Our North Sydney
North Sydney is a busy community serving as a critical link as part of the Trans-Canada Highway to the ports of Channel-Port Aux Basques and Argentia to the island of Newfoundland. Our resilient town has weathered economic turbulence to produce a variety of rich tourist-centred businesses and the continuation of North Sydney history of shipbuilding and fishing.
Our History
Settled in 1785 by settling by European and Loyalist settlers, the community did not begin to see rapid growth until the 1884 when piers for shipping Sydney Mines coal were completed inside the North Bar or as its known today, Indian Beach. North Sydney would see hundreds of steamships pass by as a hub for the coal industry as it continued grow in Cape Breton.
North Sydney as the gateway to Newfoundland as we know it today began in 1898 when a railway was built across Newfoundland from St. Johns to Port Aux Basques with North Sydney chosen to be first ferry service to Newfoundland, one that is continued to be carried by the Crown corporation of Marine Atlantic today.
During both world wars, the width and depth of the Sydney harbour and its nearness to Europe made it a valuable asset during the allied war effort. Providing Sydney Mines bunker coal, a vital link in the allied convoy system and a jump-off point for allied warships, North Sydney became a critical infrastructure port and hub.
North Sydney Today
Now, North Sydney does not retain the coal shipping or war infrastructure as it had previously, expanding upon the aspect of transportation, shipping of civilian goods and the tourism industry. North Sydney now hosts a wide array of businesses along the waterfront road that is Commercial Street, referred to as Downtown North Sydney. Downtown North Sydney is a business district that exchange goods and services that are tailored towards visitors and tourists traveling through our ferry service or townspeople needing a reliable and affordable service that's nearby that's ingrained into the local community.