Rural practitioner vignette

This chapter describes the Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) as a beautiful region of approximately 2,400 square kilometres located on Cape Breton Island in the eastern part of Nova Scotia. It talks about the characterization of Cape Breton Island by both an aging and declining population hundreds as young adults have migrated out of the region for educational and work opportunities. It also analyzes the shift in the shape of the CBRM's age pyramid as there have been fewer young people and far more people in the older age cohorts. The chapter elaborates how the CBRM is increasingly challenged to identify initiatives and programs that will effectively accommodate and support an aging population, as it is among the poorest municipalities in Nova Scotia. It points out the CBRM's active transportation strategy, which has been supported by the municipal council and has resulted in far better infrastructure for walking and cycling in the region.