Membertou development
Latest development expected to provide retail, commercial businesses
MEMBERTOU — The chief and CEO of Membertou First Nation envisions the community’s newest development as a one-stop location for people to spend the day enjoying shops and restaurants, similar to Dartmouth Crossing.
Terry Paul announced the retail district, Seventh Exchange, on Thursday morning as a new sign for the development, easily visible from Highway 125, also known as Peacekeepers Way, was erected.
The shopping destination, named for its proximity to Exit 7A into Membertou and for the significance of the number seven in Mi’kmaq culture — which honours the Seven Sacred Teachings and the seven districts of Mi’kma’ki and looks to the next seven generations as a consideration in decision making — will begin phase one of development this summer.
“This is really exciting for us and it’s something we’ve been working on for several years, we bought the land a few years ago, so we’re thrilled to see it commence this summer,” said Paul.
The project has been a longtime in the making, in part due to the Addition to Reserve process, which requires a First Nations community to obtain approval from the federal government to add land to an existing reserve. The proposed land to be added must either be required for economic development or residential use, be culturally significant, or meet a legal obligation or commitment from Canada, such as a treaty land entitlement agreement, to be considered.
The process is necessary for communities to accommodate growing populations, such as that of Membertou, and to pursue economic growth but has been the subject of criticism from the Assembly of First Nations, the auditor general of Canada and the Senate standing committee on Aboriginal Peoples as very slow, costly, time-consuming and frustrating for many First Nations, and Paul said that experience was shared by Membertou.
“It takes quite a while to get through the various levels of government, so that was the holdup,” he said.
Membertou secured the land in January and has been in negotiations with a number of businesses to begin development. This first phase will bring three new businesses to the 40 acres site, including Green Diamond Equipment Ltd., which is a recreational sport vehicle dealer, a gas station, and an undisclosed food and beverage partner, as well as commercial business space.
This is not the first land purchase for Membertou — in 2018, Paul announced the purchase of the Medical Arts building on Sydney harbour, the original location of the community until the federal government’s forced relocation in 1926, as well as the Health Park adjacent to the Cape Breton Regional Hospital for a total of $18 million.
The urban community of more than 1,600 band members also boasts a trade and convention centre, a bowling alley, a sports complex that includes two NHL-sized rinks, and a hotel among its businesses and commercial spaces and has a stake, along with six other Mi’kmaq communities, in the Clearwater Seafoods deal, a $250-million investment, the largest in the seafood industry by any Indigenous group in Canada.
In 2020, Membertou reported almost $64 million in revenue, including more than $40 million in commercial sales and a decrease of more than $3 million in government transfers from the year before, a step toward Paul’s goal of eventual financial independence from the federal government.
In the meantime, he said Seventh Exchange will bring benefits to Membertou and the whole of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality.
“Our vision for the development is an inclusive and convenient location for retail and commercial business. As the development grows, so will the impact on our community,” said Paul, adding the community can expect a lot of construction in the coming months.
“It will bring a lot of work, a lot of opportunity for employment, and just another experience for not only our community but the surrounding area, too, for a good shopping experience.”