Business View Magazine November-December 2018

232 233 thousands of visitors are treated to a blaze of fall splendor with the Celtic Colours International Festival. Among the region’s many cultural trea- sures is the renowned Fortress of Louisbourg National Historic Site. The site is operated year- round by Parks Canada as a living history mu- seum and stands as the largest reconstruction project in North America. Then there’s the Cabot Trail, dubbed one of the most scenic routes on the planet. A truly breathtaking experience –whether driving on the main road or venturing off to spec- tacular hiking trails and iconic fishing villages nestled into the coast. Transportation-wise, the CBRM is ideally sit- uated for travellers. In 2018, the Port of Sydney expects to welcome upwards of 90 cruise ships and over 200,000 passengers. The Trans-Cana- da Highway terminates in North Sydney where Marine Atlantic ferries connect to both Chan- nel-Port aux Basques, where the highway starts again, and Argentia, Newfoundland. Rick McReady, CBRM Senior Planner, reports, “We have about 100 cruise ships coming into Sydney Harbour. And large numbers of people drive in for our tourist CAPE BRETON REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY, NOVA SCOTIA destinations, like the Fortress of Louisburg, and pass through en route to Newfoundland. Here, in Sydney, we have quite a few hotels in or near the downtown core (at least 1,000 rooms), and there are accommodations in Louisburg and North Sydney, as well.” The major focus for the local government, right now, is on the Port. As CBRM’s Economic Devel- opment Manager, John Phalen, explains, “In the last couple years, Council has adopted a strate- gic direction based on development of the Port. What makes us unique over many others is our proximity to Europe and Asia for shipping.We just invested quite a bit in a harbor dredge that brought our harbor up to a depth that can han- dle the largest container ships in the world.We received funding from all levels of government for the dredge, as well as from Nova Scotia Power that has an interest in bringing coal into the har- bor from a recently reopened coal mine. But the container port development, itself, is all privately funded.” Another challenge for the CBRM is critical water and sewer infrastructure that is at the end