Breaking ground: Membertou First Nation unveils plans for new retail destination similar to Dartmouth Crossing
One of the wealthiest First Nations communities in Canada is finally unveiling plans for a highway-side shopping complex.
Membertou First Nation will begin its transformation into a new retail district, called Seventh Exchange.
“It’s very exciting for us. We’ve been at this a long time and bought this area several years ago,” says Chief Terry Paul.
The First Nations community already has a state of the art Convention Centre, a nearby Wellness Centre, and a newly constructed retail and office space.
Now, ground will be broken just off Highway 125 near Sydney, N.S. and Chief Terry Paul says it will be similar to Dartmouth Crossing.
“We have 40 acres set aside right now and we have several hundred acres and we are hoping to develop a housing subdivision in a couple years,” said Paul.
The new space will initially include a new service station, a food and beverage partner, commercial business space and Green Diamond Equipment.
“Membertou has been the envy of Cape Breton and Nova Scotia for some time now,” says Kathleen Yurchesyn, the CEO of Cape Breton Regional Chamber of Commerce.
Yurchesyn says Thursday’s announcement is a positive one for an area that has seen so much decline.
“I think Membertou is a shining example of what can happen here and I think they’ve demonstrated that over the past 10 years.”
Chief Paul says the new construction will also create jobs for the area.
“There’s potential job’s for community members and people from the outside,” he says.
Paul says the development will take place in a phased approach, with construction starting this summer.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
Residents of northern Alberta First Nation told to shelter in place
Residents of John D'Or Prairie, a community on the Little Red River Cree Nation in northern Alberta, were told to take shelter Thursday morning during a police operation.
BREAKING NEWS Honda to get up to $5B in govt help for EV battery, assembly plants
Honda is set to build an electric vehicle battery plant next to its Alliston, Ont., assembly plant, which it is retooling to produce fully electric vehicles, all part of a $15-billion project that is expected to include up to $5 billion in public money.
Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Secret $70M Lotto Max winners break their silence
During a special winner celebration near their hometown, Doug and Enid shared the story of how they discovered they were holding a Lotto Max ticket worth $70 million and how they kept this huge secret for so long.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
Metro Vancouver mayors call for serial killer Robert Pickton to be denied parole
A dozen mayors from around Metro Vancouver say federal Attorney General and Justice Minister Arif Virani should deny parole for notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, and reassess the parole and sentencing system for 'prolific offenders and mass murderers.'