ELEVATE Cape Breton - Spring 2019

THE HAPPIEST PLACE P6 The appeal of the Cape Breton lifestyle

WELCOMING WORKERS P20 Fostering the Island's international workforce

MAY 2019

A PUBLICATION FROM THE CAPE BRETON PARTNERSHIP

AN APPETITE FOR IMMIGRATION Cape Breton Island welcomes newcomers and the flavours they bring to the community

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CRAFT FROM AWAY P22 Newcomers find crafting inspiration

DO YOU HAVE A PROJECT YOU'D LIKE TO DISCUSS? CONTACT:

MATT FLYNN

DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT 902-468-5000 EXT. 8244 MATT.FLYNN@LINDSAYCONSTRUCTION.CA

HOWIE DOIRON

REGIONAL DIRECTOR - CAPE BRETON 902-468-5000 EXT. 8301 HOWIE.DOIRON@LINDSAYCONSTRUCTION.CA

20580409 CBDC 7764774

In June, our new systems will help improve your experience with WCB Nova Scotia.

Just a few examples: •

Improved letters and correspondence

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More convenient benefit payment schedules

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Better ways to communicate with us

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New and improved employer MyAccount access

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Fully digital clearance and subcontractor reporting

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Ability to manage your own data and information online

Watch for more at wcb.ns.ca/ServiceChanges

@worksafeforlife

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ON THE COVER

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20 PROFILE Welcoming workers

AN APPETITE FOR IMMIGRATION CAPE BRETON ISLAND WELCOMES NEWCOMERS AND THE FLAVOURS THEY BRING TO THE COMMUNITY

Designated AIP employers foster Island development with international workforce

22 CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT Craft from away

Newcomer crafters find inspiration in Customs House Artisan Incubator

On cover: Ardon Mofford, Executive Chef and Owner, with Juan Callacna, Executive Sous Chef, at Governor’s Pub & Eatery in Sydney

Cape Breton Partnership Board of Directors Executive Alex Paul, Mi’kmaw Economic Benefits Office of Nova Scotia – Chair Sandra Killam, Seaside Wireless Communications Inc. – Vice-Chair Rob Wadden, Grant Thornton – Treasurer Sean Coyle, Sydney Casino NS – Executive Member Jennifer MacLeod, MacLeod Lorway – Secretary Directors Blaire Martell. Lobsters ‘R’ Us Seafood Osborne Burke, Victoria Co-operative Fisheries Ltd. Amanda Mombourquette, Strait Area Chamber of Commerce Dan MacDonald, CBCL Ltd. Andrew Alkenbrack, Cabot Links Resort Sean Reid, Mulgrave Machine Works Steve Parsons, Eskasoni Corporate Beth Mason, Verschuren Centre, CBU Allan Eddy, Port Hawkesbury Paper James Wooder, JBW Consulting Inc. Fred Tilley, Marconi Campus, NSCC Jennifer Martin, Membertou Corporate Brian Purchase, Schwartz Furniture Paul Breski, Nova Scotia Power Cheryl Smith, Celtic Music Interpretive Centre

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PRESIDENT & CEO’S MESSAGE

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REGIONAL BUZZ FEATURE: FARMER’S DAUGHTER

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REGIONAL BUZZ

24 PARTNERSHIP FEATURE: SYNCLAVIER DIGITAL 25 PARTNERSHIP FEATURE: OSPREY HEALTH 26 STRAIT AREA CHAMBER FEATURE

Above: chicken pot pie from the Governor’s Pub & Eatery

Cape Breton Partnership Contact

Elevate is published by The SaltWire Network on behalf of the Cape Breton Partnership

SYDNEY OFFICE 285 Alexandra Street Sydney, Nova Scotia B1S 2E8 Telephone: 902-562-0122 or 902-562-7182

Publisher: Sarah Dennis President and CEO: Mark Lever Director, Product Management: Lindsey Bunin Advertising Sales: Scott MacQuarrie Director, Sales & Marketing – Cape Breton Post 902-371-0417 scott.macquarrie@cbpost.com

PORT HAWKESBURY OFFICE 609 Church Street Suite 101 Port Hawkesbury, Nova Scotia B9A 2X4 Telephone: 902-625-0958 For more information about the Cape Breton Partnership visit www.capebretonpartnership.com.

For any questions about Elevate Magazine contact Nicole Simmons by phone at 902-562-0122 or by email at elevate@capebretonpartnership.com

PLUS

Elevate Magazine Lead: Nicole Simmons Editor: Heather Laura Clarke Layout & Design: Peter Ross Cover Photo: Steve Wadden Contributing Writers: Nicole Simmons, Andrea Vokey, Jeremy Martell,Stephanie Maclean, Strait Area Chamber of Commerce

Disclaimer Elevate magazine makes no warranties of any kind, written or implied, regarding the contents of this magazine and expressly disclaims any warranty regarding the accuracy or reliability of information contained herein. The views contained in this magazine are those of the writers and advertisers; they do not necessarily reflect the views of Elevate magazine and its publisher The SaltWire Network.

Publications Mail Agreement No. 40065080 Return undeliverable Canadian addresses to the Cape Breton Partnership.

Copyright 2019 by SaltWire Network Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction of any article, photograph or artwork without expressed written permission from the publisher is strictly prohibited.

2717 Joseph Howe Drive Halifax, Nova Scotia, B3J 2T2 Tel: 902-426-2811 SaltWire.com

TABLE OF CONTENTS

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

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PRESIDENT & CEO’S MESSAGE

Céad míle fáilte – 100,000 welcomes!

Cape Bretoners know the true meaning of hospitality and it’s attracting newcomers to the happiest place in the country

CAPE BRETONERS, LIFELONG AND NEWLY WELCOMED, ARE EFFECTIVELY APPLYING THEIR KNOW-HOW, RESOLVE AND ENERGY IN TACKLING THE CHALLENGES TOWARDS CHARTING A NEW COURSE FOR THE ISLAND. THERE IS NO BETTER EXAMPLE OF THIS ENERGY THAN THE EMERGENCE OF INTERNATIONAL AND NATIONAL MIGRANT STUDENTS AND ENTREPRENEURS.”

CARLA ARSENAULT President & CEO, Cape Breton Partnership

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he Cape Breton Partnership is pleased to present this issue of Elevate Magazine, celebrating our newcomers and their heartening stories of cultural diversity and inclusion. Newcomers are recognizing Cape Breton’s assets, seeing it as the beautiful, creative place that many locals have known for decades and choosing it as their home.

There has been an emerging sense of progress felt by many across Cape Breton on several important fronts. People from across the Island are encouraged by an increase in visitors, new businesses and heightened amounts of international newcomers. Cape Bretoners, lifelong and newly welcomed, are effectively applying their know-how, resolve and energy in tackling the challenges towards charting a new course for the Island. There is no better example of this energy than the emergence of international and national migrant students and entrepreneurs.

Island-wide, the population of Cape Breton has dropped by more than 20,000 people since 2001. That is more than 1,000 people per year leaving our beautiful island — and

the population decline is projected to continue. Coupled with an aging demographic, we recognize that the key to turning the economy around lies in our ability to attract new residents. While encouraging youth retention and bringing Cape Bretoners home will always be an important part of what we do, our future rests largely on immigration.

While our retention rate of newcomers is currently low at just 47 per cent, we recognize that communities play a critical role in retention and the Cape Breton Partnership can help. One opportunity that we are embracing is the influx of international students at Cape Breton University (CBU), which currently has more than 2,700 international students — more than half of its student population. This translates to a huge boost in international student spending on the Island. Amazingly, those students are estimated to contribute $60 million to our local economy each year.

That is higher direct spending than both steel and mining companies ever had. As we do our job in helping the communities retain students and international workers, that number will continue to grow.

The big draw for attraction, as Heather Austin from the Farmer’s Daughter Country Market sees it, is our welcoming community dinners, step dances and local ceilidhs in the communities. While the team at Engage Nova Scotia has been promoting the results of a survey compiled by the same researchers who compiled the United Nations’ World Happiness Report, the Farmer’s Daughter Country Market has known it all along.

Impressively, Nova Scotia has scored among PRESIDENT & CEO’S MESSAGE

the highest in Canada, and perhaps what invokes the most sense of pride, is that Cape Breton has scored among the highest of all the regions in Nova Scotia. Cape Breton is the happiest part of Nova Scotia.

As you read on in this edition of Elevate, you will hear more about how the Farmer’s Daughter channeled the Island’s happiness into a creative labour attraction campaign and the people who have been making the Island home as a result. You will also read about how the food sector is diversifying the taste buds of Cape Bretoners with ingredients and cookingbased knowledge from around the globe. In addition, you will hear how humanitarianism transformed one Cape Breton business, that was previously struggling to find local workers, develop a highly skilled labour force while changing people’s lives.

While Cape Breton continues to be confronted by varied and complex challenges, many are motivated by recent successes and the significant potential of the Island’s economy. Our team, and many other organizations are poised and ready to act on new opportunities. Embracing these opportunities will require a change in thinking from our communities, a change in how we engage our newcomers, an effort in creating new opportunities for student retention and employment and a new strategy in how we prioritize our efforts and resources.

Although we have only skimmed the surface of so many examples, I encourage you to read on to learn more about growing immigration numbers, the positive results and how they benefit the entire Island.

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The Cape Breton Partnership would like to welcome the Cape Breton Regional Municipality to the Nova Scotia REN network.

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CapeBretonPartnership.com | info@CapeBretonPartnership.com

Home to more entrepreneurs per capita than any other municipality in the province.

Follow your dream.

Come home to Victoria County Check out www.victoriacounty.com for more information.

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REGIONAL BUZZ FEATURE

The happiest place The Farmer’s Daughter Country Market draws appeal, talent with Cape Breton lifestyle PHOTOS STEVE RANKIN

STORY NICOLE SIMMONS

ARE YOU SOMEONE WHO IS LOOKING TO LIVE A SIMPLER LIFE, CLOSE TO NATURE, IN AN AREA THAT STILL BELIEVES IN COMMUNITY MEALS AND WEEKLY JAM SESSIONS? WE CAN'T GIVE YOU BIG MONEY, BUT WE CAN GIVE YOU AN AWESOME LIFE.’

THE 2016 VIRAL LAND-FOR-LABOUR AD FROM THE FARMER’S DAUGHTER COUNTRY MARKET

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n a recent study conducted by the same researchers who compiled the United Nations’ World Happiness Report, Inverness County was named happiest place in Nova Scotia, and Heather Austin at the Farmer’s Daughter Country Market knows why.

By now, most of Cape Breton — or at least those on social media — have seen the Farmer’s Daughter’s land-for-labour advertisement that spread across the world like a digital wildfire. So what’s come of it? We’re glad you asked.

In 2016, the Farmer’s Daughter Country Market wrote a Facebook post entitled "Beautiful island needs people" in hopes to recruit workers for the growing country market, gift store, rental shop, restaurant and bakery. Nestled in Whycocomagh, the established store, who boasted riches in job opportunities, pristine natural landscapes and a vibrant and caring community, went on the hunt for employees. The resulting BUSINESS NEWS

Facebook advertisement generated more than 12,000 shares, 26,000 reactions and thousands of comments, and is still doing its rounds across the globe nearly three years later.

“Just last week my story has gone viral again in Brazil,” says Heather Austin, Co-owner of the Farmer’s Daughter Country Market. “I’m getting about 400-500 emails and six or seven phone calls every day from Brazil, and many of them are younger people.”

The universal catchall drawing viral attention to the posting: free land. But Austin says it’s not the land that has gotten people to stay.

“The free land really got people’s attention, but, when people read the ad, I think it was really more about the lifestyle that we have here in Cape Breton.”

The viral hiring campaign used real photos from people in the community interacting with their children and pets, walking along local beaches, taking hikes in the woods and more.

MAY 2019

“I don’t think it’s necessarily our market that keeps attracting people, I think its Cape Breton as a whole and the lifestyle — our beaches, our trees, our people with community dinners and square dances — those are some of the things we highlighted in our post,” says Austin. “We had done job postings before, and we even did posts across the country because we needed people, but what worked was when we sold the life here on the Island.”

At the beginning of the campaign, three families moved to the Island immediately for the opportunity and more have since arrived in hopes to take advantage of the free land on Campbell’s Mountain.

One family of four from Newfoundland is hoping to settle into the land to enjoy a holistic lifestyle on the mountain terrain.

“We started building a small cabin on our chosen acreage and plan to make it our long-term home after our two daughters have grown up,” says Hollie MacDonald, an employee of the Market who responded to the ad two years ago. “The land is not cleared, it’s a heavily wooded area but there is a service road that goes up the mountain, so we can bring the truck up.”

MacDonald and her partner, Evan, began walking through the mountain on several hikes, marking off and measuring some of the 135 acres available and ultimately decided on a spot that was closer to the main road, making it easier to transport building materials in and out of the property.

“In the spring and summer we bring the kids up and they help us carry and cut logs. We will bring snacks and a tent, and we make dinner then have a fire and drink tea. It’s just like what we used to do in Newfoundland and it gets the kids out and doing things instead of spending so much time indoors.”

MacDonald’s youngest daughter is particularly fond of the free forest time.

“My youngest just goes off on her own exploring and finding things. We had to get her a bear bell so we could hear her,” MacDonald said with a laugh. “We saw an owl in a tree on the land once and she was really excited about that.”

The small hand-crafted single room cabin located approximately halfway up the mountain and about 15 minutes from Whycocomagh is being built completely from logs found on the property and, after more trees are removed, will have unobstructed sightlines of the Skye Glen/Lake

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Ainslie area, a valley and the Bras d’Or Lake.

There are four wheeler trails throughout the area for access and a blueberry farm further up Campbell’s Mountain Road.

The family’s future plans for the land include total self-sustainability with solar power, a dug well, stream run down and water caches, a large garden with fruit trees and a green house, chicken, pigs and goats.

“We love the Cape Breton vibe, it’s a lot like home. People are friendly and we love the idea of living off the grid and living off the land, the animals we raise and the food we produce.”

MacDonald, recently promoted to assistant manager at the Farmer’s Daughter Country Market, is not the only family with plans for life on the mountain. A family of five is also planning to mark off and select their land this summer.

“We cleared one spot we had selected before we decided to move our land, so someone else could easily start building in that area if they wanted,” says MacDonald.

Austin says several others are making their way to the Island as a result of the advertisement as well.

“I had a young couple from Toronto just move here. They flew up on their own dime to spend one day to see the Market and meet SPRING 2019 ELEVATE

me so I took them on a little whirlwind tour of the area, and then they moved here a month later.”

A family from British Columbia is planning to move to the Whycocomagh area this month to begin working for the Market, as well as two employees through the Atlantic Immigration Pilot, from Germany and Austria respectively.

“I had a pediatrician that is burnt out in Ottawa apply to come work in our market,” chuckled Austin. “It’s incredible. Although the land drew people in, it actually ended up not being a huge factor for the people who have been staying. Offering the free land got people’s attention, but the lifestyle, that’s what won people over.”

With people living in the Municipality of the County of Inverness ranking highest for life-satisfaction, Austin and the Market have found a creative way to share all of that Inverness-happiness with the world and use it to move Cape Breton forward.

In fact, the Farmer’s Daughter Country Market ad specifically noted that working for them won’t make you financially rich, but it will make your life richer.

Now, Austin says, the opportunity is in mining through the tens of thousands of email applications the Market received and helping other Cape Breton businesses grow and people reside, visit or relocate their business.

“The Cape Breton Partnership is going to help me with all of the emails so hopefully we can attract more people from outside of Canada to come and settle in Cape Breton. A lot of people that have contacted me don’t even necessarily want to work for me, they want to move their businesses here or just want to work from home but they just liked the way we presented the Cape Breton lifestyle.”

The daunting task will be handled by a team who will respond to emails with appropriate information, sending requests about where the best sites to visit in Cape Breton to organizations like Destination Cape Breton Association or relocating a business to the appropriate economic development officer that would be able to provide the correct information.

“I think we need to bring the right people to Cape Breton for the right reasons.”

As for the Market’s employment search, they have saturated their need for workers but continue to draw from the ever-growing pool of applicants as they continue to grow and need new employees.

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Regional Buzz five-year-old children. With the support of approximately 200 volunteers each year and despite lengthy renovations to its home arena in Glace Bay, the tournament has been a significant staple for the Cape Breton economy and winter tourism offerings for more than three decades. Congratulations on the continued success!

Mi’kmaq education rate highest in Canada

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

NEW BUSINESS: Cape Breton Overlanding For the outdoor enthusiast with an urban lifestyle, Cape Breton Overlanding is a dream come true. The company, through the use of its 4x4 Toyota FJ Cruiser, is the inspiration of Izaak Hudson’s childhood in Baddeck where he spent most weekends in the woods hiking, camping, off-roading, dirt biking, four wheeling or snowmobiling.

Now Hudson is bringing that exploration to Island visitors who have a passion for experiencing the remote off-the-beaten-track destinations of Cape Breton. Fully equipped with a rooftop tent, kitchen, camping chairs, dish soap — and almost everything adventurists need to experience Cape Breton’s natural outback — Hudson is allowing people to rent the vehicle, which sleeps two to four people, to self-drive some of Cape Breton’s famous backwoods trails found throughout the Highlands. With this new business, tourists can set up camp anywhere on 1,100 kilometres of snowmobile trails, 50 snowshoe trails or carve their own paths on the Island for a unique and deeply personal journey. Campers can book the vehicle on Airbnb with rental availability starting this June.

Theatre Baddeck receives provincial award nominations The Baddeck-based theatre company received three nominations from Theatre Nova Scotia’s annual Robert Merritt Awards — Nova Scotia’s top theatrical awards. Theatre Baddeck was nominated for Outstanding Performance by an Actor in a Leading Role, Outstanding Direction and Outstanding Production by a New or Emerging Company. Of the three nominations, Mauralea Austin took home the Outstanding Performance award for her

role of Edna Buchanan in Dancing on the Elephant and The Ladies Foursome written by Norm Foster took home the Outstanding Production by a New or Emerging Company award on March 25 in Halifax.

Vince Ryan Memorial Scholarship Hockey Tournament celebrates 30 years of play One of the largest recreation adult hockey tournaments in the world, the Vince Ryan Hockey Tournament hosts an average of

160 teams each year from across Canada, the United States and Europe. Bringing thousands of players, supporters and fans to the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM), the tournament fills hotels, restaurants and bars with good-time loving patrons with an estimated impact of nearly $5 million in annual economic spin-offs and more than $900,000 donated to-date in scholarships for local high school students. This year marked the 30th anniversary of the tournament with the addition of a Vince Ryan Tots Game for four and

BUSINESS NEWS

Twenty years ago, only 30 per cent of Nova Scotian Mi'kmaw students graduated from high school. Today, that number stands at 90 per cent — the highest onreserve graduation rate in the country. Significantly higher than the national average of 36 per cent of on-reserve high school graduations, the Government of Canada praised the “amazing success” of the Mi'kmaw Kina'matnewey (MK) education authority by signing a new 10-year education agreement worth $600 million. Chief Leroy Denny of Eskasoni First Nation was at the centre of the attention on behalf of the education authority, opening a Mi’kmaq immersion-only school in the community to preserve the language and culture and acting as chairman and a teacher for MK.

Cape Breton businesses to hire this spring One third of Cape Breton employers are planning to ramp things up with an influx of new hires this spring. In a recent survey by Manpower Group, a favourable hiring climate was indicated by nearly 27 per cent of Cape Breton businesses. While only three per cent of businesses reported cut backs and 70 per cent of local businesses reported plans to maintain current staffing levels, the nearly one third of businesses hiring this season represents a promising and upbeat pace, eight per cent higher than the previous quarter and four per cent higher than the same quarter reported in 2018.

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PHOTO STEVE RANKIN

PHOTO STEVE WADDEN

Sydney’s Portside Law Office celebrates first anniversary

Sara Rankin Creative Co. continues to collect accolades

After spending four years with Breton Law Group as an associate, Sean MacDonald was ready to strike out on his own practice to further his legal career. After practising law on his own for three years, Dan MacDonald realized he was in the same ball court, or law court. The two teamed up in March 2018 to open the Portside Law Office. Since then, the practice has grown to include another partner, David MacIsaac, as well as Elizabeth Cusack, QC, as senior counsel. Elizabeth had a long career on the Island, with more than 40 years of experience. Congratulations to Portside Law Office on celebrating its first anniversary this year.

New Folk Music Festival kicks off weekend at Dundee Resort

Advanced Glazings looking at Middle East exposure

During the recent Mother's Day weekend, Dave Gunning and J.P. Cormier headlined the Island’s newest music festival, the Dundee Resort Folk Music Festival. The establishment of the new festival embodies the growth of tourism products offered by Cape Breton operators who are exploring seasonal expansions, such as the Dundee Resort and Golf Club which opened a week earlier than usual to accommodate the festival.

Sydney’s Advanced Glazings Ltd., a company that develops and manufactures window panel technology that increases efficiencies for interior heating and cooling systems resulting in lowered costs, completed a large international order to a Kuwait university last summer for a 40,000-squarefoot glass rooftop. This year, Advanced Glazing delves deeper into their international recognition in the Middle East with a project in Dubai, which is sure to surpass the

Sara Rankin of Sara Rankin Creative Co. is one of two Canadians to take home an Award of Excellence in the New Logo Design category at the 9th Annual Worldwide Logo Design Awards (WOLDA) in December 2018. Rankin, who lives and works out of Mabou, won for the logo she designed for Hummingbird Vacation Rentals located in Dunvegan, Inverness County. This award is in addition to a gold Ice Award she received in 2018 for excellence in logo design among Atlantic Canadian companies. This success led Strategy, a national marketing trade magazine, to name Sara Rankin Creative Co. the 80th best marketing agency in the country.

size of the large Kuwait-based project. Although that project is still in the planning stages, the company continues to drive exports in the United States, Norway and the United Kingdom. Advanced Glazings also recently launched its new Solera Wall, which costs less to manufacture, both financially and environmentally.

École de Musique Raveston celebrates official grand opening This January, l'École de Musique Raveston Music School opened its doors in Chéticamp to bring

music and dance to the young and the young at heart. The school is a place that fosters creativity, learning and free selfexpression where people can feel confident and at home.

Adults and children alike learn to play musical instruments and families gather to make music and create memories. The official opening event brought together community members to enjoy music in celebration and reveal the final renovations to the school. Congratulations to l’École de Musique Raveston and the community of Chéticamp on this grand opening.

C.h. BOUDREAU Funeral home (arichat) 2018 Jack Hartery Lifetime Achievement in Business

May 22, 2019 | Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre @ 5:30pm Get Tickets online or at 902-625-1588

w w w. s t r a i ta r e a c h a m b e r . c a SPRING 2019 ELEVATE

Blaise MacEachern (Inverness county) 2018 Kevin Beaton Heart of the Community AwarD

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AGM, Gala Dinner & Awards

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Kisitaqn Basketry is out of this world

PHOTO STEVE WADDEN

All in the Goat Soap Co. reaches one year milestone in Edwardsville Three years ago the Scotsburn Dairy operation in Sydney closed its doors, leaving Shannon Peters unemployed. One week following the dairy closure, Shannon gave birth to her first child. With a background in agriculture, Shannon and her family eventually settled in on a farm of their own and began testing variations of goat’s milk products to treat their son’s eczema and sensitive skin. After some trial and error, Shannon developed her own recipe from local ingredients. The treatment was outstanding and undeniable — Shannon knew there was more to it than just a homemade remedy. That’s when All in the Goat Soap Company was created. The line of goat’s milk products, approved by Health Canada, have no artificial dyes, scents or preservatives and offer various soaps and lotions in a range of scents including coffee, honey oat, lavender and lemongrass as well as naked goat (unscented). The products can be found at Cape Breton markets and craft fairs across the Island and are regularly sold at the United Farmer’s Co-op and Re Find in the North Sydney Mall. As they mark the business’ one-year anniversary, Shannon and her family look to expand to include a farm-based storefront, soap making demonstration and a farm petting zoo for children. The secret to their success? It’s ‘All in the Goat’.

A basket made by Shanna Francis of Eskasoni First Nation recently made a trip to outer space.

Canadian astronaut David SaintJacques took one of Francis’ baskets with him aboard the Soyuz MS-11 on his way to the International Space Station.

Saint-Jacques wanted to take a Mi’kmaq artifact with him on his voyage, but, with limited room for his luggage on the space shuttle, he needed something that was very small. Francis had just the item, as she specializes in making miniature versions of traditional Mi’kmaq baskets through her business Kisitaqn Basketry. The space basket taken was a functional and intricate basket roughly the size of a loonie.

Nova Scotia: Canada’s leader in seafood export Nova Scotia continues to be Canada’s seafood export leader.

With over $2 billion in exports this past year, it accounts for roughly 29 per cent of Canada’s total seafood exports. Since 2012, Nova Scotia’s seafood exports have doubled and the seafood industry continues to reach new heights. The province’s largest market for seafood exports continues to be the United States with close to $984 million in 2018, followed by China with over $524 million in exports — an increase of 36 per cent from last year — and the European Union with over $197 million.

Sugar kelp aquaculture study receives federal funds

PHOTO SEAN MCMULLEN

Live Life In Tents completes third Creatives Weekend In February, Live Life In Tents completed its third Creatives Weekend at Cabot Shores Wilderness Resort in the Highlands. Bringing together more than 30 creative minds, the weekend adventurers hiked mountains, explored rugged coastlines, went skiing and more. The weekend ‘instameet’ brought together professional photographers, creative individuals and social influencers from visually focused platforms, including Instagram, to explore the rustic and seasonal beauty of Cape Breton Island. Those interested in participating had to apply and then share high resolution photos from the weekend with their social followings. The weekend was sponsored by Breton Brewing, Fortress Rum, Country Liberty, Images of Canada, Halifax Social Network and Destination Cape Breton Association — with special mention to Night Owl Coffee Roasters for the camper’s morning pick-me-ups.

BUSINESS NEWS

The Aquaculture Association of Nova Scotia (AANS) has received nearly $250,000 in federal funding, through the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency’s business development program, to examine the viability of a sugar kelp aquaculture industry in Cape Breton. Over the next three years, AANS will conduct on-site sugar kelp cultivation trials and explore market opportunities for the products they develop. Trials will take place at sites owned by Bounty Bay Shellfish, Louisbourg Seafoods / Cape Breton Bivalve Inc. and Premium Seafoods.

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Manufacturing sales up across the country With significant public and private investment in automated and advanced manufacturing equipment and technologies, Statistic Canada is reporting growth in manufacturing sales across Canada. Following disappointing 2018 economic growth figures in the sector, the one per cent jump reported for early 2019 to $57.1 billion in manufacturing sales across the country came as a welcome and muchanticipated success.

Celtic Colours dates This year’s Celtic Colours International Festival will be the biggest event it’s ever seen.

This October, the annual festival will be expanding to offer 52 concerts across the Island over nine days. The opening concert will be at Centre 200 in Sydney on Friday, Oct. 11 and the festival will wrap up on Oct. 19 at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre. The full schedule and lineup of artists will be announced June 21. Tickets to go on sale July 9.

PHOTO STEVE RANKIN

Mabou distillery crafts a whisky-lovers’ favourite Glenora Distillery’s 13-year-old peated single malt whisky, Gleann Dubh, was featured at this year’s NSLC Festival of Whisky. The festival, which ran from Feb. 28 to March 2, enabled Nova Scotians to sample, purchase and learn about various fine whiskies from around the world. Gleann Dubh previously received the silver outstanding medal at the 2017 Whiskies of the World.

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Slow Cooked Dreams named provincial health champion Mi’kmaw entrepreneur, Nadine Bernard, has been named a provincial champion by the Public Health Association of Nova Scotia for her business, Slow Cooked Dreams. The business, which Bernard started five years ago, helps teach people how to make nutritious meals on a budget through a series of workshops, motivational speeches and life coaching seminars. To date, Bernard estimates she’s delivered her workshops to over 600 people and has trained 73 program facilitators.

PHOTO S. POIRIER

Lisa Lee Jewelry featured at Oscars From North Sydney to Hollywood, jewelry designer, Lisa Lee, saw her healing gemstone jewelry designs featured at a prestigious gifting suite during the film industry’s biggest award ceremony, the Oscars. Although the gifting suite is not directly affliated with the Academy Awards, the pre-Oscars event invites Oscar nominees and presenters to view a range of gifting items including exclusive trips, services and products. Lee’s luxury collection of healing gemstone jewelry was also featured at the Dubois, Pelin & Associates (DPA) pre-Golden Globes gifting suite for the Golden Globes in 2018. Her team of reiki healers handcrafts a luxury collection of healing gemstones that incorporates an 11-step reiki healing and cleansing process reflected in her unique pieces. The exposure at the gifting suite this February enabled Lee to gift items to celebrities and represent Cape Breton internationally in Beverley Hills.

Securicy launches free platform to help startups understand cybersecurity and data protection The Sydney-based cybersecurity company, Securicy, recently launched a series of free tools to assist startups in protecting their data. The platform-based tool helps young companies understand the requirements to protect themselves from cyber-criminals and meet expected data security standards. The platform provides a step-by-step roadmap for what companies need to do to implement cybersecurity policies.

Scotties wrap up in Sydney More than 375 volunteers contributed to the success of the week-long Scotties Tournament of Hearts this February. The Canadian national women’s curling tournament saw games from morning to night, with attendance upwards of 2,500 people for the semifinal game between Saskatchewan and Ontario and more than 3,600 in the final that saw Alberta win against Ontario.

Want to be included or featured in Regional Buzz?

PHOTO STEVE WADDEN

Bungalow Beans hits the road in vintage camper Steve Smith, owner of Coxheath-based Bungalow Beans, was selling small-batch roasted coffee at pop-up markets and events in the Sydney area. Roasting beans he’s bought from all over the world, Smith would use the barbecue in his backyard to roast the beans and deliver the great taste coffee lovers can’t get enough of. Now Smith has taken his coffee bean business on the road with the help of a 1968 camper. This summer, Smith will be selling his special blend of freshly-brewed coffee at festivals and farmers markets around the Island.

BUSINESS NEWS

Are you a Cape Breton business celebrating success?

Launching a new product?

Announcing a new partnership?

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Spring FEASTival from Destination Cape Breton and Saltscapes It’s lobster season in Cape Breton; we’ve got the kettle on and the beverages chilled. Like other annual Saltscapes events, the Spring FEASTival will feature an all-local jam-packed demonstration and entertainment schedule including Select Nova Scotia culinary inspiration taking place May 25-26 at the Port of Sydney. The event will include fish and seafood competitions by local chefs, food trucks and fish and chip shacks, demos on shucking seafood, pickling herring and inspiring all ages to cook local at home, as well as unique handmade and Indigenous gifts for home, cottage and garden, destination inspiration to make every staycation getaway the best, ideas on how to preserve fresh farmers market bounty while minimizing food waste to eat local all year long, live local music, pub fare featuring local spirits, craft beer, N.S. wines and non-stop cocktail demos. Plus guests can be part of the longest lobster supper community table in the world at this all-things-local event.

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COVER STORY

When we came here, the Island was so beautiful and people were so loving that we fell in love with this place, so much that we never wanted to leave.”

ATHAR AHMAD, OWNER, MIAN’S RESTAURANT

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AN APPETITE FOR IMMIGRATION Cape Breton Island welcomes newcomers and the flavours they bring to the community STORY NICOLE SIMMONS

I

t is a brisk January morning. You’re stepping off an airplane. It’s windy. There is something different about the air — it’s cold and damp. The smells are peculiar. Your clothes make you feel out of place. You look for the way out, but no one can answer your questions because they don’t understand you and you don’t understand them. You’ve saved your entire life to come here and it’s your first time leaving home. Doubts fill your mind — was this a mistake?

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PHOTOS STEVE WADDEN

These are the journeys of thousands of immigrants.

In 2018, nearly half a million people immigrated to Canada from countries around the world. For many of them, this was their first time to Canada. The last time the country saw an increase this size was in the 1950s, which was the shared result of the Second World War baby boom and the Hungarian and Suez crises of 1957 that saw more than 282,000 international people make Canada home.

According to Statistics Canada, population growth numbers across the country were almost entirely driven by immigration in the early months of 2019. Of this, Nova Scotia reported an estimated two per cent population growth between 2018 and 2019, which equates to more than 10,000 newcomers settling in the province.

Early estimates have immigration to Cape Breton Island more than triple what it was in 2017. This is in addition to high international

The Ahmad family of Mian’s Restaurant in Sydney. Back from left are siblings Athar Ahmad, Sehrish Ahmad and Aamir Ahmad.

Front from left is mother Samina Ahmad and father Mian Ahmad.

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COVER STORY

student enrollment numbers at Cape Breton University (CBU) which has grown to nearly 2,700 — accounting for more than half of the entire student population.

So what does an influx of immigration mean to Cape Bretoners?

For one thing, really good food.

The doom of impending economic decline from an aging population only gave Nova Scotians the resilience, creative push and open mindsets they needed to take economic acceleration into their own hands. This included the welcoming of international and national migrant families to help strengthen the workforce, further brighten and diversify the ethnic landscape of the province and regrow the population.

For many newcomers, one of the most difficult challenges — second to learning a new

language — can be the unfamiliar tastes and lack of access to international food choices.

Food can be a symbolic measure of a culture and is associated to many celebrations, holidays and religious traditions all over the world — such as turkey for Thanksgiving in Canada or sabzi polow ba mahi for Nowruz, the Persian New Year. What would Christmas be without a glass of eggnog?

As an integral piece of a person’s identity, culture, comfort level and happiness, people yearn for familiarity in food, especially at home. This is what drove Ajay Balyan and Lovepreet Singh to open Swaagat Taste of India on Prince Street in Sydney, after moving from their home in Haryana, India to attend CBU. “The main thing that inspired me to do a restaurant here is that whenever you go COVER STORY

somewhere you always look for your food, what you usually eat, but for us, it was hard to find options here,” said Balyan.

The new Indian restaurant will serve traditional dishes including tandoori chicken, curries, butter chicken, naan, aloo gobi, samosas and more, and is hoping to hire up to 20 employees once the business reaches its optimal operating pace. The dining room has seating for 30 to 35 patrons and offers takeout options to the busy food lover.

“We are planning to hire some students and some local residents as well,” says Balyan. “There are more than a thousand Indian students at CBU. We all talk about how we can’t make food like we had back home and a lot of Canadians also don’t have many options to eat and try new things.”

Swaagat joins Mian’s Restaurant, another

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Everyone I’ve hired loves it here and they want to stay here and make a living. It’s a great opportunity to hire international workers in Cape Breton.”

ARDON MOFFORD, OWNER AND EXECUTIVE CHEF, ALE HOUSE INVESTMENTS

From left: Juan Callacna, Executive Sous Chef, Ardon Mofford, Executive Chef and Owner, and Daniel Ortiz, Sous Chef, of Governor’s Pub & Eatery in Sydney.

Rice Cake from Governor’s Pub & Eatery in Sydney.

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Sydney-based Indian restaurant, which has also recognized the need to accommodate the growing student bodies’ demand for Indian foods, while diversifying local tastes.

After learning students were travelling to Halifax, more than 400 kilometres away, to stock up on groceries to cook everyday meals, the restaurant recently responded by opening Mian’s Indian Grocery Store on Grand Lake Road.

Originally from Pakistan, Mian’s Athar Ahmad and his family moved to Canada seven years ago when relatives sponsored them to get into the country.

“When we came here, the Island was so beautiful and people were so loving that we fell in love with this place, so much that we never wanted to leave,” said Athar.

Although the Ahmad family happily

began settling into the Cape Breton lifestyle, they needed to look for sustainable income.

“In 2012, we started selling our food from a small table in the farmers market and slowly expanded to different markets. In February 2017, we opened Mian’s Restaurant at 416 George St. in Sydney.”

The food industry is a significant contributor to the Atlantic Canadian economy, generating $6.6 billion in annual revenues and accounting for nearly 20,000 Atlantic Canadian businesses, from small family-owned farming operations to global corporations. Diversifying the food sector is an important part of growing the country’s reputation for immigration and is an important component for tourism growth.

Swaagat and Mian’s are just two of a growing number of immigrant and newcomer-led SPRING 2019 ELEVATE

restaurants that have been changing the culinary landscape in Cape Breton.

Among the ranks helping to silence hungry stomachs, quench yearning appetites and satisfy adventurous pallets around the Island are Kiju’s Restaurant, Lebanese Flower, A Bite of Asia, Naru Sushi and the Egyptian Middle-Eastern cuisine of Khufu Restaurant and Bakery.

But it is not just new international restaurants and grocery stores that are changing the flavour of Cape Breton. Newcomers are bringing the mouth-watering taste of home to the Island in other ways, like adding diversity to the menus of existing eateries.

Long influenced by a history of immigration, together with regional product availability, chefs have combined cultural traditions and local products, creating new forms

We all talk about how we can’t make food like we had back home and a lot of Canadians also don’t have many options to eat and try new things.”

AJAY BALYAN, OWNER, SWAAGAT TASTE OF INDIA

Ajay Balyan and Lovepreet Singh, Cape Breton University students from India, stand for a photo outside Swaagat Taste of India in Sydney.

COVER STORY

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HIRING INTERNATIONAL WORKERS INTRODUCES US TO SO MANY NEW CULTURES AND FOODS, IT’S INCREDIBLE. FOR ME, FROM A CHEF’S STANDPOINT, I GET TO BE INTRODUCED TO SO MANY NEW CUISINES FROM DIFFERENT COUNTRIES LIKE SOUTH AMERICA, PERU AND BRAZIL, AS WELL AS SPANISH FOOD AND INDIAN FOOD. IT’S ENJOYABLE. YOU ALSO GET TO MEET SO MANY NEW PEOPLE FROM DIFFERENT RACES, CULTURES, RELIGIONS. IT’S INTERESTING FOR THE ENTIRE TEAM AND IN GENERAL, IT’S GREAT FOR CAPE BRETON.”

ARDON MOFFORD, OWNER AND EXECUTIVE CHEF, ALE HOUSE INVESTMENTS

foreign students,” says Mofford. “The AIP program is great. It makes it accessible for me to get people into the country to work.”

At the peak of the summer season, Ale House Investments employs about 100 people between the two restaurants, including Mofford. Of those, 14 are international workers.

“Everyone I’ve hired loves it here and they want to stay here and make a living,” says Mofford. “It’s a great opportunity to hire international workers in Cape Breton.”

Mofford is also taking advantage of the talent moving to Cape Breton to attend CBU. He has recently hired a new graduate from CBU to stay in Cape Breton and continue with his culinary career, as well as a hospitality student, two culinary workers and one business administration student who will act in a managerial role and executive assistant to Mofford.

“I’m lucky because my staff make me food all of the time. They’ll make it at home and say ‘hey, chef I want you to try this Indian dish,’ and I love Indian cuisine, so I get to try all of the different ones. The thing with Indian food is that it’s different from every region, so whether they’re Punjab or Pakistan, it’s always different. Even though they’re similar in dishes, some make them spicy, some don’t, some are strong curry and cumin, some aren’t. It’s always interesting.”

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The restaurants feature chef specials each day with influence from the chef ’s home country and using Cape Breton seafood and other local products — with an international twist.

“We use international dishes on the chef ’s special menu all of the time. I encourage them to feature food, things like samosas, pinay and tapos. My cuisine is more Cape Breton style comfort food and a lot of local fresh seafood. When they use local foods in their own dishes, it really adds to a lot of different dishes.”

Food is a common ground for people to connect in gathering and share stories — something that Cape Bretoners are well known for. This growing sector with a diverse collection of immigrant food and restaurant entrepreneurs in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) is demonstrating the vibrancy of what has always been a Cape Breton value.

Although there is no lack of international restaurant choices these days in the CBRM, expanding food selection is not a new phenomenon to the Island. Like a colourful mosaic, Cape Breton Island is the kitchen table of Canadian multiculturalism and food. Historically with Mi’kmaq, Scottish, Irish and Acadian cultures, Cape Breton is a unique potluck party where all food tastes are welcome.

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and styles of cooking to attract visitors.

Utilizing the diverse backgrounds and expertise of new employees have brought new flavour combinations to restaurants operated by Ale House Investments: Governor’s Pub and Eatery and the Commoner Table and Tap in Sydney.

“Hiring international workers introduces us to so many new cultures and foods, it’s incredible,” says Ardon Mofford, owner and Executive Chef of Ale House Investments.

“For me, from a chef ’s standpoint, I get to be introduced to so many new cuisines from different countries like South America, Peru and Brazil, as well as Spanish food and Indian food. It’s enjoyable. You also get to meet so many new people from different cultures, religions. It’s interesting for the entire team and in general, it’s great for Cape Breton.”

Mofford has helped several people immigrate to Cape Breton through the Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP), including his executive sous chef, demi-chef de partie, from Peru who works directly with Mofford to develop inventory controls, recipes and menu options as well as a sous chef from Spain who is responsible for the team at Governor’s Pub. “In the past five to six years it has become apparent that I couldn’t fill the positions I needed when I put out job postings, so that’s when I started hiring migrant workers and

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PROFILE

Welcoming workers Designated AIP employers foster Island development with international workforce STORY NICOLE SIMMONS

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his is the incredible story of a man driven by doing good for others in the world, and the economic opportunities for rural communities taking the step to hire international workers.

In remote and sparsely populated geographies, rural communities can face unique challenges finding qualified candidates to fill job vacancies. Out-migration, lack of accommodations for workers and aging demographics can also cause issues for employers who have hiring difficulties; and when posting locally — then nationally — doesn’t dig up interested hires, sometimes employers have to think bigger, broader and go global.

In the community of Belle Côte in the Municipality of the County of Inverness, Roddie MacLennan was facing difficulties in hiring employees for the Belle View Restaurant. With an extremely small population and even fewer dwelling spaces, finding labour can be a challenge, unless business owners, like MacLennan, take the effort to fix it.

“It’s challenging to find workers because there aren’t many people around here,” says MacLennan. “I had to open all winter to guarantee that I have workers all summer, but it’s already proving to be well worth it.”

To help ease hiring challenges, the Belle View Restaurant also became a designated employer under the Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP) program. This program helps rural businesses navigate the challenges of recruiting, transitioning and retaining international workers through the complex immigration landscape. The Belle View

Restaurant currently employs three approved candidates through the AIP program, with a fourth international worker not through the program. But his reach for helping people from around the world stretches far beyond their employment.

MacLennan’s dive into humanitarianism all started by chaperoning his son’s youth

IT’S CHALLENGING TO FIND WORKERS BECAUSE THERE AREN’T MANY PEOPLE AROUND HERE. I HAD TO OPEN ALL WINTER TO GUARANTEE THAT I HAVE WORKERS ALL SUMMER, BUT IT’S ALREADY PROVING TO BE WELL WORTH IT.” RODDIE MACLENNAN, OWNER, BELLE VIEW RESTAURANT

group trip to Brazil, where they were able to see how residents in other countries truly lived. Upon his return to Canada, MacLennan began research into helping other countries and found Chalice Canada, an international organization that works in impoverished communities to help struggling families overcome the cycle of poverty.

“I decided to take a trip with Chalice. I just went there blind and did whatever I

could to help them, and to see the smiles on these children’s faces when you’re leaving, and when you’re with them, it’s priceless.”

From that moment, MacLennan knew what he wanted to do with his life. After retiring to Cape Breton from Fort MacMurray where he owned several businesses, MacLennan decided he would open a pizza restaurant and give the proceeds to underprivileged people and bring awareness to the work of Chalice.

After a chance encounter with a neighbour, MacLennan’s dream became a reality when he purchased the restaurant in June 2012.

“I give a dollar of every pizza I sell to Chalice and all of the [tip] money from pizza sales. Employees only pay half price for food, so I decided to give the other half of employee purchases to Chalice as well,” says MacLennan. “My goal was to sponsor 10 children the first summer, and within the first few months, I had the 10 kids paid for.”

Since then, MacLennan has sponsored five additional children, totaling 15 sponsored kids — of all ages.

“Two of my foster ‘children’ are actually adults. One is 84-years-old and one is 62-years-old. They’re looking after their grandchildren, whose parents have died or, for whatever reason, are not around.”

But MacLennan’s dive didn’t stop there — he decided he would help international workers immigrate to Canada to work at the restaurant.

“On a trip to Bolivia, the interpreter connected me with a promising local Bolivian chef. I was there to help people, so I thought that if she wanted to come to Canada to work for me, I would help her get here.”

According to MacLennan, at the time,

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PROFILE

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Vanessa Castillo Barra, Chef, from Boliva; Roddie MacLennan, Owner, from Chimney Corner; and Elena Stephanie Rabello Gomez, Server, from Mexico at the Belle View Restaurant.

PHOTO OMAR TAG EL-DIN

the woman was making approximately $300 USD per month, working 13 hours per day, seven days per week, which she had been doing for nearly five and a half years. MacLennan offered to hire her but she needed to prove personal savings of $3,200 before she could qualify to work in Canada.

Recognizing that was an impossibility at her current earnings, MacLennan took the unusual step of gifting the talented chef $2,500, then paid for her flight and travel expenses to Canada. The upside for MacLennan? A topnotch professional and phenomenal cook.

“Although she hadn’t worked with Canadian food before, when you’re an excellent chef, you’re an excellent chef,” said MacLennan. “It’s a lot about timing, making sure everything gets out at the same time while it’s all hot — whether it’s a Japanese dish, a Canadian dish or a Bolivian dish — timing is of the essence.”

After deciding to hire internationally, MacLennan needed to guarantee full-time employment hours for all foreign workers, meaning he would have to open the restaurant’s doors throughout the winter months when it is difficult to maintain profits.

To accommodate workers’ needs, MacLennan not only had to adjust his business model to reflect the requirements of the program, but also had to adjust his personal life.

“I had to buy a house for one of my workers’ families because there are no vacancies for people to rent a home or apartment,” said MacLennan. “I bought the house, paid for the oil, power and internet for a few months

to get them on their feet. I also picked them up each day to bring them to work then took them home later that day.”

The most rewarding part for MacLennan is that the restaurant has enabled him to help more people around the world. When in Bolivia last year, MacLennan went to visit

THE FIRST SUMMER, EIGHT PEOPLE CAME BACK TO ME AND SAID, BECAUSE OF MY STORY, THEY’VE SPONSORED A CHILD. THAT MEANS MORE TO ME THAN ME ANYTHING, BECAUSE YOU KNOW WHAT YOU’RE DOING IS WORKING.” RODDIE MACLENNAN, OWNER, BELLE VIEW RESTAURANT

a family who had a six-year-old with Down syndrome and an unsponsored twin brother.

When MacLennan offered to sponsor the brother, the boys mother hesitated.

“She brought us papers from a drawer.

That’s when we came to find out that both boys needed heart transplants and that they were going to die,” said MacLennan. “I knew what we had to do, so I looked at the other sponsor and asked her if she would help me fundraise back in Canada. The operation SPRING 2019 ELEVATE

was about $9,000 CAD. The next March, we received an email from Chalice that their operations were both completed, and they were both a success.”

The restaurant’s charitable reputation has caused a ripple effect in the community.

“The first summer, eight people came back to me and said, because of my story, they’ve sponsored a child. That means more to me than me anything, because you know what you’re doing is working.”

Perla MacLeod is another example that immigration is working well in Cape Breton.

According to Leanne MacEachen, Chief Administrative Officer for Victoria County, MacLeod came to Canada 18 years ago as an immigrant from Mexico and has been changing how the community views foreign workers.

“Based on her work ethic, her reasonability and her common sense approach, I think she has really helped make a shift in the mind state of the community to help people become more open to immigration.”

MacLeod was instrumental in the decision of Victoria County to step outside the traditional hiring box, after about six months of silence for a job posting.

With the trust in immigrant employees instilled by people like Perla MacLeod, the Municipality of the County of Victoria became the first municipality in Nova Scotia to become an AIP designated employer.

Although Victoria County has yet to hire an international employee, shifting state of mind is a monumental step for the AIP program to become as successful for the county as it has been for Roddie MacLennan.

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CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

PHOTO STEVE WADDEN

Craft from away Newcomer crafters find inspiration in Customs House Artisan Incubator STORY ANDREA VOKEY

F

or Tessa Reed, the Customs House Artisan Incubator program was a dream come true.

The exciting new program, led by the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design in partnership with the Town of Port Hawkesbury, the Cape Breton Partnership, the Nova Scotia Department of Communities, Culture and Heritage and the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA), looks to attract new artisan business to the Island through assisting locals and newcomers to develop their artistic and professional skills.

Through the program, the Customs House provides a supportive and creative

THESE ARTISTS TOOK A RISK AND CAME TO PORT HAWKESBURY TO TRY NEW IDEAS, GROW THEIR SKILLS AND BY EXTENSION, CONTRIBUTE TO THE CREATIVE ECONOMY HERE ON THE ISLAND.”

LORI BURKE, EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR AT THE CAPE BRETON CENTRE FOR CRAFT AND DESIGN

CREATIVE DEVELOPMENT

environment for artists from across the country, along with three years of affordable and fully-equipped studio space, shared retail space and entrepreneurial training and resources to grow their businesses.

“This opportunity looked too good to be true,” says Reed, a ceramic artist from Saskatchewan and owner of Tessaramics, and one of four newcomer entrepreneurs who launched their business in the Customs House in Port Hawkesbury.

“The Customs House Artisan Incubator has provided four emerging artists from around Canada with the space, equipment and support to succeed in their artistic and business practices,” says Lori Burke, Executive Director at the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design. “These artists

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took a risk and came to Port Hawkesbury to try new ideas, grow their skills and, by extension, contribute to the creative economy here on the Island.”

In addition to creative support, the Cape Breton Centre for Craft and Design provides education to artists on various topics including wholesaling of products, marketing, accounting and website development.

“It is our goal to continue the momentum by working to establish new incubator spaces in other communities around the Island,” says Burke.

Along with Tessaramics, new businesses emerging from the Customs House include Phee’s Original Goods, Tasha Grace Design and Josephine Clarke Textiles, operated by Josie Clarke, a textile artist hailing from British Columbia.

“My acceptance to this residency came exactly when I needed it in my life. When I was interviewed, I just knew it was right,” says Josie Clarke. “There were people out there who could help me make a living by creating my own job.”

With the entrepreneurial spirit comes a host of supports from the entrepreneurial community.

“Having such a supportive group of artisans together under one roof takes a lot of anxiety out of starting a new business and makes the experience all the better,” says Kyle McPhee, a leather worker from Glace Bay and owner of Phee’s Original Goods.

Along with fellow artisan support, the creatives found the community of Port Hawkesbury to be welcoming, and the natural beauty of the Island to be an inspiration pinpoint.

“So many ideas come to me now. I am constantly inspired by the people and the landscape of Cape Breton,” says Tasha Matthews of Tasha Grace Design, a jeweler who recently relocated back to Nova Scotia after residing in Manitoba for the last several years.

To learn more about artists in residence and the work they are doing at the Customs House visit www.capebretoncraft.com/ learn/customs-house/artistsinres/

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PHOTOS COREY KATZ

Textile artist Josie Clarke

Leather crafter Kyle McPhee

Jeweler Tasha Matthews

Ceramics artist Tessa Reed

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ELEVATE

BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

The beat of business Synclavier Digital modernizes next generation of sound

Synclavier Digital's Kevin Maloney, Craig Phillips, and Cameron Jones at the 2019 NAMM Show in California.

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

STORY JEREMY MARTELL

Y

ou may not have heard of the Synclavier before, but you’ve probably listened to it. Invented in 1978, the Synclavier was an early digital music synthesizer that can be heard on songs by artists like Michael Jackson and Madonna, and in movies like Harry Potter, Deadpool and, most notably, Black Panther, which won this year’s Oscar for Best Musical Score.

Today, co-creator of the Synclavier, Cameron Jones, lives on Isle Madame, off Cape Breton’s southern shore. Jones and his wife, Karen, immigrated from Boston in 2012 and has recently joined forces with a number of his Cape Breton neighbours to redevelop the Synclavier for a new generation of electronic musicians.

“It’s really about accessibility — giving anyone the ability to try and explore their own musical creativity and make something new and beautiful,” says Jones. “Music and sound has evolved so much over the years and I knew it was time for Synclavier to evolve as well.”

This evolution began in earnest in 2018 when Jones attended a tech social in Richmond County organized by the Cape Breton Partnership with fellow entrepreneur

The Synclavier Go

Craig Phillips. A tech entrepreneur and software engineer who operates Software Guru in Louisdale and fellow immigrant hailing from Bristol, United Kingdom, Phillips had the skills and expertise to help take the Synclavier into the 21st century.

This partnership resulted in Synclavier Digital launching three new products, the BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT

Synclavier Go! iOS app for iPad, the Synclavier Pocket! iOS app for iPhone and an authentic recreation of the original Synclavier Knob which uses components manufactured by local Sydney-based businesses Protocase and Target Hydraulics & Machine Works. All three products were launched at the National Association of Music Merchants Show in Anaheim in January 2019 and have since experienced more than 10,000 downloads, selling out on the initial production run of Synclavier Knobs.

“I think what’s led us to succeed on this launch is the diverse backgrounds we both bring to this work,” says Phillips. “We both come from two different generations of tech and two different countries — and we’re now contracting some work locally with longtime residents who are giving us their own style and experiences. You can’t help but see creative outcomes when you collaborate with others in this way.”

Synclavier Digital is now making plans to attend additional trade shows throughout the country and is exploring new product ideas to continue to get the Synclavier into the hands — and iPhones — of the next generation of electronic composers, pop stars and filmmakers. www.synclavier.com

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PARTNERSHIP FEATURE

‘I want to serve this community’ Osprey Health launched to support Cape Breton’s aging population STORY STEPHANIE MACLEAN

W

hen you meet him, it’s not hard to tell Ajay Singh is passionate about his community and his family. From serving customers in his new business, Osprey Health Care, to speaking publicly about his family in Dehradun, Northern India, it’s clear that wellness is a significant and motivating factor for Singh — so motivating, it changed his life.

Trained as a civil engineer, Singh has worked all over the world in the oil and gas sector. When he decided it was time to stop travelling and set down family roots, he chose Canada.

A large country, Singh wasn’t sure where to start his search for his family’s forever home, but after many months, the search ended in Cape Breton. Winning Singh and his family over with its inviting business climate, friendly communities, and most importantly, family life, the Singh’s knew Cape Breton Island was where they wanted to make their new home.

“Of all the places I’ve come across, family bonding is very important in Cape Breton and Nova Scotia and that aspect of life can be difficult to find in other places,” says Singh.

Drawing on memories of his parent’s health concerns in India, Singh realized the challenges of a large aging population in Cape Breton and saw it first-hand when his family moved to the Island. That realization, along with a growing network of professional connections and support from the Cape Breton Partnership Connector Program,

PHOTO CONTRIBUTED

Meenakshi and Ajay Singh in Osprey Health Care located in the Value Check Plaza in Sydney.

signaled an opportunity.

That is when his life took a 180-degree directional change. From oil and gas to geriatric healthcare, Singh launched Osprey Health Care earlier this year which offers products and services to seniors living in their homes, such as mobility and therapy products. The business, which currently has three employees, had their soft opening in December with plans to host an official opening later in 2019. Singh has also been

looking into other areas of senior care to compliment the business.

When asked about the high level of service he strives to provide, Singh says they’re just doing their job, but the care his company puts into their customers’ well-being often goes above and beyond what many would consider the minimum.

“To me, this business is about more than just making money,” says Singh, “I want to serve this community.”

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STRAIT AREA CHAMBER FEATURE

State of the Strait

Chamber of Commerce sets a positive tone for business investment

Creative Economy panellists Jay Bell Redbird, Sara Rankin and Morgan Murray.

Industry panellists Mark Brown, Gordana Slepcev and Mike Kelloway.

Fabian Henry, Founder of Marijuana for Trauma, Veterans for Healing and Breton CannaPharms. Fabian was also the Keynote Speaker.

Sean Sturge, Project Manager and Co-Founder, Cape Breton Cultural Experience Resort in Margaree.

PHOTOS CONTRIBUTED

CONTRIBUTED BY Strait Area Chamber of Commerce

T

he Strait Area Chamber of Commerce hosted its annual State of the Strait Business Update event on March 13, at the Port Hawkesbury Civic Centre. The event attracted more than 140 of the region’s business and community leaders to hear about activities in three key sectors of the economy: the creative economy, industry and a focus on new investments.

A presentation on the Creative Island concept by the Cape Breton Partnership laid the foundation for an informative creative economy panel; highlights of which included an update from renowned Indigenous artist, Jay Bell Redbird from the Friends United Cultural Centre, and Sara Rankin of Mabou — her company (Sara Rankin Creative Co.) was recently recognized by Design Drizzle Digital Magazine as one of the top ten logo design firms worldwide.

Kicking off the industry panel, NSCC provided insight into their industry-related programming. Additional updates on heavy industry developments in the region were provided on Pieridae Energy’s Goldboro LNG project and on Anaconda’s Gold Mining project — both of which have recently announced significant steps forward on financing these projects.

The new investments panel highlighted projects in Richmond, Victoria, and Inverness Counties. Presentations on the Arichat façade and streetscape program and from the innovative Cabot Shores Wilderness Resort and Retreat were well received, with the final update coming from the brand new project in Margaree to develop a Cape Breton cultural experience — a significant development that will capitalize on the incredible natural assets of the region.

The event concluded with a heartfelt keynote from Fabian Henry, founder of Marijuana for Trauma, Veterans for Healing, and Breton CannaPharms. Fabian’s story is built on his passion to help soldiers transitioning from STRAIT AREA CHAMBER FEATURE

service to civilian life, particularly those suffering from mental illnesses like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). His purchase of lands in Chimney Corner, Egypt Falls, and most recently the former call centre building in Port Hawkesbury are part of his overall plan to develop Cape Breton as a healing destination for veterans across Canada and will employ up to 70 people in the region.

All of the presenters clearly demonstrated that the economy of the Strait Area and rural Cape Breton continues to be supported by industry and innovative entrepreneurs. Watch for these movers and shakers to grow and prosper in 2019.

With the support of our partners, the Strait Area Chamber was able to host one of our best State of the Strait business update events ever.

Many thanks to: Port Hawkesbury Paper, East Coast Credit Union, Nova Scotia Business Inc., Grant Thornton, Richmond County, Cape Breton Partnership, Cape Breton Regional Enterprise Network, Eastern Strait Regional Enterprise Network, NovaStream and 101.5 The Hawk.

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