Compete, grow, sing, explore on Nova Scotia’s South Shore

“Nova Scotia’s small towns and communities are its magic. Through ACOA, your federal government is investing in the people, places and businesses that make them more attractive to all people. This investment will bring in more visitors, boost small businesses and strengthen communities to make this area an even better place to call home.”
-  The Honourable Gudie Hutchings, Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for ACOA

“The Lunenburg Yacht Club’s collaboration with ACOA will ensure barrier-free access to sailing for all abilities and provide the opportunity for more residents of Lunenburg County to experience the treasure that is Mahone Bay for generations to come.”
- Erinn McCarty, Commodore, Lunenburg Yacht Club and Chair Mobility Cup, 2024

"This ACOA support will be hugely valuable for the research, design and construction planning needed to restore the 116 year-old Opera House as a vibrant performing arts centre in the heart of Lunenburg's UNESCO district.”
- Tom McFall, Vice-President of Lunenburg Folk Harbour Society and Chair of Lunenburg Opera House Team

“Mahone Bay’s waterfront has graced the cover of numerous tourism publications over the decades. This project, with crucial support from Federal and Provincial governments, continues the Town’s commitment to maintain and improve our waterfront infrastructure, to the benefit of future generations of residents and visitors.”
- David Devenne, Mayor, Town of Mahone Bay

“The volunteer driven Board of Directors of the non-profit organization, South Shore Opportunities CBDC, is pleased to work with ACOA to provide free business counselling and technical assistance in Queens and Lunenburg counties.  The ACOA funding allows the CBDC to provide hands on business help at no charge so every small business can be prepared for a start-up, expansion or recovery. Preparation is a key to business success.”
- Krista Harding, Executive Director, South Shore Opportunities Incorporated

“The support from ACOA enables Terra Beata Farms Ltd. to acquire automated processing equipment to increase our capacity to efficiently take cranberries, rhubarb, and haskaps from the farm gate and prepare it to meet the exacting standards of domestic and international markets. Farms get access to more of the world markets and employees get better year round jobs, all of which adds to the Atlantic Canadian economy.”
- David Ernst, President, Terra Beata Farms Ltd 

• In the tenth year of its Sail Able program, Lunenburg Yacht Club will host this year's Mobility Cup for the first time. Previously hosted in Nova Scotia by Halifax and North Sydney Clubs, The Mobility Cup is an annual sailing regatta for differently abled sailors, attracting athletes this year from across Canada and the U.S. as far away as California and Hawaii. All participants compete in the Martin 16, a specially modified keel boat designed in Canada for sailors living with disabilities.

• The Lunenburg Folk Harbour Society, incorporated in 1986, produces the annual Lunenburg Folk Harbour Festival and stages 20 to 25 concerts a year, as well as a film series and other events. Five years ago, it purchased by the Lunenburg Opera House, which was built in 1908 by the Independent Order of Odd Fellows (IOOF). Over the years it was used for vaudeville, as a cinema, and a recording studio, but has fallen into disrepair and is in need of upgrades and modernization. 

• Mahone Bay is a small coastal community about a one-hour drive from Halifax. It offers a rich mix of heritage, culture and natural beauty and is famed for three churches casting their reflection on the water. The Town comprises 3.12 square kilometers and has a population of 1,016 residents (2021 Census).

• South Shore Opportunities Incorporated is one of 41 Community Business Development Corporations (CBDCs) delivering the national Community Futures (CF) program in rural Atlantic Canada. Each CBDC plays an important role in strengthening the ability of rural communities to diversify their economic base to foster long-term prosperity and sustainability.

• Founded in 1998 by David and Evelyn Ernst, Terra Beata has a 12-acre cranberry farm on Heckmans Island which produces juice, dried fruit and cooked products sold at grocery stores across Canada. It also has a 50-acre farm in Aylesford, and a 12 acre farm in Tremont, NS.

• In 2018, Terra Beata opened a facility in Sackville, NB to receive, clean and freeze fresh cranberries from its farms plus about 15 other farms in Atlantic Canada, for a total of over 5 million pounds of fruit per year. Frozen berries packed in Sackville travel to industrial customers around the world.

• The funding announced today is provided through ACOA’s Innovative Communities Fund, Community Futures program and Regional Economic Growth through Innovation program.

Related products

• Backgrounder: Compete, grow, sing, explore on Nova Scotia’s South Shore

Associated links

• Lunenburg Yacht Club
• 2024 Mobility Cup
• Lunenburg Folk Harbour Society
• Town of Mahone Bay
• South Shore Opportunities Incorporated
• Terra Beata Farms
• Innovative Communities Fund
• Community Futures
• Regional Economic Growth through Innovation

Connor Burton
Press Secretary
Office of the Minister of Rural Economic Development and Minister responsible for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Connor.Burton@acoa-apeca.gc.ca

Lauren Sinclair
Director of Communications
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Lauren.Sinclair@acoa-apeca.gc.ca
782-641-6365 (cell)

Gale Fullerton
Manager
Lunenburg Yacht Club
Mobility Cup 2024
lycmanager@lyc.ns.ca
902-719-9261 (cell)

Tom McFall
Vice-President
Lunenburg Folk Harbour Society
tom.e.mcfall.52@gmail.com
902-298-2060 (cell)

Dylan Heide
CAO
Town of Mahone Bay
Dylan.Heide@TownofMahoneBay.ca
902-523-4622 (cell)

Krista Harding
Executive Director
South Shore Opportunities Incorporated
krista.harding@cbdc.ca
902-354-8348 (cell)

David Ernst
President
Terra Beata Farms Ltd. 
david.ernst@terrabeata.ca
902-529-0412 (cell) 

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