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The Little Town with a Big Heart SYDNEY MINES : A PROFILE Sydney Mines, ‘rich in coal and hospitality’, is located in Cape Breton, Nova Scotia, Canada which, according to the National Geographic Magazine/Society, is one of the ten [10] most beautiful islands in the world Once a thriving steel and coal center, the area is presently experiencing a resurge in urban renewal and community spirit. The town is part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality [CBRM] and is situated on the Northside area of Cape Breton County. The President of the Sydney & Area Chamber of Commerce, Owen Fitzgerald, points out that “Sydney is the second largest urban center in the Province of Nova Scotia and is renown for its culture and beauty – and the spirit of the people”.
Sydney Mines is part of the Northside Area [Sydney Mines, North Sydney, Boularderie Island, Bras d’Or, and Florence] – so named because its location is on the north shore of Sydney Harbor. It is located at the very eastern end of the trans Canada Highway {HWY 105]. Sydney Mines is centrally located with most of the major attractions of Cape Breton as Louisburg, Alexander Graham Bell Museum, and the Cabot Trail. Today new streets, subdivisions and buildings attest to its growth. POPULATION The population of Sydney Mines is 7,132. The Northside areas {Sydney Mines, North Sydney, Florence and Bras d’Or] comprise 25,000 and the total population of Cape Breton County is 105,928. [2006 Census]. INDUSTRY (a) Location of a large industrial park that features, among its many enterprises: PRECISION FINISHED COMPONENTS [PFC – a division of Tesma International],(a huge tool and dye plant that produces engine parts for GM et al; East Coast Rope Manufacturing, Copol, Home ED [Distance education Center], EMC, and an incubator mall of several small business [printing, sign making, electronic software, etc]. Just opened in the Industrial Park is a new pharmaceutical plant that specializes in producing prescription drugs. (b) Former site of Princess Colliery that employed thousands of miners during most of the last century, (c) Tourism sites as the Sydney Mines Museum and the Fossil Interpretive Centre [celebrating the evolution of the earth] COMMERCIAL The main business center of Main Street has been renovated through various reconstruction stages over the past decade [new sidewalks, curb and gutter, paved thoroughfares, light standards, greenery spaces, flower beds, benches, etc. The new COMMERCE PLACE is a business complex housing various enterprises as Robin Donuts, Police Community Office, Royal Bank ATM’s, Family Services, Library, Sydney Mines Renewal Association, etc. Regular downtown businesses comprising a modern grocery, furniture, liquor, hardware stores together with bowling alleys, video outlets, lounges, bakery, bank, Credit Union, convenience stores, pharmacies [2], gas stations [2 full service], fast food outlets, restaurants, Sears Outlet, etc. are prevalent in the center of the town. All in all, there are approximately 80 business enterprises located in the town. Close by, there are several Shopping Malls and ‘big box’ stores A very attractive addition to the downtown core of Sydney Mines is the Fireman’s Hall situated on Main and Elliott Streets. The new building is equipped with a spacious meeting/dining room suitable for hosting large gatherings as well as adjacent rooms for smaller community groups. The hall is very popular as a dining area that features noon hour buffets and Sunday brunch. EDUCATIONAL Two modern elementary schools [grades P-6] –(1) St. Joseph’s – serving the southwestern part of town and (2) Jubilee Elementary, located in the center of the town. Both schools are equipped with modern gymnasiums and special areas for music, art, reading, etc. There is a fully established Junior High School [Grades 7-9] with a French Immersion program and Memorial Composite High School [Grades 10-12] that is unique in Nova Scotia in that it provides, apart from full academic streams, an extensive and complete trades-training program. Evening classes are also administered at the school. Moreover, there is a separate Adult Learning Center located in the center of town. Complementing these educational services is the Martha Hollet Memorial Library [with free internet service and inter-library borrowing services] and the Sydney Mines Heritage Museum [celebrating our mining history]. In close proximity are Cape Breton University, the Centre Scolaire de L’Acadie, and the Coast Guard College. HEALTH The Northside General Hospital, located at the south entrance to the town, is part of the amalgam of four Cape Breton community hospitals that form the Cape Breton Health Care Complex – the largest being the Cape Breton Regional Hospital – a full diagnostic and major referral medical center that includes a medical staff of 150 and a state of the art Cancer Treatment and Renal Dialysis center. Within the town is the Harbour View Hospital complex [part of the above amalgam] that includes day care for Seniors and full services for war veterans. It also includes a Hearing and Speech and Physiotherapy Clinics.Miners Manor, a care facility for the aged, is also located in the town. PROFESSIONAL A professional Medical center for practicing physicians plus the offices of three dentists, denturists, psychologists, and other G.P.’s RELIGION Many denominational churches grace the landscape. They are St. Andrew’s Presbyterian [pictured below], Trinity Anglican, Carman United, Clyde Avenue Baptist, Grace Fellowship Reformed Presbyterian, and the Gospel Hall. There are two Roman Catholic churches: Immaculate Conception and St. Pius X.
TRANSPORTATION
The area is central to a major transportation network that comprises local CBRM Daily Bus Service, Sydney Airport, Acadia Bus Lines, the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway, and the Marine Atlantic Ferries [Newfoundland Terminal - the gateway to Newfoundland]. The Marine Ferry Terminal will send you across the Cabot Strait to Port aux Basques or Argentia, Newfoundland. There are several local Shuttle services available in the area. The town is adjacent to the Trans Canada Highway. ACCOMODATIONS
The North Star Inn, MacNeil’s Motel, Clansman Motel, Gowrie House [cited in ‘Where to Eat in Canada’], several bed and breakfast outlets and camp grounds are either located in the town itself or in the nearby communities. Each of the above have food services. There are many restaurants, serving various cuisines, located within the town and nearby communities…as are fast food outlets – part of national and international food chains. One local fast-food establishment – A & K Lick-a Chick- is of national renown. RECREATION
v Modern Baseball fields and Tennis Courts – both with night lighting v Modern Community Centre for ice hockey, ice skating and racing, figure skating as well as major entertainment venues. v Northside Community Pool [adjacent to Memorial High School] v Active minor hockey and baseball organizations. v Seaview Golf Club – nearby proximity v Leisure Services Recreational Department [Municipal Component for organized recreational facilities and programs] v organized recreational facilities and programs. v Highland Dancing and Square Dancing Clubs. v Strand Bowling Alleys v Sandy Beaches at Lockman’s Beach, Indian Beach and Front Lake Beech for salt water swimming. v Facilities available nearby for skiing, fishing [World Famous Salmon Fishing], hunting and boating. v Two excellent outdoor walking tracks. v Whale Watching v Two walking tracks – one newly developed by Devco this year LOOKOUTS Chapel Point and Shore Road offer the best vantage points to view the many ships that enter and leave the harbour daily. One can also see, on a clear day, Cape Smokey and Ingonish. There will be fifty-three [53] cruise ships visiting Sydney harbour this year [2008] HISTORICAL SITES
The newly restored Post Office [pictured to the left (of1904 vintage), Mac Cormick House, Royal Canadian Legion Cenotaph [in honour of our war dead]. GOWRiE HOUSE, HERITAGE MUSEUM[former CN Station], RIGBY HOUSE, BATTERY POINT [remnants of wartime properties]. ST. ANDREW’S PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, IMMACULATE CONCEPTION Roman CATHOLIC CHURCH, PRINCE OF WALES MONUMENT, and the WAR MEMORIAL [presently being restored by the Royal Canadian Legion]. Sydney Mines is the birthplace of famous individuals as Johnny Miles of Boston Marathon fame and popular entertainers as the Barra MacNeils’ and Bruce Gouthro. ADDITIONAL FEATURES vary from the well established service [Golden K Kiwanis] and fraternal [Masons, K.O.C.] organizations to the Royal Canadian Legion, Boy Scouts, Brownies, Garden Club, Pensioners and Seniors Citizen Club, etc. There are two daily newspapers: The Cape Breton Post [local] and the Halifax Chronicle Herald [provincial] All in all, the community has excellent educational opportunities, health services, recreational activities, cultural functions, service centers, and other opportunities that make life meaningful and happy. Our community leaders are out in front in these areas and should be commended for their insight and forward thinking. Communities on the Northside, led by the Northside Civic Society, are working diligently to bring new facilities to the area. No place in Canada can compete with the quality of life that we have. Building a stronger and healthier Northside community has been the overall focus of the residents of the area. http://www.celtic-colours.com/aboutcb.html http://cbisland.com/index2.php |
