Cape Breton, NS – The Cape Breton Partnership is pleased to share that one of its employees was recently recognized as a trailblazer and leader making a difference in Cape Breton – Unama’ki.
Cape Breton Partnership’s Labour Market Development & Immigration Officer, Omar Tag El-Din, was one of 16 award recipients of the 2020 Most Inspiring Immigrants in the Maritimes award, an acknowledgement that celebrates Canadian immigrants who stand out in their towns and cities across the region. Omar Tag El-Din was the only recipient from Cape Breton – Unama’ki.
The Most Inspiring Immigrants in the Maritimes is an annual event hosted by My East Coast Experience, an organization dedicated to communicating the experiences of our region’s newcomers with a goal to inspire others to welcome immigrants and inspire newcomers to take advantage of the region’s amazing opportunities and make the East Coast their home. The award was handed out during a gala ceremony on January 17, 2020 in Halifax.
“I came to Cape Breton Island after the first revolution and the violence that came after in my home country of Egypt,” says Omar Tag El-Din. “I fell in love with the Island immediately and knew that I had a tremendous opportunity to help other immigrants call Cape Breton home through my work with the Cape Breton Partnership.”
Tag El-Din adds, “I am humbled to be recognized with this amazing group of people, and also grateful every day for the opportunity to live and work in Cape Breton, contributing to its growth, despite the arctic weather!”
The Most Inspiring Immigrants in the Maritimes nominees are assessed on key criteria; leadership, achievement, impact in their community, growth and development, vision, community involvement and contribution and social responsibility. They must also be living or working in any of the Maritime Provinces consistently for the last five years. The honorees are then chosen by a distinguished Judging Panel/Advisory Board comprising of members from NB, PEI and NS.
“On behalf of the staff and Board of the Cape Breton Partnership, we are extremely proud of Omar and all he has accomplished,” says Carla Arsenault, President & CEO, Cape Breton Partnership. “I have had the privilege of working with Omar for nearly three years and have seen firsthand the positive impact his immigration-related work has had on our economy and Island. This recognition is well-deserved.” For a list of all the 2020 Most Inspiring Immigrants in the Maritimes, visit https://myeastcoastexperience.com/celebrating-the-most-inspiring-immigrants-in-the-maritimes/ .
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Media Contact:
Megan Tonet
Cape Breton Partnership
(902) 202-4178
megan@capebretonpartnership.com
The Cape Breton Partnership is Unama’ki – Cape Breton’s private sector-led economic development organization that supports companies and entrepreneurs by promoting our island as a great place to live and invest; growing a culture that values and celebrates creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship; and connecting entrepreneurs and companies to the resources they need to succeed. For more information, visit https://capebretonpartnership.com.
Local businesses and residents take part in community fundraiser
Story by Kathleen MacLeod, Elevate Magazine Editor
This article is an excerpt from the latest issue of Elevate Magazine, the Cape Breton Partnership’s business magazine that was created to bring a fresh perspective to local business success stories. Elevate highlights stories from small start-ups to organizations that employ hundreds of Cape Bretoners. To view the archive of previous editions of Elevate Magazine and to stay up to date on Cape Breton’s growing business community, click here.
When local communities and businesses come together, anything can happen. The case wasn’t any different for the inaugural Harbour Wars, which took place on Aug. 24, 2019. More than 50 local businesses came together with the surrounding communities in Richmond County to highlight the local fishing industry and raise money for the Cape Breton Regional Hospital Foundation’s Cancer Patient Care Fund to strengthen health care for cancer patients on Cape Breton Island.
Harbour Wars, a friendly skills competition, challenges men and women in Cape Breton’s fishing industry to raise funds and compete. The day’s events included the codfish shuffle, fish filleting, dory races, a nautical obstacle course and tug of war. In addition to bragging rights, there was a grand prize of $1,000 for the winning team of the skills competition. The 2019 winners, Grandpère’s Boys, graciously donated their winnings back to the Cancer Patient Care Fund.
Overall, the event was an incredible success, thanks in part to the nearly $15,000 in sponsorship from local businesses. Attracting over 300 people to Little Harbour, Richmond County, the event included a number of activities for the general public as well, including local seafood and live entertainment. Harbour Wars raised an impressive $23,682 for the Cancer Patient Care Fund. With a successful inaugural event, the Harbour Wars planning committee and participants are looking forward to making the fundraiser an annual occurrence in Richmond County, with the second annual event already scheduled for Aug. 22, 2020.
Source: CTV Atlantic News, Jan. 16, 2020
Cape Breton, NS – New businesses create new employment opportunities; and both directly benefit the Cape Breton – Unama’ki economy. That is why the Cape Breton Partnership and Sydney Credit Union have joined together to offer a new and exciting pilot micro-lending program for female entrepreneurs.
Under the Micro-Loan Pilot Program, female entrepreneurs from across Cape Breton – Unama’ki will be eligible to apply for a loan of up to $10,000. The pilot began today, January 16, 2020 and will run for three months or until the program funds of $100,000 provided by the Sydney Credit Union are allocated.
“Sydney Credit Union’s mission and vision is to support the economic well-being and growth of our community,” says Carol Ripley, Chief Executive Officer, Sydney Credit Union. “We have worked closely with the Cape Breton Partnership to develop the Micro-Loan Program for Women and believe what we have created will not only support women entrepreneurs within our community but our Island economy as a whole.“
All financial aspects of the loan will be managed by the Sydney Credit Union, however, the Cape Breton Partnership will provide access to mentors, programs and additional resources the entrepreneurs may require such as business planning, support for export, immigration and economic research. Participants will submit monthly status reports to the Cape Breton Partnership.
“As Cape Breton – Unama’ki’s economic development organization, we have consistently heard that access to funding was a significant barrier to our female entrepreneurs,” says Carla Arsenault, Cape Breton Partnership President & CEO. “By partnering with the Sydney Credit Union on this unique pilot program, our hope is to reduce or remove this barrier for women while directly contributing to the Island’s entrepreneurial success.”
The Cape Breton Partnership and Sydney Credit Union will work together to offer micro-loans while providing support and guidance to female entrepreneurs, using an approach based on Annapolis Investments in Rural Opportunity (AIRO – http://ruralopportunity.com/ ). Recent research conducted on female and Indigenous female entrepreneurs in Cape Breton by both the Cape Breton Partnership and Cape Breton Voices indicated that access to funding is one of the greatest challenges Cape Breton women face.
“As a female entrepreneur in Cape Breton, I can say firsthand that a micro-lending program is addressing an existing gap for entrepreneurs on the Island,” says Tara Milburn, Ethical Swag Founder. “Opportunities don’t happen, we create them. Thanks to the efforts of the Sydney Credit Union and the Cape Breton Partnership, I truly believe this program will have a huge impact on the success of our region.”
Each application will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis and will use the Sydney Credit Union’s existing adjudication and due diligence process in making decisions to grant loans. The loans would be at a non-compounding rate of three per cent, with zero per cent interest for the first six months. Once completed, the Cape Breton Partnership and Sydney Credit Union will assess the success of the program to determine its future. For more information on how to apply, visit https://capebretonpartnership.com/initiatives/micro-lending-program/.
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Media Contact:
Megan Tonet
Cape Breton Partnership
(902) 202-4178
megan@capebretonpartnership.com
Cindy MacDonald
Marketing and Member Relations Manager
Sydney Credit Union
902-563-5373 / 902-497-7670 (c)
cmacdonald@sydneycreditunion.com
The Cape Breton Partnership is Unama’ki – Cape Breton’s private sector-led economic development organization that supports companies and entrepreneurs by promoting our island as a great place to live and invest; growing a culture that values and celebrates creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship; and connecting entrepreneurs and companies to the resources they need to succeed. For more information, visit https://capebretonpartnership.com.
CBC Information Morning Cape Breton recently sat down for a series of conversations with five new Cape Bretoners, sharing their experiences on being local newcomers to the Island.
To hear the segments, click on the below respective links for each:
