GUYSBOROUGH — A sweeping, 20-year blueprint to revitalize Guysborough’s waterfront and downtown was met with a mix of hope and skepticism on July 9, as Halifax-based urban planner Rob LeBlanc presented the final draft of the Shiretown Community Enhancement Plan to a small but engaged audience at the Chedabucto Lifestyle Complex.
Designed to guide development through phases, the plan blends beautification, accessibility, tourism, housing and heritage priorities to position the shiretown as both a cultural destination and a livable, walkable community for locals and visitors alike.
LeBlanc – commissioned last year by the Guysborough District Business Partnership (GDBP) in collaboration with the Municipality of the District of Guysborough (MODG) – said the goal was to reflect the community’s long-term aspirations and help position the municipality to act when opportunities arise.
“Part of what I’m trying to get some feedback on tonight is what we heard through the process,” he said. “I want to make sure we have those right.”
Informed by months of public input – from meetings, workshops, surveys and interviews – the new recommendations include extending the trail network south to Green St. and north to the marina; developing new lookoffs, small vessel launches and interpretive signage; relocating the sewage lift station to create more parking and public amenities; and adding commercial kiosks and performance space along the waterfront.
Further enhancements would see streetscape upgrades to Main St. including sidewalk extensions, tree planting, lighting and signage, as well as a designated historic plaza connecting the core to the water. A façade improvement program is also proposed, potentially offering matching funds for property owners to restore storefronts in heritage-sensitive ways – a model that’s been successful in places like Yarmouth.
LeBlanc said community surveys consistently flagged the lack of accommodations, dining options and cultural venues as key barriers to tourism. The plan identifies several underused parcels – including land near Green St. – for possible hotel, park, or mixed-use development.
Although no government funding has been committed to the plan, LeBlanc said preliminary estimates total about $5 million, which includes approximately $1.2 million for waterfront upgrades, $1 million for Main Street improvements and $800,000 for the waterfront trail extension. These figures do not cover big-ticket items like harbour dredging or moving the lift station.
While many in the room welcomed the ambition, some voiced doubts about costs, priorities, and the condition of two properties – known locally as the mustard and ketchup buildings – located prominently above the waterfront.
“There seems to be an exceptionally passive approach to resolving the situation,” one local resident said. “These two buildings are becoming derelict and are a major eyesore for the whole downtown area.”
LeBlanc responded: “We say in there [the plan] that they [the municipality] should work with the landowner and see if there’s a potential way to acquire those buildings … but the municipality can’t come in and just purchase buildings.”
Skepticism deepened when overall costs came up. “We’ve got a wharf … that needs too many dollars that we don’t have,” one person said. “You’re talking about moving the lift station. That’s not in our capacity right now … I see this as tens of millions of dollars, not five. So, how practical [is it]?”
LeBlanc replied: “It’s not going to be the entire plan, but you will see individual projects.” As for the plan’s broader utility, he added, “It sets up the community very well for [government] funding programs that we don’t even know are going to come down … You’ll have a plan when these programs come up ... The big thing that funders are most afraid of is funding a project that the community doesn’t want,” he said. “That just creates a nightmare.”
MODG Warden Paul Long echoed the point, noting signs of change. “If there’s a major funding [program] … we can say, okay, we’ve got a project here that could happen,” he added. “There’s more people living here now that don’t look like us, that are walking around these streets … that are from other lands, that are hungry [for a] living.”
He also noted that council must strike a balance between long-term vision and equity across the entire municipality. “We have to worry about how to do things in all the other districts as well that fit, that are appropriate ... We need [to] prioritize ... What are we going to [do], what can we realistically do?”
As for next steps, he said the GDBP would review the recommendations and bring viable priorities to council. “There are some things that we see that can get done,” he said.
Despite the concerns, some attendees expressed optimism. “In the past one or two years, I feel a buzz … there’s something moving. You can sense it. You can feel it even through social media,” said one.
Another put it more simply: “We live in a place where people pay big money to stay and just relax … We live in paradise.”
