Cape Breton Island, NS – Building on the momentum of a recent Creative Economy Leaders Workshop, the Cape Breton Partnership will be hosting Creative Minds: Artists’ Stories, a four-part event series taking place throughout March and April.

Creative Minds: Artists’ Stories is an opportunity to bring together individuals who work, create, and thrive in arts and culture to share their stories and give one another a glimpse into what it means to be an artist in Unama’ki – Cape Breton. Live music and an opportunity to network with the creative sector will round out each evening. 

“Opportunities for artists to tell their stories are a key element of fostering Cape Breton – Unama’ki’s creative sector,” says Erin Flynn, Creative Economy Development Officer, Cape Breton Partnership. “Through these events, artists will be able to share their experiences and celebrate the many creative sector contributions on our island.”

Creative Minds: Artists’ Stories details are below:

Tuesday, March 10, 2020: Sydney, Doktor Luke’s, 5:00-8:00PM

Thursday, March 12, 2020: Baddeck, Victoria County Creates, 5:00-8:00PM

Tuesday, March 31, 2020: St. Peter’s, Bras d’Or Lakes Inn, 5:00-8:00PM

A fourth session will take place early April in Inverness.  Once confirmed, event details will be shared.

The Cape Breton Partnership recognizes the importance of the creative sector to our Cape Breton economy, and the Cape Breton Partnership Creative Economy Development Officer is responsible for supporting and growing initiatives in the creative sector across the island. Hosting the Creative Economy Leaders Workshop and the Creative Minds: Artists’ Stories event series are a sample of projects undertaken.

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Media Contact:  
Megan Tonet
Cape Breton Partnership
megan@capebretonpartnership.com
(902) 562-0122

St. Ann’s, Cape Breton Island – Cape Breton – Unama’ki has always been synonymous with culture and creativity, a sector that continues to grow across the country. To foster that growth here at home, the Cape Breton Partnership hosted a two-day Creative Economy Leaders Workshop last week at the Colaisde na Gàidhlig | The Gaelic College in St. Ann’s.

“We have a vibrant community of artists and creative organizations that thrive in part because creative practices have always been a part of our culture on the Island,” says Carla Arsenault, Cape Breton Partnership President & CEO. “The creative sector plays a significant role in our daily lives in Cape Breton – Unama’ki, and is a significant economic driver. We are home to thousands of talented artisans, musicians, actors, writers, and creators. Our Island is a global leader in the creative economy and we are well positioned to contribute and flourish in this sector even further.”  

Last week’s Creative Economy Leaders Workshop saw 30 minds from the Island’s creative sector come together to assess the current creative sector plans: the Cape Breton Island Culture Sector Strategy and Cape Breton Regional Municipality Creative Economy Growth Plan. Musicians, artisans, visual artists, designers, filmmakers, and those involved in theatre and heritage developed an inventory of the Island’s current and upcoming creative assets, identified strengths and opportunities, and discussed collaborative projects that will sustain Unama’ki – Cape Breton’s creative economy growth into the future.

“I’m energized by the potential opportunities for culture and the arts in Cape Breton Island,” says the Honourable Rodney MacDonald, CEO of Colaisde na Gàidhlig | The Gaelic College. “During the two-day conference lots of great discussions, learning and emotions were shared. We all agree that now is the time for action – action that continues to celebrate what already exists in our vibrant culture sector and hopefully leads to more supports for artists across the island.” In 2019, the Cape Breton Partnership created a new position, the Creative Economy Development Officer, responsible for supporting and growing initiatives in the creative sector across the island. Hosting the Creative Economy Leaders Workshop is one of many projects undertaken, with additional workshops to come. For more information, contact Creative Economy Development Officer Erin Flynn at erin@capebretonpartnership.com or 902-562-0122.

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Media Contact:  
Megan Tonet
Cape Breton Partnership
megan@capebretonpartnership.com
(902) 562-0122

Cape Breton, NS – Cape Breton Island’s population is growing! In 2019, Cape Breton – Unama’ki welcomed 385 new permanent residents, surpassing the 2018 total of 270 new permanent residents, and the 2017 total of 195 new permanent residents.

“To grow our economy, we must grow our population, and immigration is a key component of that equation,” says Carla Arsenault, Cape Breton Partnership President & CEO. “To see that in two years we have nearly doubled the Island’s permanent residency admissions is very exciting for us.”

Specifically in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality, 160 permanent residents were welcomed in 2017. This number has grown to 315 permanent residents in 2019.

“It is rewarding to see a lot of hard work paying off in this way. These numbers are a testament to the true value of promotion, partnerships and teamwork. I am committed to continuing this work with Council, staff and our business community as well as Cape Breton University and the Cape Breton Partnership to make us a business-friendly community, ensuring further growth,” says Mayor Cecil Clarke of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.

As Cape Breton – Unama’ki’s economic development organization, supporting immigration efforts across the Island is a priority for the Cape Breton Partnership. In 2017, the Cape Breton Partnership became a regional partner to the Nova Scotia Office of Immigration in the Atlantic Immigration Pilot (AIP) Program. The AIP is an innovative program aimed at attracting and retaining skilled immigrants and international graduates to meet the unique workforce needs of the Atlantic region. The goal is to ensure the long-term retention and integration of newcomers in Atlantic Canada to help drive economic growth.

Since the launch of the AIP, 172 businesses in Cape Breton have been designated to participate in the program. Of these, 135 were directly supported through the process by the Cape Breton Partnership, and resulted in 156 skilled workers being endorsed by the province to settle in Cape Breton with their families.  Many of these families have been welcomed already and many more will be arriving as their final federal immigration applications are approved.

Arsenault adds, “As an Island, we still have work to do to attract more people to Cape Breton – Unama’ki, but it’s encouraging to see that our efforts are having a positive impact and immigration will continue to be a priority for our organization.”

Throughout 2020, the Cape Breton Partnership will be hosting newcomer and immigration sessions around the Island that will include information on the immigration streams available to become a permanent resident and related information on financing, housing and more. Further updates will be provided once these sessions are scheduled. For more information, visit the Immigration, Refugees & Citizenship Canada data for 2019 –  https://open.canada.ca/data/en/dataset/f7e5498e-0ad8-4417-85c9-9b8aff9b9eda .

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Media Contact:  
Megan Tonet
Cape Breton Partnership
megan@capebretonpartnership.com
(902) 562-0122

Cape Breton Island, NS – Unama’ki – Cape Breton is home to companies who produce world-class products and services, and the Cape Breton Partnership’s Export Growth Service is committed to connecting those companies with the knowledge and resources they need to sell their products and services around the world.

The Export Growth Service works with small and medium-sized Cape Breton companies with a focus on three things: meeting with companies to assess their export needs and develop an export plan; providing navigation and guidance for existing export-related services and programs; and hosting workshops, training sessions and an annual export conference.

“Unama’ki – Cape Breton is a small island. With just over 132,000 people, we know that exporting our products and services is key to the growth of our businesses,” says Carla Arsenault, Cape Breton Partnership President & CEO. “Our Export Growth Service gives clients access to a host of experts focused on making export easier for Cape Breton companies by connecting them to national and international markets.”

A recent two-day training session put on by the Export Growth Service allowed 19 companies from across the Island to participate in Professional Selling Reinvented by Base Over Apex, a national company focused on professional sales training and coaching. Many of the participants were clients of the Export Growth Service, and represented a wide variety of sectors, including seafood, tourism, real estate, finance, the arts and information technology. The training covered understanding and managing time, business creation, selling processes, achieving higher success rates, how to keep customers and build a business.

“I can’t say enough good things about this training,” says Export Growth Service client, Deana Lloy of Red Label Kilts Inc. “So many new topics to digest! Very meaningful and I’m looking forward to applying several of the techniques.”

The Export Growth Service is overseen by an Export Development Team made up of representatives from the Cape Breton Partnership, Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, Business Development Bank of Canada, Nova Scotia Business Inc., and Nova Scotia Community College. The Export Growth Service also benefits from an Advisory Team comprised of experts from private sector, government, First Nations communities, and local industry.

To learn more about the Export Growth Service, contact Export Consultant Lan Zheng at export@capebretonpartnership.com.  

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Media Contact:  
Megan Tonet
Cape Breton Partnership
megan@capebretonpartnership.com
(902) 562-0122

Cape Breton Island, NS – Calling all jobseekers and employers with job vacancies!

The Cape Breton Partnership, in collaboration with Nova Scotia Works, Cape Breton University, Nova Scotia Community College, and the Municipalities of the Counties of Inverness and Victoria, are hosting a series of job expos in Inverness, Sydney, and St. Ann’s for both seasonal and full-time employment opportunities.

The job expo series will provide hundreds of jobseekers the opportunity to meet with over 30 employers Island-wide. Employment and economic development service providers will also be on site for employers and jobseekers to discuss opportunities and resources that can help both groups.

“Cape Breton – Unama’ki has so many amazing companies, and many of them have job vacancies they are ready to fill. We also have many talented individuals looking for employment opportunities right here at home,” says Carla Arsenault, President & CEO of the Cape Breton Partnership. “As the Island’s private sector-led economic development organization, we are proud to help make these connections at our upcoming Job Expos.”

The three job expos will be held on March 24 (1 pm – 3pm, Inverness Firehall), March 26 (11 am – 2 pm, Cape Breton University), and March 31 (1pm – 3 pm, Colaisde na Gàidhlig / The Gaelic College).

Any Cape Breton employer is encouraged to participate in as many expos as possible to increase their access to talent on the Island.  Employers can promote any number of available positions, and hold on-site interviews with interested candidates.

Employers interested in participating in the Cape Breton – Unama’ki Job Expo Series can visit https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CB2020JobExpo.  

For more information, contact the Cape Breton Partnership at info@capebretonpartnership.com
or (902) 562-0122.

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Media Contact:  
Jeremy Martell
Cape Breton Partnership
jeremy@capebretonpartnership.com
(902) 631-5442