Community
With its administrative offices in the shiretown of Guysborough, the Municipality is one of four municipal units in Guysborough County. The Town of Mulgrave, the Town of Canso and the Municipality of the District of St. Mary's (located in the western part of the County) have their own municipal governments.
The Municipality of the District of Guysborough (MODG) is home to more than half the residents of the County. It is a "community of communities". The Mi'kmaq, Vikings, the French and the English, Acadians and Loyalists, including a large number of African Americans, all lay claim to an aspect of the Municipality's history. Once largely dependent on the fishery (landings and processing), mining and forestry, MODG enjoyed great economic success from these natural resources. Declines in quota, international competition in processing of some fish and shellfish species, and the groundfish moratorium in 1992 deeply affected the economy. The Municipality's communities absorbed that blow and, while the sea and the forest continue to play a vital role, an emerging oil and gas industry, a vibrant cultural community, and the presence of high-speed internet all contribute to a positive outlook for the future. Exciting new economic development opportunities are on the doorstep.
The words of Joseph Howe (1804 - 1873) - defender of Freedom of the Press, advocate of responsible government, Premier, federal Cabinet Minister and Lieutenant Governor of the Province - are as true today as they were then:
"Indeed every step you take - every turn of the eye - furnishes some new combination of land and water, some scenic grace that was not at first observed; and the result of the whole survey satisfies the traveler that there are few places in the province whose natural beauties and great commercial advantages are more agreeably blended."
John N. Grant (2004), "Historic Guysborough: Images of the Past", Nimbus Publishing Limited
Days Gone By Bakery, Guysborough
(MacKinnon Photo)