Posts
County students benefit from environmental partnership
Local students are gaining an appreciation for water and where it comes from, thanks to a partnership between the Municipality of Inverness County and the Atlantic Coastal Action Program (ACAP) Cape B...
Cool Coles
A group of vegetables that thrive in the cool temperatures of fall.
A long-standing community service and cultural hub in the heart of the Margarees
By Miranda Crabtree On a humid Saturday evening in July, I’m sitting at the Margaree Firefighters Club to talk shop with Sandy Doucette, a long-standing member of Margaree Volunteer Fire...
The Phantoms legend to be immortalized in book
Our region’s first rock and roll band, which has captivated generations, will soon be recalled in a new book. The Phantoms, who were formed in Chéticamp in 1966 and disbanded with a 50th...
Acadian region of Chéticamp receives special designation and federal funding
The cultural diversity that makes Inverness County so unique is made richer by our vibrant Acadian community, who have been at home in these lands for hundreds of years. The Government of Canada...
The Celtic Music Interpretive Centre celebrates 25 years
The Celtic Music Interpretive Centre in Judique is celebrating its first 25 years this year. The centre, run by a not-for-profit society, is dedicated to preserving and promoting the unique Celtic...
Society tackling growing problem of food security
A group of volunteers in Judique is looking to improve food security in their community one small project at a time. “It’s small, manageable, fun projects,” says Bill Murphy, the lead for the...
CORAH a hit at Strait NSCC campus
Seniors throughout Inverness County can look forward to even more programming as Strait CORAH resumes this month following a successful first year.
Recreation project sparks ‘good vibe’ in Creignish
It may not be Hollywood’s Field of Dreams, but Creignish volunteers are hoping that ‘if you build it, they will come.’
Answering ‘Classified’ ad helped launch Matthews’ music career
32-year-old singer-songwriter Brett Matthews listened to a lot of Classified on his iPod in grade nine. In November he’ll be joining the Nova Scotian superstar rapper and producer on his second Cana...
Working visit to Zambia for Inverness County Cares
Inverness County Cares (ICC) is a society formed to help children in dire need. Our current project is to provide food, shelter and an education to the students of the Kawambwa Schools in Northern Zam...
Five ways to increase your energy
I am sure I have mentioned before that fall is my favourite time of year. It’s a time of routine more than any other time of the year. It isn’t necessarily a time known for making drastic changes...
Dalbrae grads to benefit from generous donation
Future graduates of Dalbrae Academy in Mabou will benefit from the kindness shown by the community after a local family lost their home to fire more than 60 years ago.
Sod-turning ceremony marks major milestone for new Foyer Père Fiset long term care home
Residents, staff and project stakeholders of Chéticamp’s Foyer Père Fiset long term care home celebrated the start of construction on a state-of-the-art new facility, during a well-attended...
River Denys netminder making most of AHL opportunity
Colten Ellis says a season-ending hip surgery last year breathed new life into his pro hockey career.
Preserving the past is a continuous process
The Strait Area Museum is very much focused on the future as it preserves the history of the communities most impacted by the opening of the Canso Causeway nearly 70 years ago.
Mill Road Grows – a growing concern
Mill Road Grows exists because a part-time coordinator focuses on the initiative. The support of Mill Road Social Enterprises participants and staff, and a great volunteer base makes it all happen.
Not even retirement can catch MacEachern
Forget about “Freedom 55,” or even 65. Coline MacEachern has found her freedom in retirement by going back to school and launching a therapeutic massage business in her home community of Port Hood...
Halifax native embracing life in county as he settles into nursing career
When Liam Whitty first moved to Inverness County, he found the area quite solitary, especially compared to bustling Halifax where he is from.
Mabou step dance school an ‘absolute inspiration’
As the Mabou School of Cape Breton Step Dance enters its sixth year, it owes its very existence, at least in part, to a town in Italy.
Museums of Inverness County
Pictured above are a few of Inverness County’s well loved museums. Not only are they popular with tourists, but they offer a lot to charm and interest the local resident too. Have a look...
Le Grand Cercle, a landmark musical telling the story of the Acadian people
The original French version of this article by Daniel Aucoin was published in the Summer 2024 Participaper The Acadian region of Chéticamp offers visitors a wide range of activities and plenty to...
What causes seasonal allergies?
Airborne agents — known as pathogens or allergens — such as pollen, grass, mold, cedar, ragweed, or even some chemicals, are inhaled. In the body these allergens start to wreak havoc. The immune...
Community festivals rebound, revisit heydays
Community festivals can often be overlooked as an economic driver, but if Inverness County’s 2023 summer festival season is any indication, they’ll only grow in importance in coming years.
Alternative routes to healing in Inverness County
To say Kelly Bernard wears many hats is an understatement.
Local hiking trails a growing draw for tourists
Visitors to Inverness County are increasingly leaving a trail behind them – a hiking trail that is.
Committed membership bolsters Lake Ainslie VFD
If you live in the area served by the Lake Ainslie Volunteer Fire Department (LAVFD), and you’ve got nine friends who are not members of the department, the math says you’re likely a member yourse...
Food security stakeholders come together at landmark Municipality of Inverness County conference
More than 40 delegates from local, Island-wide and provincial organizations came together in Mabou on Friday, May 3, to discuss the complex and urgent topic of food security in the Municipality of...
Suas leis a’ Ghàidhlig! | Up with Gaelic!
‘S e Mìos nan Gàidheal a th’ ann agus tha Siorramachd Inbhir Nis toilichte a bhith a’ togail na brataich Gàidhealaiche air an taigh-cùirte eachdraidheil ann an Seastago. Its...
Project to shore up salmon spawning area
The Margaree Salmon Association (MSA) plans to install 2,000 tonnes of armour rock this summer to help save one of the main salmon spawning areas of the Margaree River.
Host families building lifelong relationships
With their second of two daughters leaving for university and their son graduating high school, the Clarks of Margaree Forks weren’t quite ready to be empty nesters.
Always exceptional: Meat Cove plays host to total solar eclipse
It was quite the day in Nova Scotia’s most northerly settlement on Monday, April 8, 2024. Hundreds of people made the pilgrimage up to Meat Cove, Inverness County, one of only 2 communities in...
Gaelic song preservation: A grandmother’s gift
“I suppose it’s all nanny’s fault,” laughs Sheena Anderson-Geiger, thinking back to how her passion for Gaelic song came to be.
Beinn Mhàbu opens doors, looks to become economic catalyst
As Beinn Mhàbu enters the second half of its first year in operation, Gaelic College president Rodney MacDonald recalls a plan he envisioned 25 years ago to someday establish a school in Mabou.
La Mi-Carême demeure une tradition bien vivante à Chéticamp
par Daniel Aucoin Read an English version of this article Les Acadiens de la région de Chéticamp aiment partager leur patrimoine et leur culture. La Mi-Carême est l’une des plus vieilles...
Local students up to musical challenge
The Canadian Music Class Challenge is the CBC’s salute to music education, so naturally educators and students from Canada’s Musical Coast had to get involved! Every year music instructors and...
Food security in Inverness County – small is big
So what has this to do with gardens? Our pandemic experiences have made us aware of ‘supply chain insecurity’.
Chéticamp’s Mi-Carême, a centuries-old tradition, still sparks joy and celebration
Read the original French version of this article by Daniel Aucoin The Acadians of the Chéticamp region love to share their heritage and culture. Mi-Carême – which mean mid-Lent, and marks the...
An acupuncturist’s new beginnings in Inverness County
Gerber became fascinated with acupuncture after a friend convinced her to try it for her chronic pain. “I walked in with a lot of pain, and I walked out pain-free,’” she recalled.
A fun and informative snowy riverside walk
Informative watershed walks are becoming a seasonal favourite in Inverness County. Atlantic Coastal Action Program (ACAP) Cape Breton hosted another event as part of a recently established...
New society at StFX promoting Inverness County on the mainland and beyond
Inverness County students attending StFX University have always enjoyed a special bond.
Hope for Wildlife opens Inverness County clinic
Hope for Wildlife, a Nova Scotian wildlife rehabilitation and education non-profit, is looking for local volunteers to support its recently opened drop-off and veterinary clinic for injured and...
Hunkering down for winter
For the benefit of the last-minute Christmas shoppers, or for next year, I can’t pass up a chance to talk about plants as gifts. Here is some guidance on some popular gift plants.
Local event organizer releases fictional book about girls’ hockey
With his first book under his belt, Mabou’s Wesley Beaton says he hopes to someday get the story on the big screen. “I wanted to make it a TV show, that was my end dream,” Beaton says of Beer...
Blood sugar 101
by Glenna calder, ND You may not be too interested in learning about blood sugar, but I would encourage you to read on and see how it affects your mood, weight, and hormones. I think everyone should...
‘That MacInnis feller in Halifax’ has his say
Those were the old days. Compared to today, filming was a clumsy business. The members of the crew, I recall, were fascinated by the character, the hospitality, and the musical ability of the people t...
Remonter dans le temps pour découvrir les anciens habitants du Cap-Rouge
By Daniel Aucoin Read an english version of this article La Société Saint-Pierre et Les Amis du plein air, avec l’appui financier de Parcs Canada, ont organisé des sessions d’animation et des...
Back in time to meet the settlers of Cap-Rouge
Each Wednesday evening this past July and August, the interpretation centre of the Mkwesaqtuk/Cap-Rouge campground at Ruisseau des Maurice in the Cape Breton Highlands National Park played host...
ACAP Cape Breton’s environmental education programming comes to Inverness County
Atlantic Coastal Action Program (ACAP) Cape Breton is an environmental non-profit organization that offers the knowledge that Cape Bretoners need to make greener choices, and works directly on...
Phase one of multicourt project to ramp up in 2024
Pickleball enthusiasts in Inverness County could have three new courts on which to enjoy their sport as early as 2024.
Christmas markets draw crowds as a social hub, cultural showcase and economic driver
The holiday season got underway in fine style this past weekend as Christmas markets across Inverness County drew crowds eager to browse and buy a huge range of crafts, art, fresh produce and...
A shed to the rescue
The Chéticamp Fire Department doesn’t just serve the community it’s named after, but rather a region that stretches all the way from French Mountain to MacKenzie Mountain. In other words, these v...
What to eat before exercise to optimize your workout at any age
With the school year back and kids gearing up for winter sports I wanted to talk about fueling up to feel and perform their best.
Stage, film actor putting county on the map
Allister MacDonald doesn’t remember when he became a performer.
Dream job brings healthcare professional back home
Lauren Boyd has always been an active person and is always looking for ways to give back.
Shopping for free! First swap and repair event hosted by municipality during Waste Reduction Week
For over 20 years, all across Canada, the 3rd week in October is Waste Reduction Week. Everyone knows that it’s becoming more and more urgent that we humans stem the tide of waste that we produce....
Patience pays off with announcement of trail project
Design work is already underway, after the Nova Scotia government announced $6.4 million for the long-awaited Seawall Trail at an announcement in Meat Cove in late June. The multi-day hut-to-hut...
Wind policy review – what do you think?
Dozens of Inverness County residents came out earlier this week to hear about the planned update to the municipality’s wind turbine policy, and to discuss their views on what shape that policy...
Hope remains for an endangered species in West Mabou
Not much bigger than a sparrow, there’s a yellow legged master of disguise whose natural habitat includes the fine sand and pebbles that line the dunes of certain Inverness County beaches. While the...
Writers Festival celebrates 15 storied years
On the weekend of September 22-24, lovers of music, stories, and words will gather at an extra festive Cabot Trail Writers Festival, celebrating this highlight cultural event’s 15th anniversary an...
Steer towards sustainability!
Folks from Clean Foundation brought electric vehicle test drives to Inverness County during August to show residents that plugging in to a cleaner, greener future is becoming more accessible. Nova...
L’Arche gives reclaimed wood a beautiful new lease on life
Turning trash into treasure: l’Arche Cape Breton is part of an international federation of people with and without intellectual disabilities living together to celebrate the unique value of every pe...
Age Well Academy sessions in full swing in Inverness County
Over the past few months, the municipality has been holding a host of information sessions in various community settings around Inverness County. With our county’s seniors being the target audience,...
Seeing her passion come to life
“Landfills are a waste solution that has limits as it is one direction. And once the landfills are full where do we go next?”
Filmmaker “had it right”
It was 30 minutes that altered two generations. As the Cape Breton Fiddlers Association (CBFA) celebrates 50 years, it owes it origins to a half-hour program on CBC more than half a century ago.
Fall reckoning – the opportunities offered by a full bounty
Weather and luck play such a large part in how well the farmers have done this year, and, if we have our own little gardens, how well they have faired. We may have ended up with a modest harvest, or i...
’Tis the season…to move
THIS is the time of the year to start exercising if you aren’t already in a regular routine. The conditions and light are right!
Roses charm with their looks, scent and stories
In the last century, older country homes with the space for a few precious garden showpieces would typically have peonies, mock orange, lilac, a rose, maybe tiger lilies, and of course, a clump of daf...
Lilith Fair event hits right note
The Lilith Fair Tribute Concert, a fundraiser for the Inverness Education Centre/Academy music program, marked its 12th annual event on June 15 and 16 at the school.
van Zutphen family “Always there” for hospital
“Always there” It’s the campaign slogan used by Inverness Consolidated Memorial Hospital (ICMH) Charitable Foundation in 2008
Major infrastructure project slated for a 2024 start-time
The municipality will embark on a historic project this year to upgrade water and wastewater infrastructure in the village of Inverness, but don’t expect to see shovels in the ground until 2024.
Volunteers are lifeblood of culture and heritage sector
For many cultural and heritage organizations in Inverness County, the winter season is a time to take stock, in between the rush that tourism brings. It’s a time when the sector can get together...
Mabou’s own Kate Beaton shines brightly across her North American tour
The year 2023 has already been an abundant year full of success for Mabou’s Kate Beaton. In the month of January alone, her book Ducks: Two Years in the Oilsands was shortlisted as one of five...
Cream rises to the top with community support
Their dream was their own dairy farm. What they’ve found is a community, whose support has exceeded even their wildest dreams. As Skye Glen Creamery celebrates its first anniversary in late August,...
Inverness County businesses can pitch for funding
A rising tide lifts all boats. That is the hope of a fund established earlier this year to help Cape Breton businesses...
New Cheticamp branch joins ECRL family
“I have always imagined that Paradise will be a kind of a library,” reflected the great Argentine writer, Jorge Luis Borges. Borges was a librarian himself and it says a great deal that a man who...
Dr. Pillai retires after half century in ‘the right place’
He came to Inverness for two or three years. He’s stayed for 51. Known to a few medical colleagues, family and friends as Gopi, the man most Inverness County residents know simply as Dr. Pillai...
New rotary design aims to improve access
At first glance, the redesign of the Port Hastings rotary can seem rather complicated, but the province’s lead highway designer says motorists shouldn’t have any problem navigating the...
New Inverness County doctor is ready to help make positive change
Inverness County is now home to Dr. Jasmine Lowry, a family medicine specialist, new to Inverness Consolidated Memorial Hospital alongside Dr. Kathryn Binnersley. Lowry grew up in southern Ontario....
March – a month to plan and to prune
Winter-bearing shrubs help wildlife get through the winter In my gardening choices, I want to get the widest benefits. With a shrub, not only can I have flowers, but I can attract wildlife that come...
After the storm, the sun shines on Cabot trail writers festival
Last September, as the Cabot Trail Writers Festival prepared to return to a full-capacity festival for the first time in two years, they got wind of a brand-new challenge… a weather forecast...
Judiquers show their true colours
Judique’s new tartan was on full display this week as the community celebrated the awarding of the Lieutenant Governor’s Community Spirit Award for 2022. The Honourable Arthur J. LeBlanc was the...
MacDonald looks back on 30 yrs with the municipality
Playing a part in helping Inverness County communities reach their true potential is the legacy left by Donna MacDonald as she looks back on 30 years working with the Municipality. MacDonald retired...
Fall routines for a healthier winter
This is my favorite time of year. To me it is the season of routine, crisp weather, sweaters and lattes! As you read this we are well into Fall and perhaps have started to skip our walks, becoming...
Society trying to get Seawall Trail project over finish line
The Seawall Trail will be a five-day, 48-kilometer wilderness hike. The main coastal route will travel from south to north and will expand upon existing, historical trails (with plenty of new trail...
Four county beaches added to erosion study
Four Inverness County beaches have been added to a coastal erosion study as a result of a recent funding announcement. Department of Fisheries and Oceans recently announced more than $200,000 in...
A whale of a tale(tail) to tell
Visitors to the Whale Interpretive Centre in Pleasant Bay no longer have to wait to board a boat to catch a glimpse of a whale tail. The Municipality of the County of Inverness recently commissioned...
New We’koqma’q CEO grateful for ‘big picture’
Gioia Usher says she’s thankful every day for the opportunity to learn about the challenges facing First Nations communities. Usher, who took over as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) at We’koqma’q...
Gardening as a team sport
Community gardens have been popping up all over Inverness County to answer to people’s needs and gardening interests. A garden, and a sunny yard for that matter, can be a luxury for young families...
5 Tips to make your summer menu healthier!
Summer time enjoyment often means more delicious barbecues and social eating! With a few adjustments we can make our barbecuing safer and keep your plate healthy all year long. Grill Foods Safely...
Big Belle finds her jam
Blueberry Jam started in 2019 as an Outdoor Concert at Big Belle Farm, a 170 year old heritage farm owned by Paul Meagher and Adele MacInnis-Meagher on Mabou Ridge, NS. The event, formed through a...
Retired business owner wins District 1 vote
Housing is looking to eclipse roads as the main issue as Claude Poirier gets to work as councillor for Inverness County’s most northerly district. Poirier won a special election in March to...
Newly elected Cllr Phillips quickly getting up to speed on District 2 concerns
Blair Phillips says he’s quickly getting up to speed on issues as he takes his seat representing District #2 on Inverness County council. The newly-elected Phillips, recently forced by an injury to...
Old and new ways meet in gardening
Many of us mark the coming and going of the seasons by the appearance of the violets, the hummingbirds, the lobster feeds, the fireflies, the strawberries, and the first greens and beans from the...