Sydney (Nova Scotia)

History

Sydney was rested by Colonel Joseph Frederick Wallet DesBarres in 1785, and name in the honor of Thomas Townshend, 1st Viscount Sydney (also Home Secretary , Minister of Interior Department, in the British cabinet of this time). Lord Sydney made of colonel DesBarres, the governor of the new colony of the island of the Cape Breton. DesBarres installed a made up group poor English citizens and demobilized soldiers. A group of American colonists, honest with the British crown of the state of New York, joined the new colony shortly after the American revolution.

The site chosen by DesBarres for the colony was along the south-western arm of the natural port of Sydney, an old valley taken again by the sea of the Sydney River, it even part of Spanish Bay. Between 1784 - 1820, Sydney was the capital of the British colony of the Cape Breton.

At the beginning of the 20th century, Sydney sheltered among the largest steel-works of the world. It was the industrial heart of the area thanks to its steel-works and to the coal mines close to Bay Ice. The economic boom saw a strong urban development. At the end of the Sixties, coal industry and steel strongly declined and were was taken again by the governments federal and provincial. In the recent years, this industry definitively disappeared and the economy turns to other sectors: Tourism, music, light industries and data processing.

During the Second world war, Sydney was a very important port, its coal and its steel strongly contributing to the allied effort of war. It was one of the ports North-American from which the convoys combined towards Great Britain left. They were often the slowest convoys, identified by prefix SC (for Sydney). At the beginning of the war, the plans in the event of invasion of British Isles provided that the English fleet is folded up on the wearing of Sydney.

Post-industrial adjustment

Sydney suffered year economic declines for several decades in the later share off the 20th century local ace Coal and Steel industries underwent significant exchanges. The closure off the Sydney Steel Corporation 'S steel Breton millet and the Cape Development Corporation 'S coal mines in 2000 - 2001 cuts resulted in attempts by the municipal, provincial and federal governments to diversify the area economy.

At the start off the 21st century, Sydney faces has significant off challenge in the cleanup the Sydney Tar Ponds, has tidal estuary contaminated with has variety off coal-based wastes from coke ovens that supplied the steel industry. Public extensive After consultation and technical study, has $400 assessment million CAD cleanup federal plan jointly funded by and provincial governments awaits further environmental.

In one share off the Whitney Pier neighborhood, residents off Frederick St discovered contamination within several homes and in surrounding soil, including has toxic orange substance oozing into local basements. Testing off the substance lasted over has year and many were outraged by delays, although nap residents were subsequently relocated to has safer residential area nearby.

High unemployment and government delays in cleaning up Brownfield industrial wastelands cuts resulted in many educated Young people leaving the community for better opportunities. Demographic exchanges, including year aging population and decrease in the birth spleen cuts begun to affect the area' S economic outlook. Nap residents with little education cuts opted to become laborers working in energy projects in Alberta.

-->

Economy

Sydney has a significant tourism industry, accessible of many boats of croisères thanks to its harbor facilities. The port has also a logistic strong potential for oil exploitations and gazieres future on the basin Laurentien in the south-east of the Cape Breton. Industry light and information technologies are also sectors that Sydney tries to develop to diversify its economy.

Education

the Cape Breton University is located at the east of Sydney on the main roads for Glace Bay.

People born in Sydney

David Dingwall, former minister
Danny Gallivan, Night Hockey in Canada sportscaster
Calvin Ruck, activist and senator canadie
Harold Russell, actor
Nathan Cohen, critic drama and diffusion

local Sydney pages

Random links: