Sydney and Area Chamber of Commerce

'Partner for prosperity'

The world knows Cape Breton as a place where the sea and land meet to create stretches of sandy beaches, rolling hills, and magnificent vistas. Indeed, National Geographic Traveler magazine has named the island as the world’s second best tourist destination.

What many people may not realize, however, is that Cape Breton is also a place where innovation meets resourcefulness.

No one knows this better than the Sydney and Area Chamber of Commerce – and they are working to demonstrate the potential of the area to the world.

“We are the voice for business in our communities, and we want the world to hear what we have to say,” says President Owen Fitzgerald. “We are a strong advocate for the continued, and ever expanding, development of our community, and we are a partner for prosperity.”

That prosperity is evident in the hustle and bustle of downtown Sydney and the growth of communities like Sydney Mines and New Waterford.

“We’re the second largest urban centre in the province, but it’s not size that shapes us,” says Fitzgerald. “We’re renowned for our culture and beauty – and the spirit of our people.”

“However, we are also innovative and entrepreneurial,” he adds. “Today, we are exploring emerging opportunities for a new Cape Breton.”

Many of those opportunities can be found in Sydney Harbour. “It is one of our greatest assets,” says Fitzgerald, “and it is a driving force behind the proposed Atlantic Gateway.”

The Gateway, which would facilitate and enhance movement of goods through the region, will link Atlantic Canada more firmly to the global transportation routes and global trade. “The world would literally be on our doorstep – and it would see what we have to offer,” says Fitzgerald.

The municipality boasts a myriad of rail lines, major highway connections and hundreds of acres of land for development. Its Marine Terminal, located on the south arm of the harbour, handles cruise ships, project cargo, break bulk, bulk, and fuel.

It also represents the balanced lifestyle that the Sydney and Area Chamber of Commerce works to promote – and protect. A giant fiddle, a Cape Breton landmark, greets visitors to the Cape Breton Farmers' Market, held each week in the Marine Terminal.

The fiddle is a 10-ton steel monument that stretches 45 feet high, 13 feet wide and sports a 54 foot bow that is fully stringed and lights up the sky at night.

“The Marine Terminal welcomes thousands of tourists and local citizens, but it is also a thriving place of business,” notes Fitzgerald. “It reflects the work the Chamber is doing – and the values of the community: a great place to work and a great place to live.”

The Chamber, which is almost 100 years old and has 600 members, ensures that the business community keeps in touch with each other and the world. Communications tools such as a newsletter and an annual business directory help members stay connected with each other and with the community.

Like business organizations around the world, the Sydney and Area Chamber of Commerce actively supports the work its members do. That means looking beyond the current economic landscape and helping to pave the way for a more prosperous tomorrow.

And greater prosperity lies around the corner, says Fitzgerald. “We’re confident we can build a stronger community and a stronger economy.”

Part of that building will be guided by the Innovation Council, which was recently established by the Chamber. The group, comprising of individuals from across the business community, will provide a vision and practical insight into developing and sustaining a new economic future focused on innovation and excellence.

“There is,” notes, Fitzgerald, “a renewed optimism.”

Part of that buoyancy is flowing from large-scale projects that the Chamber has been instrumental in drawing attention to and in reinforcing the value of these projects to government and others. Take, for example, the $300 million Xstrata Donkin Mine project. Legislation has now been passed that makes it possible for the opening of the undersea mine. Estimates of the amount of coal at the site range from 300-400 million tonnes.

The Chamber has also been a strong promoter of the $300 million Louisbourg Resort Golf & Spa project, which includes a 36-hole golf complex on 2,500 acres of land surrounding Grand Lake in the southeast end of the island. The 18-hole, championship-standard golf course known as The Fortress, designed by professional golfer Nick Faldo, is the centrepiece of the year-round leisure and recreational facilities. These facilities are inextricably linked to the Island’s geography.

“We’ve incorporated the island’s stunning Great Lake to challenging effect, and with the mature, forested undulations of the land and the dramatic marshland, this will certainly be a beautiful round of golf,” says Faldo.

The Fortress will be complemented by an attractive, full-length par three, 18-hole course, also designed by Faldo, and a host of facilities including an international conference centre, family recreation centre, European spa, numerous restaurants and bars and gift and art shops. There will also be retail outlets, outward bound trails, a gymnasium, tennis and squash courts, curling lanes, an equestrian centre, childcare facilities and a private airstrip for light aircraft. Around 400 luxury homes will also be built, ranging in price from $400,000 to over $1,000,000.

“It’s projects like these that reflect the new Cape Breton,” says Fitzgerald. “They mean opportunity and jobs for the people here – and for the business community.”

While it may be in with the new, it is certainly not out with the old.

“Business in Sydney and the surrounding communities is defined by this place we call home,” says Fitzgerald. “We are innovative and entrepreneurial, but we are also a community with a world-famous culture and unparalled beauty. We’re a community focused on people.”

And the Sydney and Area Chamber of Commerce is working diligently to make sure that will never change.

Feature story written by Donalee Moulton