Cape Breton Regional Municipality, Nova Scotia

, AST), or CBRM as it is commonly known, is a regional municipality in the province of Nova Scotia. The 2001 population was 105,968, making it Nova Scotia's second most populous urban centre.

In 1995 the government of Nova Scotia sought to reduce the number of incorporated towns and cities in the province through amalgamation. CBRM was created from the former municipalities, the City of Sydney; the Towns of Dominion, Glace Bay, New Waterford, North Sydney, Sydney Mines, Louisbourg, and Cape Breton County.

History

Mikmaq

Paleo-Indians camped at locations in present-day Nova Scotia approximately 11,000 years ago. Archaic Indians are believed to have been present in the area between 1,000 and 5,000 years ago. Mi'kmaq, the First Nations of this area, are their direct descendants.

The explorer John Cabot is believed to have visited present-day Cape Breton in 1497, although this claim is also contested by Newfoundland.

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 1600s and early 1700s. Under the Treaty of Utrecht of 1713, France retained control if "Île Royale". In 1719, France began construction on a fortified town located along the sheltered southwestern shore of Havre Louisbourg, naming the settlement Louisbourg.

Cape Breton Regional Municipality welcome sign.

The fortress was captured by American colonial forces, then returned by the British to France. It was captured again during the Seven Years' War which saw the Acadians 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 centre

Coal mining began during the 1700s 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. The GMA reorganized its mines on the north side of Sydney Harbour in 1900 as the Nova Scotia Steel and Coal Company (SCOTIA). Both companies built steel mills on their respective sides of Sydney Harbour in 1901; DOMCO's steel mill in Whitney Pier was known as Dominion Iron and Steel Company Limited (DISCO). In 1910, DOMCO and DISCO formed the Sydney & Louisburg Railway to haul coal and steel from the mines and mill to these ports. In 1914, SCOTIA closed its steel mill in Sydney Mines, focusing exclusively on coal production. In 1920, SCOTIA merged into DOMCO/DISCO to form the British Empire Steel Corporation (BESCO). In 1930, BESCO reorganized as Dominion Steel and Coal Corporation (DOSCO).

Coal production under DOSCO peaked in the early 1940s and in 1957 the company became a subsidiary of Hawker-Siddley Group. Hawker-Siddley's DOSCO subsidiary announced in 1965 that its mines had only 15 years of production left and concluded that expense of opening new underground mines in the Sydney Coal Field would be too expensive. The company made its intentions clear that it would be exiting the coal mining business within months.

In response to a vast public outcry in industrial Cape Breton County, the Minority government of Prime Minister Lester 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.

"Future planning should be based on the assumption that the Sydney [sic] mines will not operate beyond 1981."

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. On March 30, 1968 DEVCO expropriated DOSCO's coal mines and railway, settling for a payment of $12 million.

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.

Although DEVCO initially sought to reduce coal mining, the energy crisis of the mid-1970s saw the federal government change its mind and coal production increased with new mines being developed near New Waterford and on Boularderie Island. In the 1980s, older mines in Glace Bay were closed and SYSCO stopped using coke as a fuel for its mill, resulting in declining demand for coal. By the early 1990s, production problems in the newer mines saw DEVCO reduce its workforce, while problems in the international steel markets saw SYSCO lose its competitive advantage, resulting in similar layoffs.

DEVCO's Lingan Colliery closed in 1992, 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. A federal government economic development initiative is attempting to diversify the CBRM economy.

CBRM is also home to a sizable fishing fleet, ranging from lobster and scallop harvesting to groundfish trawlers. Fishing was an economic mainstay for coastal communities in the region throughout the 20th century, particularly through industrialization, however by the 1990s many fish stocks were depleted by overfishing, although some fish processing still occurs in the region.

Amalgamation

The Haywood Report in 1993 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 Regional Municipality. 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.

Climate and geography

The boundary of CBRM includes all of Cape Breton County except for the Eskasoni and Membertou First Nations. The climate of the CBRM is cool and wet although it is warmer than most other places in Canada. The average annual temperature is close to 6 degrees Celsius. Average summer maximum temperature is 25 degrees. Temperatures are rarely above 30. Winter minimums are usually around -15 degrees and rarely drop below -20 although strong winter winds can make it seem much colder.

Education

CBRM has public schools operated by the provincial government's Department of Education, providing instruction for grades K-12.

The regional municipality is home to Cape Breton University (CBU) - formerly known as the University College of Cape Breton (UCCB) - located approximately seven kilometres east of Sydney on the highway to Glace Bay. It is also home to the Marconi Campus of the Nova Scotia Community College, which is located on property adjacent to the Cape Breton University campus.

Culture, sport, and recreation

CBRM's culture is dominated by the Scottish Gaelic, or "Celtic", heritage common to most of Cape Breton Island, however the urban industrial area of CBRM is also influenced by a mixture of other cultures including African Canadian, Jewish, Newfoundland, Irish, and a variety of Eastern European countries. CBRM is home to several performance centres, including the Centre 200 sports arena in Sydney and the historic Savoy Theatre in Glace Bay. Glace Bay is also home to the Cape Breton Miners' Museum, the Marconi National Historic Site and the Glace Bay Heritage Museum. CBRM is home to the Cape Breton Screaming Eagles ice hockey team in the QMJHL.

CBRM hosts a CBC Radio studio with morning and afternoon broadcasts across Cape Breton Island. There are also two commercial radio stations. The municipality used to host CBC and ATV television studios, however these studios were closed in the 1980s and television news programming for Cape Breton Island is now broadcast from Halifax for these networks.

CBRM has three newspapers. The Cape Breton Post is a daily broadsheet focusing on Cape Breton Island. Its editorial style is populist conservative, and it is owned by Transcontinental Media. The Chronicle-Herald is a daily broadsheet covering all of Nova Scotia and maintains a bureau in Sydney. The paper is independently owned and usually has a moderate conservative editorial policy. The Daily News also originates in Halifax, but has a strong following in the CBRM.

Boardwalk is an independently-owned free "alternative bi-weekly" focused primarily on arts and culture in Cape Breton.

Economy

CBRM has been undergoing an economic decline for several decades as the region adjusts from an industrial to a post-industrial or service economy. Large parts of Atlantic Canada were hard hit by the closure of the cod fishery in the 1990s, including the closure of several fish plants in southeastern Cape Breton Island. The urban area around Sydney also suffered as the coal and steel industry went into decline. Sydney Steel Corporation's steel mill was permanently closed in 2000, followed by the last of the Cape Breton Development Corporation's coal mines in 2001. Since this time, the federal and provincial governments have been attempting to diversify the local economy.

Today, CBRM continues to deal with the environmental results of one hundred years of mining and steel making. The most significant is the cleanup of the Sydney Tar Ponds, a tidal estuary contaminated with a variety of coal-based wastes from coke ovens which created fuel for the steel mill.

CBRM is home to a significant (though no longer growing) tourism industry. Nearby attractions such as the Cape Breton Highlands, Bras d'Or Lake and Fortress Louisbourg have made Cape Breton Island a tourism destination for many years. A growing cruise ship business has been making use of the port of Sydney to give cruise passengers access to the area.

The port also holds potential in any future offshore petroleum and natural gas exploration in the Laurentian Basin, southeast of Cape Breton Island; an area that has been touted as a potential economic catalyst for the industrial Cape Breton area. Light manufacturing and information technology are other sectors which governments are attempting to strengthen in the local economy.

Demographics

**2001 Census Data**
Total - All persons	107,880
Aboriginal identity population	3,980	3.7%
Black	830	0.8%
Chinese	175	0.2%
Arab	120	0.1%
South Asian	90	0.1%
Visible minority, n.i.e	60	0.1%
Southeast Asian	50	0.1%
Multiple visible minorities	35	0.1%
Filipino	25	0.1%
Latin American	15	0.1%
West Asian	15	0.1%
Japanese	10	0.1%
All Others	102,475	95.0%

Government

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality Council is composed of a Mayor elected at-large and 16 Councillors, each of whom are elected to represent a separate district. Council and its committees meet at least once a month. Municipal governments in Nova Scotia are elected every four years, and the next round of elections is scheduled in October 2008.

CBRM's current mayor has been an active advocate for fair and equitable treatment of the regional municipality by the federal and provincial governments. Council has authorised several studies regarding fairness and equity, and has debated proposals to politically and administratively separate Cape Breton Regional Municipality, or possibly Cape Breton Island from Nova Scotia.

Transportation

CBRM 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 Highway 4 extends along the southern part of Bras d'Or Lake and accesses the western and eastern part of the municipality. Both highways are linked by the limited access Highway 125 which is a regional arterial highway around Sydney Harbour. Highway 125 is currently being upgraded from 2-lane limited access to a 4-lane expressway. Highway 4 is currently scheduled to be upgraded to a 4-lane expressway on the southern shore of Bras d'Or Lake from its interchange with Highway 125 in CBRM to the Canso Causeway; construction is estimated to be complete in the 2010s.

Transit Cape Breton is CBRM's public transit service and offers ten bus routes within the municipality, serving the region's larger communities: Sydney, Glace Bay, New Waterford, Dominion, Reserve Mines, as well as North Sydney and Sydney Mines. A "Handi-Trans" mode of transport is available for passengers whose disabilities restrict them from using Transit Cape Breton's regular bus service. Fares range from $1.25 to $5.00, depending on how many zones are traveled.

The Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway and the Sydney Coal Railway provide rail service to CBRM and the port of Sydney.

Protective services

PoliceThe Cape Breton Regional Police Service provides policing for all areas of the Municipality with the exception of the First Nation communities of Membertou and Eskasoni which are policed by the RCMP. The CBRPS operates out of three divisions, Central (Sydney), East (Glace Bay) and North (North Sydney). The police force works towards providing efficient law enforcement and working within the community and has recently cracked down on drug related crime in the CBRM.

Fire and ambulanceFire services for the CBRM are provided by the Cape Breton Regional Fire Service which consists of 36 career and volunteer fire departments dispersed throughout the municipality.

Ambulance service in the CBRM is provided by Nova Scotia Emergency Health Services.

Emergency Measures OrganizationNova Scotia's Emergency Measures Act requires each municipality to develop an emergency measures organization. The CBRM has passed the Emergency Measures By-Law C2, not only creating the structure necessary to prepare the CBRM Emergency Plan, but it also allows the EMO (emergency measures organization) to maintain it. The CBRM EMO By-Law consist of the following: EMO Advisory Committee, Emergency Measures Coordinator, and The Emergency Preparedness Planning Committee.