Business View Magazine November-December 2018

236 237 residential. But there is a bright light on the horizon that could totally change the downtown scenario. MacKinnon shares the good news: “Nova Scotia Community College (NSCC) is currently located ‘out on the highway’ between Glace Bay and Sydney, and the Province of Nova Scotia has committed to moving that Marconi Campus – including 1,200 students – to our downtown. They are in the stage of siting a location and it’s a fairly aggressive timetable. The message from the provincial government is that they really want to make this happen. Construction would, ideally, begin later in 2019 on the 200,000-sq.-ft. campus facility at a cost of over $100 million.” And there’s more. An Expression of Interest for development of some CBRM harbourfront lands has also gone out, and a company is interested in locating a private residential development there that would link the hotels, and possibly relocate the casino, and include a new public library. That project, in the $100 million range, is also being looked at by Council. Presently, there is only one berth for cruise ships and often three ships in the harbor at one time, with passengers brought into land by small- er boats. “So, we’re building what we call, The Second Berth,” says MacKinnon. “A $20 million project that’s also big for the downtown core – as it will increase the size of ship we can land. Right now, the Queen Mary comes to town and has to park out in the harbor.With The Second Berth, we’ll be able to accommodate the biggest cruise CAPE BRETON REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY, NOVA SCOTIA ships right up to the dock, where passengers can disembark. That will give us the ability to have two on the deck at one time.” One significant item lacking in the CBRM is natural gas. Electricity and oil are the main sources of energy. As Phalen states, “Just to generate electricity in Nova Scotia, we’re still burning large quantities of coal.We do have the Maritime Link, though. Nova Scotia Power (Em- era) ran a cable from Muskrat Falls to a transfer station that will provide green energy to all of Nova Scotia and down into the northeastern United States. Muskrat Falls is a new hydro-elec- tric plant being built in Labrador by the New- foundland Energy Authority. Nova Scotia Power is partnered with them for this link; the cable is already buried in place and as soon as Muskrat PREFERRED VENDOR n Trifos Design Consultants www.trifos.com Falls is up and running, the power will flow.We’ll be able to buy energy from them at a reduced rate and help support the green energy commit- ments we’ve agreed to, federally.” So, there’s much in the planning stages, and so much positivity and exciting times ahead for the residents and businesses of Cape Breton Region- al Municipality and the Island, as a whole.With three of the top 10 golf courses in Canada locat- ed here, and photo opps galore, Cape Breton is definitely worthy of Travel & Leisure Magazine’s title of “#1 Island in Canada.”