Louisbourg

Building on work undertaken by community groups in Louisbourg—the former Louisbourg Craft Centre, public waterfront, and former municipal campground will be redeveloped into a new destination for locals and visitors that includes Parks Canada’s ticketing for the Fortress of Louisbourg alongside local business. The approach will attract visitors to the Town’s centre, enhancing the Louisbourg experience and enabling increased economic benefit for the community.  

The concept was completed in 2020 and includes a plan for reimagining the waterfront area surrounding a redeveloped community hub. The plan includes a new centre for visitor services, public space, vehicle arrival, and parking on the Louisbourg waterfront.  

Build Nova Scotia (then-Develop Nova Scotia) worked with key stakeholders to assemble funding for the project. In June 2022, an agreement was signed with the Cape Breton Partnership to play a key role as both funding recipient for the project and a partner in convening the community as we work through the final design.  

• While the community of Louisbourg serves as the gateway to the Fortress of Louisbourg, very few visitors currently stop in the community. This results in lost economic opportunities. 
• The redevelopment of the area will renovate five existing buildings in what is known locally as the old craft centre complex. These buildings will create a cluster of activity on the town’s waterfront and will include Parks Canada’s visitor arrival services.
• Work is underway with partners like the Cape Breton Centre for Crafts and Design and Louisbourg Seafoods to finalize ideas around a café and gift shop, an artist in residency program and a public-facing ocean innovation laboratory for example.
• It is also anticipated that the area will include include public space, visitor information, parking, and new pedestrian/active transportation connections to Main Street. 
• An initial concept plan was developed by Build Nova Scotia, in collaboration with local company Upland Planning + Design Studio, and key project stakeholders. 
• The concept was presented to key project stakeholders and community members and has received strong support. 
• Funding for the project was secured from three levels of government, with the province of Nova Scotia committing $1.3M through the Nova Scotia COVID Response Council’s Thriving Communities funding. ACOA has committed $187,500 toward the detailed design and have requested a proposal for construction costs once the detailed design has provided a level of cost certainty. Cape Breton Regional Municipality has allocated $55,000 for the detailed design and will include funds for construction of municipal infrastructure in its 2023-24 budget.