| Glace Bay, Nova Scotia |
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| communities in the cape breton regional municipality | |
| mining communities in nova scotia | |
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Incorporated as a town in 1901 , it is now part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality . HISTORY The French first mined coal at this location to supply their Fortress at nearby Louisbourg . They named the location ''Baie de Glace'' (literally, ''Ice Bay'') because of the ice which filled the bay each year. The town once had a population of 28,000 in the 50's and 60's and was offered the positon of becoming a city, but opted to remain a town to retain the title of biggest town in Canada. ECONOMY Glace Bay was once a prosperous Coal Mining town. In 1860 the Glace Bay Mining Company was formed and it operated two mines. The first large mine, the Hub Shaft of Glace Bay, opened in 1861. Large-scale mining commenced in 1893, exclusive mining rights were granted to the Dominion Coal Company. Glace Bay was incorporated as a town nine years later. At its high point the company operated eleven mines in all, and was responsible for 40% of Canada's coal production, but as Coal Mining became less important, these mines were closed until, in 1984 Mine Number 26 shut down. Many residents of Glace Bay started to work at the two other coal mines in the area - Prince Colliery in Point Aconi and Phalen Mine in Lingan . However, coal mining continued its decline and Phalen Mine closed in 1999 . Fishing was also an important industry throughout the 20th Century . However, by the 1990s fish stocks were so depleted that the fishery was closed. Some fish processing still occurs here. High Unemployment in the town has forced many residents to leave to find work elsewhere. PRESENT DAY After the closure of all coal mines in Glace Bay, the population dwindled to less than 20,000. The people of Glace Bay remain proud of their mining heritage, however, and efforts continue to be made to revive the town's economy. In 2001, the addition of the call center Stream International to Glace Bay has encouraged the local economy. Parks Canada maintains a national historic site in Glace Bay honouring the role of Guglielmo Marconi in the development of radio communications. In 1902, the first official wireless message was sent from this site across the Atlantic Ocean to England. A spark gap transmitter with 75 kilowatts of power fed 4 tall antennas on the 5 acre site overlooking the Atlantic Ocean. Currently there is a bit of hope economically. A Stream International call centre has opened and currently employs 1200 people from the surrounding area. Also Australian-led consortium Xstrata Donkin Coal Development Alliance had won the rights to develop the abandoned Donkin mine site. This should add 300 jobs to the Glace Bay/Donkin area in the next two years. Glace Bay, Sydney, and five other towns were combined in 1995 to form the Cape Breton Regional Municipality . There are many community groups and organizations in Glace Bay dedicated to helping the community. ATTRACTIONS The town of Glace Bay has several draws:
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