(CAPE BRETON, NS) – On Thursday, June 21st community members, business leaders, and government officials convened at the Alexander Graham Bell National Historic Site in Baddeck for an Innovation Ceilidh celebrating the Province of Nova Scotia’s investment in growing our economy through innovation and entrepreneurship. Hosted by the Government of Nova Scotia with support from collaborative partners including the Cape Breton Partnership, Cape Breton University, the Halifax Partnership, Dalhousie University, and the Nova Scotia Community College, the Innovation Ceilidh showcased how Nova Scotia is emerging as one the most vibrant places for innovation in North America.

As part of the Innovation Ceilidh, the Cape Breton Partnership launched a new initiative, Creative Island, which is an effort to advance the innovation-driven entrepreneurial system in Cape Breton by creating a culture and environment that values and supports creativity, innovation and entrepreneurship. With support from Cape Breton University and the Province of Nova Scotia, Creative Island emphasizes celebrating Cape Breton’s rich creative past and present, developing and supporting programs, services and infrastructure to support and grow the innovative capacity of Cape Bretoners and Cape Breton companies, and attracting and retaining more creative people in Cape Breton.

“As Cape Breton’s private sector-led economic development organization, the Cape Breton Partnership is excited to be working with our partners on this project and position Cape Breton as a world-class leader for innovation, economic growth and sustainable business,” says Carla Arsenault, President and CEO of the Cape Breton Partnership. “Creative Island works to bring together stakeholders and business leaders from across the island and beyond to build on our remarkable assets and help transform Cape Breton into the most creative place on earth.”

The three main areas of focus for Creative Island include: growing and celebrating a culture that values creativity, innovation, and entrepreneurship; increasing the ability of entrepreneurs, inventors, makers, creators, and companies to be more innovative; and fostering creativity, creative courage and attracting and keeping creative people in Cape Breton.

“In the past 5 years there has been considerable growth in the start-up community,” says Anna Manley, lawyer at Manley Law Inc. and Founder of Advocate Cognitive Technologies Inc (ACTI). “This influx is fueled mostly by people’s natural drive for collaboration but has also been supported by more organized efforts, like the Innovation Districts.”

To learn more about Creative Island or if you want to get involved, visit www.thecreativeisland.com.

Media Contact:
Carla Arsenault
President & CEO
Cape Breton Partnership
902-562-0122 / 902-577-2455
carla@capebretonpartnership.com