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