Glace Bay revitalization.
GLACE BAY – Glace Bay's picturesque waterfront has the potential to become a major Cape Breton attraction, according to a progressively-minded community development group based in the former mining town.
“When I look at that harbour,
I think of Lunenburg,” said Cape Breton-canso MP Mike Kelloway, in reference to the scenic and popular Mahone Bay community southwest of Halifax. “I see what they have done there and in other areas and I truly believe that Glace Bay can be the Lunenburg of Cape Breton Island.”
Kelloway, who co-founded the Bay It Forward organization several years ago, said he is optimistic that conversation, collaboration and co-operation will soon lead to some kind of development in the coastal Cape Breton community east of Sydney.
“I think something really cool is emerging in the Bay,” said Kelloway, a Glace Bay native who has gained a solid reputation over the years as a community leader. “Through Bay It Forward, we looked at what key assets of the area could serve as a springboard for economic development, community development, youth development and all points in between. Then we started having conversations about the possibilities of waterfront development, not just in commercial terms but also as social enterprise and eco-tourism.”
The torch for the waterfront development vision is now carried by Bay It Forward vice-chair Dave Mackeigan. However, he insists that it is going to take the support of the community at large to make things happen at the commercially-active fishing port.
“We're starting to get the conversation going and I think there is a lot of support out there, both in our community and outside of it, to make something happen,” said Mackeigan. “We've always known that one of the best things we have here is the ocean. It's an asset that can be developed so that more people will want to come down to walk around and enjoy the beauty and the culture of Glace Bay.
“You know, I never realized how beautiful Glace Bay was until I looked at it from out on the ocean when some local fishermen volunteered to take us and some potential doctor recruits out on the water. It was amazing.”
Mackeigan is certainly enthusiastic when talking about what Glace Bay has to offer. Yet, he's also a realist.
“We have attractions here — the Miners' Museum gets more than 15,000 visitors a year, not counting since COVID, and I am told it is the most popular destination for cruise ship passengers who did not pre-book excursions before landing in Sydney,” he said. “The problem is that we don't anything to offer visitors to keep them in town, so I think developing the waterfront, if we do it properly, we will help do that. It would make that area a commercial and recreational location that would provide Glace Bay with an opportunity to experience some economic growth.”
Glace Bay's compact harbour is an active commercial port. It's home to a small fishing fleet, a commercial fish processing plant and some seasonal seafood retailers. The harbour can be viewed from several vantage points but its boardwalk is limited and incomplete.
Mackeigan said there is no one vision of what a redeveloped Glace Bay waterfront would look like but he envisions an expanded boardwalk with a promenade or walkways going to nearby places such as the South Street beach, accessible benches and perhaps a restaurant or two with harbour and ocean views.
“Right now we are in an information-gathering stage where we are talking to people and groups so we can get a sense of where to go. It's just the first step of many,” he said.
Cape Breton Regional Municipality councillor Kenny Tracey, who represents that area of Glace Bay, said he believes the public will throw its support behind any project that would improve their community.
“The people I have been talking to are supportive of any development, anything to improve that part of town to make it more recreational, more scenic. It's a great place to walk around the water so it's nothing but good news for sure,” said Tracey.
However, one thing all agree on is that nothing will move forward until a comprehensive plan is completed. Kelloway said he's confident that progress can be made.
“This is an important rallying cry for the community,” he said. “It's an opportunity to build on an existing asset and to do so collectively across a variety of sectors and with a variety of stakeholders. I am fully supportive of it and want to play a role and am committed to doing so.”
Recent projects in Glace Bay include a two-year renovation and modernization of the Bayplex, since renamed the Miners Forum, and the construction of a new downtown Cape Breton Regional Police station.
Work is also ongoing at the Senator's Place office building across the street from the Savoy Theatre. The 1992-built edifice is undergoing interior renovations that are expected to make space for a number of physicians to possibly practice.
Glace Bay was founded in 1785, was incorporated as a town in 1901 and was amalgamated into the CBRM in 1995. It was once the centre of Cape Breton's expansive coal mining operations, which at one time produced 40 per cent of Canada's coal.
It reached a peak population of more than 28,000 people in the 1940s and was recognized as Canada's most populous town. Today, Glace Bay's population is fewer than 20,000.