New golf course will showcase Cape Breton
If you have visited Inverness in the last 10 years, you’ve seen the tremendous impact of Cabot’s golf courses; a former coal-mine town turned into an international tourism destination.
Along the shoreline of cliffs once left in ruin, there now stands a world class golf course. Thousands of golfers and tourists now come to Inverness and leave with so much more than a fun round of golf. They return home telling their friends and family about the warm people they met, amazing music, great food, and much more.
As a business owner in Cape Breton, I can tell you first hand the importance of tourism in our community. The economic impacts are obvious and shouldn’t be overlooked, but there is so much more to the story. At Glenora Inn and Distillery we’ve been able to share our island’s Celtic culture and roots with these travelers from around the world. We’ve put Cape Breton on the global whisky map in much the same way Cabot has with golf.
In 1939, the national parks service contracted Stanley Thompson to design and build a golf course along the shoreline of the Atlantic Ocean. This world renowned course is of course known as the Highland Links in Ingonish in what is currently known as the Cape Breton Highlands National Park. It is a fantastic course but was built in an internationally famous national park and continues to operate in harmony with nature and the environment and for the public use and enjoyment.
Every investment in Cape Breton represents an opportunity to elevate our island onto the world stage and that is not an easy thing to do. Among the thousands of international destinations that travelers and tourists can choose, more have come and are coming to Cape Breton and our little piece of heaven on earth.
The extra TV coverage, sports coverage and social media coverage that Inverness and Cape Breton has attained in the last 10 years has been immense. We can’t place a value on the unofficial, unpaid free social and media advertising that is usually reserved for top-of- the-line destinations like Tahiti, the Caribbean Islands, or Scotland, but it is certainly in the millions of dollars.
When we think of Scotland, we think of Celtic culture, dancing, Gaelic language and great single malt whisky, but we should also think of great golf courses such as St. Andrews. Scotland has been able to create a tourism industry that marries all these wonderful aspects. Cape Breton, too, has all of these.
Let’s get behind those brave enough to invest in our great island to make it continue to grow and be a place we can grow old in, a place our children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren can be proud of and say we are the best in world.
We have always had something very special in Cape Breton but it has always been a challenge to get that message out to world. With Cabot, we have a group that wants to continue their successful and environmentally conscious investment in Cape Breton and they want to see the amazing attributes of our area brought to an even wider variety of tourists. Supporting them supports us all.
Lauchie MacLean
Glenora Inn and Distillery
Golf course can balance economy and environment
The proposed Cabot Golf Course for West Mabou is great news for Mabou, Port Hood, and the surrounding region. It is exciting to think what it can mean for our children, our schools, for investment, the local economy, and our future.
It is very evident to all that the golf courses in Inverness have enhanced the natural beauty of the community and made it a destination location. Jobs have been created, capital construction of homes has occurred, and families have moved back to stay in the area. It has given us hope.
I believe, as do many in our region, that we need to find a balanced approach to projects like this one. It is definitely possible to grow our local economy while still protecting our environment. Like many in our area, the West Mabou beach has always been a part of my life and that of my children. I love it deeply and want only the best for it. I have no doubt that Cabot’s proposal will enable this to continue in the future.
As a community we need private sector investment like this. Our people and community organizations deserve it, and the future of our region depends on it. Private sector investments like this are necessary in order to keep and enhance the services we all want to have. This is especially true given our aging demograhic.
What makes this project extra worthwhile is that it is from a local company started just 25 minutes down the road. The 500-plus people who Cabot employs have helped turn a corner in Inverness, and I believe our community should have the same opportunity.
I encourage our elected officials to listen to the people and do what is right. Without question, leadership is needed on this issue and we are depending on them to do the right thing. I am proud to support this proposal for my community and those that live here!
Karen MacLean
Mabou
Cabot Golf doing exactly what it should be doing
It is with pleasure that I write this letter today about one of my most favourite places on earth, the West Mabou Beach. West Mabou is not just a place to visit for me or a place I just heard about in the news. For me, it is where I grew up, its home, and where my heart is.
I have been excited these last two weeks at the thought of Cabot building a new World Class Golf course in my backyard; imagine jobs and opportunity.
Cabot is a company that employs 500-plus people and invests $11 million per year in the local economy of Inverness. This is an award winning company that has helped put Nova Scotia on the map as a destination and has helped draw millions of dollars of investment and thousands of visitors to our shores. Folks, this is one of the top golf companies in the world.
Honestly, I am pleased to see this dialogue happening at home. It is an important one that needs to occur and one that needs to be respectful of all sides. From where I sit, I believe this is precisely what Cabot has done thus far and I applaud them for their respectful approach!
Cabot is doing exactly what we hope every Nova Scotia company would do; ask for local input, invest in local community organizations, work with the Province of Nova Scotia to ensure a sustainable approach that respects the environment and wildlife, and promote an activity that has an emphasis on physical activity and the outdoors which is enjoyed by people of all ages from all different backgrounds.
I want our government elected and unelected officials to be strong and make the right decision. We are depending on them to do so. I believe when they weigh all factors, that they will make the right decision and provide a lease for Cabot to build a new course in West Mabou. It is the, reasonable, logical, and right thing to do.
Kari MacInnis Hyson
Halifax Regional Municipality/West Mabou