Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation (ECBC) was a Canadian federal Crown corporation which promoted and coordinated economic development throughout Cape Breton Island and adjacent areas in the eastern Nova Scotia town of Mulgrave. ECBC was established in 1987 to provide a specific geographic focus for the federal government's regional economic development initiatives in the economically depressed region which was undergoing an adjustment from a resource-based economy centred on the coal and steel industries. The town of Mulgrave, on peninsular Nova Scotia was added, since the town had undergone dramatic decline following its bypass as a ferry port and railway hub with the 1955 opening of the

Canso Causeway The Canso Causeway (''Cabhsair Chanso'' in Gaelic) is a rock-fill causeway crossing the Strait of Canso, connecting Cape Breton Island by road to the Nova Scotia peninsula. Its crest thickness is , carrying the two vehicle traffic lanes o ...

. On 31 December 2009, the

Cape Breton Development Corporation The Cape Breton Development Corporation, or DEVCO, was a Government of Canada Crown corporation. It ceased operation on December 31, 2009, after being amalgamated with Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation (ECBC). DEVCO was organized primarily in ...

(DEVCO) ceased to exist with its remaining assets and staff turned over to ECBC. Based in Sydney, in the

Cape Breton Regional Municipality Cape Breton Regional Municipality (often referred to as simply "CBRM") is the Canadian province of Nova Scotia's second largest municipality and the economic heart of Cape Breton Island. As of 2016 the municipality has a population of 94,285. The ...

, ECBC was administered by the

Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency In Canada, the Regional Development Agencies (RDA) are the seven federal government agencies responsible for addressing key economic challenges and furthering economic development, diversification, and job creation specific to their respective regi ...

(ACOA) and was the responsibility of Industry Canada.

Transfer to Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and Public Work and Government Services Canada

On March 19, 2014, the Government of Canada announced that the operations of ECBC would be absorbed into the

. Existing ECBC staff would be transferred to ACOA, while other functions, such as Real Property, Environmental Monitoring of Mines, and other Human Resource functions would be transferred to

Public Works and Government Services Canada Public Services and Procurement Canada (PSPC; french: Services publics et Approvisionnement Canada)''Public Services and Procurement Canada'' is the applied title under the Federal Identity Program; the legal title is Department of Public Works ...

References

{{Authority control Companies based in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality Former Crown corporations of Canada Canadian companies established in 1987 Canadian companies disestablished in 2014 1987 establishments in Nova Scotia 2014 disestablishments in Nova Scotia