here they're known personally," MacKinnon says. MacEachern adds there is such a wealth of talent that there is something to please everyone on any scale - from the typical Cape Breton kitchen party to a large concert at the Civic Centre.

MacKinnon believes the strait area is a boomtown waiting to happen. "We've got the landscape, we've got the beaches, we've got the facilities and we've got the potential for housing growth and culture, because we've got more culture in this area than I think anywhere else in the country. People would love to live here."