Chéticamp: Celebrating Community Excellence

By Keith MacDonald, Executive Director, Cape Breton Partnership

Chéticamp is a beautiful Acadian village nestled in the green hills of the picturesque Cabot Trail, overlooking the Gulf of St. Lawrence. Chéticamp is, without a doubt, one of the most beautiful areas in the Maritimes and is one of the province’s most dynamic francophone communities.

From its earliest days, the Acadian community of Chéticamp has recognized the importance and necessity of working together to prosper and grow. The people of Chéticamp work diligently to ensure the development and growth of their community. Acadians living in the Chéticamp and neighboring communities have managed to take matters into their own hands to provide many community services through various projects, such as a health centre facility, a golf course, community radio and television stations, community façade and infrastructure construction, the opening of a performance hall and theatre, tourism development tools and many others.

There are more than 40 volunteer associations and organizations working directly and indirectly with the private sector on the economic, cultural, community and social development of the greater Acadian region of Chéticamp. It is this tenacious spirit that led to Chéticamp’s recent nomination and eventual selection as a finalist in the 2011 Celebrating Communities Excellence Awards. The Celebrating Communities Excellence Awards recognize Nova Scotia innovators who show strong leadership and drive community growth and prosperity.

The community of Chéticamp has had to grapple with several difficult economic issues over the past few years. For one, the community’s last fishing plant was slated for closure, jeopardizing employment. The community’s development organization was bankrupt and the fate of its assets was unclear. Assets included La Pirogue, a fisheries museum that had been idle for approximately five years, and a waterfront boardwalk and parking lot that had fallen into a state of disregard and disrepair.

Several entrepreneurs and merchants came together to discuss the situation and approached local fishermen to see if they could somehow purchase the fishing plant to keep jobs in the community. From those humble roots, the Conseil Economique de Chéticamp (CEC) was born. Its mission is to improve the quality of life in Chéticamp by supporting, uniting and developing the region’s businesses and community.

The CEC found partners willing to buy the plant, which continues to provide employment for 150 people from the region, preserving jobs that would have been lost if the plant had closed. The CEC then negotiated to take over the boardwalk and parking lot from the creditors. There are now yoga and arts programs being offered at the boardwalk, which has been upgraded and maintained, making it a popular community destination. Additional negotiations resulted in la Pirogue being rescued and placed in the hands of the local Harbour Authority. Now, the building has been renovated into a Village Commercial Centre, which provides the community with much needed professional office space for businesses. The CEC also led the creation of the Gypsum Mine Trail, which created work for local contractors and gave residents and visitor an opportunity to enjoy the natural beauty of the region. The community-based organization has also created a 20-year plan to guide community development in Chéticamp, setting out a vision and path for continued growth.

The CEC also implemented a unique local tax through property taxes. It is a rare occurrence for a Nova Scotia community to demand an additional local tax, but the community believes that the new tax pool can be used for different development projects and help in jump starting the local economy.

The process that the CEC has been through has shown that the community is open to cooperation and that the desire to thrive is strong. The Conseil Economique de Chéticamp has accomplished much in a relatively short time and the organization will continue to build on the community’s successes and develop new community and business projects into the future.