CANSO — The Canso Peninsula Fisheries Heritage Society (CPFHS) is asking the Municipality of the District of Guysborough (MODG) for $45,000 to fund the next phase of an ambitious $11-million waterfront project aimed at preserving and promoting the area’s rich fishing history.
The request, presented to MODG’s committee of the whole on March 5, would support a business plan, economic assessment and cost-benefit analysis – which proponents indicated are critical steps in securing larger funding from senior levels of government.
“We need these tools to take us to the next level,” CPFHS treasurer Bill MacMillan told councillors. “Once we get to that point, it’s a matter of dealing with ACOA [Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency], taking a look at who our major funding partners will likely be – the province and the federal government.”
CPFHS, which gained non-profit status last May, is building momentum. Initially conceived by local historians and community members, the project has evolved into a broad effort to tell the 500-year history of the fishery in Canso, including Mi’kmaq, French and English perspectives.
The group has worked closely with Parks Canada, which has agreed to be a lead tenant in the proposed facility. The building, expected to be 5,000 to 6,000 square feet, would house exhibits, a small café, a gift shop and space for the local harbour authority.
“We just want to emphasize this is not [just] a Canso town project,” said CPFHS vice-president Mark Haynes. “This is a Canso district project. We’re going to tell the history of the fishery, the history of the area and the technology of the fishery. It’s really an amazing evolution, considering it’s probably the oldest fishery station in North America. It went through an awful lot of stages.”
The municipality previously contributed funding for an initial feasibility study in 2021. That study reaffirmed long-standing community interest in developing the waterfront and laid the foundation for CPFHS’s work. The group has since engaged with multiple stakeholders, refining the project’s scope and goals.
One key challenge, Haynes noted, has been ensuring the facility’s sustainability. “Economically, once we know what everybody wants, [and that] we know we have income [and] the money we can borrow, we can go to ACOA. I don’t think we’re ever going to get enough income from what we’re able to rustle up to pay for the whole building; but, certainly, it looks like we may be able to finance 50 per cent of it.”
MacMillan said CPFHS is in the process of securing $10,000 from other sources – $5,000 from the Canso and Area Development Association and $5,000 from the Community Business Development Corporation – for the business plan but needs MODG’s support to move forward. “We think a fair ask of the municipality would be $45,000 to assist us in getting over this last hurdle to formalize the detailed business plan for ACOA.”
CPFHS expects to finalize key project details following a March 26 meeting with Parks Canada, where discussions will focus on exhibit space requirements and lease agreements. Those decisions will directly impact architectural plans and financial projections.
MacMillan estimated the facility will likely cost $11 million, with construction to begin within two to three years. “We’re pushing hard, but we never know what’s going to happen with elections and programs. That said, a lot of ACOA programs continue from one government to the next, so we have good hopes.”
Acknowledging the potential impact of the project on tourism and regional economic development, councillors referred the funding request to staff for review during budget deliberations.
