Community Summary
Coxheath (the area identified in mining proposal) is a thriving, family-oriented community situated north of the Sydney River in the Cape Breton Regional Municipality of Cape Breton Island (Nova Scotia, Canada). Coxheath boasts a community of schools, sports facilities, community centers, businesses, hiking trails, natural beauty, and diverse wildlife. Below you will find more information about our corner of the world.
For simplicity, we mainly mention Coxheath because it is named in the proposal and the areas discussed are within Coxheath boundaries, however the mining area also coincides with Beechmont (named in the CBRM surplus land sale agenda issue).
Blacketts Lake, Beechmont, Sydney Forks, Portage, East Bay, Howie Center, Gillis Lake and Frenchvale) are vibrant, closely connected communities located in Cape Breton, NS that could also be negatively impacted by the mining activity due to proximity and connections to watersheds. Communities as far away as Sydney River and Eskasoni First Nation are also related.
Schooling
Coxheath is home to a preschool/daycare, elementary school, and the largest high school on Cape Breton Island. Coxheath Elementary School has 275 registered students and Riverview High School has 977 registered students for the current school year. CB-VRCE 2023
Sports and Recreation
Our community has a number of sports and recreation facilities, including the Cape Breton County Recreation Center, Cantley Village Park and the Coxheath Recreation Park, which host a variety of local sports leagues.
The Rec Center features an ice-skating rink, which offers weekly family skates in the winter months and provides ice time for minor hockey leagues, high school hockey, and male/female adult hockey leagues and tournaments.
The Riverview Soccer Club is based out of Coxheath, Sydney River, and surrounding areas. It is the largest recreational soccer club on Cape Breton Island and one of the largest in Nova Scotia. Regular soccer practices and games have taken place in Coxheath.
Coxheath Recreation Park and the Cantley Village Park parks offer playing fields, walking tracks and playgrounds. Tennis courts can be found at the Coxheath Recreation Park, while Cantley Village Park is home to a basketball court and a recently renovated accessible playground. Oland Heights Subdivision also hosts a lovely playground developed through a neighborhood project.
The community of Coxheath also has horse riding stables, two dance studios, and skateboard park.
Coxheath Hills Wilderness Trail
The Coxheath Hills Wilderness Trail is a great example of how a community group effort saved a pristine woodland, which now provides a stunning recreation resource and is a focal point to the community of Coxheath. Much More...
Business
Coxheath has a bustling business sector. Local businesses include a popular brewery, fitness facility, used clothing store, Farmer’s Co-op, dog training/boarding/daycare, veterinary clinic and attached off-leash dog park, storage center, restaurants (pizzeria, seasonal ice cream/fast food shop), salon and spa, bakery, convenience store, cabinet makers, and more.
Fishing/Boating
People travel from all over the Cape Breton Regional Municipality to fish at Blackett’s Lake in Coxheath. Trout, bass, and pickerel are frequently caught by recreational fishermen/women.
Canoe, kayak, and other small boat enthusiasts can often be found enjoying the unspoiled waters of Blackett’s Lake in warm weather.
Community Centers/Events
The Coxheath Hills Community Center hosts a number of public and private functions, including the annual Dessert Social (a popular community event) and Celtic Colours International Festival events. In addition to hockey and skating, the Cape Breton County Recreation Center hosts a weekly flea market, school graduations/grand marches, home builders’ events, and more.
The Forrester Centre is a “small and intimate arts, performance, wedding and events venue” that draws attendees from the surrounding area. The Cape Breton University’s “Caper’s in the Community” program (multisport programming for children) often holds events at the Coxheath Recreation Park.
Active churches in the area are Knox United Church (Coxheath Rd.), Westside Bible Chapel (Keltic Dr.).
Nature/Wildlife
Coxheath is a sublime natural habitat to a variety of species, including Canadian geese, ducks, fish, deer, foxes, pheasants, owls, eagles, coyotes, rabbits, and hobby farm animals.
Water from the Coxheath Mountain feeds into local streams, brooks, Blackett’s Lake, and Sydney River. The proposed mining boundary is only approximately 3 km from the Bras D’Or Lakes UNESCO Biosphere.
