Editing Cape Breton Island (section)

==Economy==

Much of the recent economic history of Cape Breton Island can be tied to the coal industry.

The island has two major coal deposits:

*the Sydney Coal Field in the southeastern part of the island along the Atlantic Ocean drove the Industrial Cape Breton economy throughout the 19th and 20th centuries—until after World War II, its industries were the largest private employers in Canada.
*the Inverness Coal Field in the western part of the island along the Gulf of St. Lawrence is significantly smaller but hosted several mines.

[[Sydney, Nova Scotia|Sydney]] has traditionally been the main port, with facilities in a large, sheltered, natural harbour. It is the island's largest commercial centre and home to the ''[[Cape Breton Post]]'' daily newspaper, as well as one television station, [[CJCB-TV]] (CTV),{{refn|group="Note"|[[CBIT-TV]] (CBC) existed from 1972 until 31 July 2012, when the CBC closed its over-the-air analog transmitters in small markets. It produced a local news broadcast until 1991, when local news shows were consolidated to Halifax. The CBC Nova Scotia television signal, which originates from Halifax, is now available only by cable or satellite providers.<ref name="CBC closes transmitters">{{cite web |title=Revocation of licences for the rebroadcasting stations CBIT Sydney and CBKST Saskatoon and licence amendment to remove analog transmitters for 23 English- and French-language television stations |work=Decisions, Notices and Orders |publisher=Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission |url=http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2012/2012-384.htm |date=17 July 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120728043036/http://www.crtc.gc.ca/eng/archive/2012/2012-384.htm |archive-date=28 July 2012 |url-status=live |location=Ottawa}}</ref>}} and several radio stations. The [[Marine Atlantic]] terminal at [[North Sydney, Nova Scotia|North Sydney]] is the terminal for large ferries traveling to [[Channel-Port aux Basques]] and seasonally to [[Argentia]], both on the island of [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]].

[[Point Edward, Nova Scotia|Point Edward]] on the west side of Sydney Harbour is the location of Sydport, a former [[Royal Canadian Navy|navy]] base ({{HMCS|Protector}}) now converted to commercial use. The [[Canadian Coast Guard College]] is nearby at Westmount. Petroleum, bulk coal, and cruise ship facilities are also in Sydney Harbour.

[[Glace Bay, Nova Scotia|Glace Bay]], the second largest urban community in population, was the island's main coal mining centre until its last mine closed in the 1980s. Glace Bay was the hub of the Sydney & Louisburg Railway and a major fishing port. At one time, Glace Bay was known as the largest town in Nova Scotia, based on population.

[[Port Hawkesbury]] has risen to prominence since the completion of the Canso Causeway and [[Canso Canal]] created an artificial deep-water port, allowing extensive petrochemical, pulp and paper, and gypsum handling facilities to be established. The Strait of Canso is completely navigable to [[Seawaymax]] vessels, and Port Hawkesbury is open to the deepest-draught vessels on the world's oceans. Large marine vessels may also enter Bras d'Or Lake through the Great Bras d'Or channel, and small craft can use the Little Bras d'Or channel or [[St. Peters Canal]]. While commercial shipping no longer uses the St. Peters Canal, it remains an important waterway for recreational vessels.

The industrial Cape Breton area faced several challenges with the closure of the [[Cape Breton Development Corporation]]'s (DEVCO) coal mines and the [[Sydney Steel Corporation]]'s (SYSCO) [[steel mill]]. In recent years, the Island's residents have tried to diversify the area economy by investing in tourism developments, [[call centre]]s, and small businesses, as well as manufacturing ventures in fields such as auto parts, pharmaceuticals, and window glazings.

While the [[Cape Breton Regional Municipality]] is in transition from an industrial to a service-based economy, the rest of Cape Breton Island outside the industrial area surrounding Sydney-Glace Bay has been more stable, with a mixture of fishing, forestry, small-scale agriculture, and tourism.

Tourism in particular has grown throughout the post-Second World War era, especially the growth in vehicle-based touring, which was furthered by the creation of the [[Cabot Trail]] scenic drive.  The scenery of the island is rivalled in northeastern North America by only [[Newfoundland (island)|Newfoundland]];{{Citation needed|reason=Subjective?|date=September 2013}} and Cape Breton Island tourism marketing places a heavy emphasis on its Scottish [[Gaels|Gaelic]] heritage through events such as the Celtic Colours Festival, held each October, as well as promotions through the [[Gaelic College of Celtic Arts and Crafts]].

Whale-watching is a popular attraction for tourists. Whale-watching cruises are operated by vendors from Baddeck to Chéticamp. The most popular species of whale found in Cape Breton's waters is the [[pilot whale]].

The [[Cabot Trail]] is a scenic road circuit around and over the [[Cape Breton Highlands]] with spectacular coastal vistas; over 400,000 visitors drive the Cabot Trail each summer and fall. Coupled with the [[Fortress of Louisbourg]], it has driven the growth of the tourism industry on the island in recent decades. The ''[[Condé Nast Publications|Condé Nast]]'' travel guide has rated Cape Breton Island as one of the world's best island destinations.

=== Transport ===
The island's primary east–west road is [[Nova Scotia Highway 105|Highway 105]], the [[Trans-Canada Highway]], although [[Nova Scotia Trunk 4|Trunk 4]] is also heavily used. [[Nova Scotia Highway 125|Highway 125]] is an important arterial route around Sydney Harbour in the [[Cape Breton Regional Municipality]]. The [[Cabot Trail]], circling the Cape Breton Highlands, and [[Nova Scotia Trunk 19|Trunk 19]], along the island's western coast, are important secondary roads. The [[Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway]] maintains railway connections between the port of Sydney to the [[Canadian National Railway]] in [[Truro, Nova Scotia|Truro]].

Cape Breton Island is served by several airports, the largest, the [[JA Douglas McCurdy Sydney Airport]], situated on Trunk 4 between the communities of Sydney and Glace Bay, as well as smaller airports at Port Hawksbury, Margaree, and Baddeck.