The seafood industry has a long and rich history in Unama'ki - Cape Breton. The island exports an estimated $342 million dollars worth of lobster, snow crab, and other species, much of it processed by the island's eleven active processing facilities. How are tariffs—both real and potential—affecting local seafood exports? How are processors navigating market uncertainty? What are the opportunities hiding in this crisis? In Episode 7 of Invest in Cape Breton, Victoria Co-op Fisheries General Manager Osborne Burke and Louisbourg Seafoods Sales Manager Shaowei Xu lend their insights.

This episode is brought to you by Victoria Co-op Fisheries, seafood harvesters and processors since 1955. Their progressive Cape Breton co-op works with community harvesters to bring the freshest, tastiest seafood to markets all over the world.

• 01:58 Unama'ki - Cape Breton Seafood: Premium and Sustainable
• 04:49 Impact of Chinese Tariffs on Local Seafood Exports
• 07:31 Impact of U.S. Tariff Threats on Canadian Seafood
• 10:27 Strategies for International and Interprovincial Market Diversification
• 19:01 Processing and Packaging Innovations
• 21:31 Challenges in Adopting New Processing Capacity
• 23:03 Labour and Housing Challenges
• 25:35 How Government Could Support the Seafood Industry
• 29:34 Shaowei and Osborne’s Outlooks For the Future of Local Seafood

Find out More About Victoria Co-operative Fisheries

• Victoria Co-operative Fisheries website: victoriafish.com
• Victoria Co-operative Fisheries YouTube: youtube.com/@vcflseafood

Find out More About Louisbourg Seafoods

• Louisbourg Seafoods website: louisbourgseafoods.ca
• Louisbourg Seafoods Facebook: facebook.com/louisbourgseafoods
• Louisbourg Seafoods Instagram: instagram.com/lsbgseafoods

About the Invest in Cape Breton podcast

Unama'ki-Cape Breton is on the cusp of an economic renaissance. Invest in Cape Breton is a podcast that will challenge your assumptions about the island’s economy through in-depth interviews with local changemakers. We go beyond the headlines to reveal the untapped potential for investors and entrepreneurs, and offer a preview of the island’s coming transformation. Right from the first episode, we’ll show you why there's never been a better time to invest in Cape Breton.

This podcast is an initiative of the Cape Breton Partnership. It is hosted by Michelle Samson and produced by Storied Places Media. The theme music is "Under My Skin" by Elyse Aeryn.

With half a million annual visitors contributing over $300 million to the regional GDP, Unama’ki - Cape Breton’s tourism sector is robust, but nowhere near saturated. In this episode, we highlight a tourism investment case study in Cheticamp, the rapid growth of marine tourism, and the emergence of Mi’kmaq tourism. The consensus is that there are lots of opportunities for investors, and that collaborating is the way to go.

• 00:33 Introduction
• 01:38 Cheticamp: A Case Study in Tourism Investment
• 09:06 Housing and Accommodation Projects
• 16:29 Superyacht East Coast: Turning Atlantic Canada into a Marine Destination
• 18:58 Businesses That Can Benefit From Superyachts
• 25:40 How Communities Can Attract Marine Tourism
• 30:40 NSITEN: Developing Authentic Indigenous Tourism Experiences
• 38:26 Building Trust and Partnerships with Indigenous Communities

Andre Bourgeois is the Project Manager for La Pointe and Le Cap

• Le Cap Hotel
• La Pointe (Cheticamp Island) Facebook group

Adam Langley is the President and CEO of Superyacht East Coast

• Superyacht East Coast website
• Facebook
• Instagram
• LinkedIn

Robert Bernard is the Executive Director for the Nova Scotia Indigenous Tourism Enterprise Network (NSITEN)

• NSITEN website
• Facebook
• Twitter
• Robert Bernard on LinkedIn
• Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn (KMK)

Other Unama’ki - Cape Breton tourism organizations

• Destination Cape Breton

About the Invest in Cape Breton podcast

Unama'ki-Cape Breton is on the cusp of an economic renaissance. Invest in Cape Breton is a podcast that will challenge your assumptions about the island’s economy through in-depth interviews with local changemakers. We go beyond the headlines to reveal the untapped potential for investors and entrepreneurs, and offer a preview of the island’s coming transformation. Right from the first episode, we’ll show you why there's never been a better time to invest in Cape Breton.

This podcast is an initiative of the Cape Breton Partnership. It is hosted by Michelle Samson and produced by Storied Places Media. The theme music is "Under My Skin" by Elyse Aeryn. This episode’s special theme song is 'Je m'en fus à sa porte' by Nicolas Boulerice, Olivier Demers, and Cape Breton's own Robert Deveaux. It is provided courtesy of Editions de la Compagnie du Nord and David Murphy et Cie.

There is a myth in Unama’ki - Cape Breton that the island has a talent shortage. In this episode, we explore how IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) principles can help businesses overcome recruitment challenges by welcoming members of underrepresented communities. The conversation with Robyn Lee Seale from Build Nova Scotia and Nadine Bernard of Indigivisor covers the importance of building relationships, common mistakes, and the vital role of psychological safety.

• 01:32 The Basics of Why Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility are Important
• 04:26 Hidden Workforce Size
• 07:45 Indigenous Workforce Recruitment Challenges and Solutions
• 15:30 Implementing IDEA Example: CBRM Healthcare Redevelopment Project
• 19:28 A Culture Shift Precedent
• 21:02 Common Mistakes
• 25:47 Nadine and Robyn Lee’s Visions for the Future

Nadine Bernard is the Founder and CEO of Indigevisor, an Indigenous inclusion consultancy. Find them on LinkedIn and Facebook.

Robyn Lee Seale is the Diversity and Inclusion Lead at Build Nova Scotia. To connect with underrepresented communities, you can email her at RobynLee.Seale@novascotia.ca.

Alternatively, you can reach out to any of the organizations below directly:

• The Band Offices of Eskasoni, Membertou, Potlotek, Wagmatcook, or We’koqma’q.
• Mi’kmaw Economic Benefits Office (MEBO)
• Kwilmu’kw Maw-klusuaqn (KMK)
• Veronica Merryfield at the Cape Breton Transgender Network

About the Invest in Cape Breton podcast

Unama'ki-Cape Breton is on the cusp of an economic renaissance. Invest in Cape Breton is a podcast that will challenge your assumptions about the island’s economy through in-depth interviews with local changemakers. We go beyond the headlines to reveal the untapped potential for investors and entrepreneurs, and offer a preview of the island’s coming transformation. Right from the first episode, we’ll show you why there's never been a better time to invest in Cape Breton.

This podcast is an initiative of the Cape Breton Partnership. It is hosted by Michelle Samson and produced by Storied Places Media. The theme music is "Under My Skin" by Elyse Aeryn.