The Coastal Discovery Centre

The Coastal Discovery Centre is a community, social and enterprise centre housed in the former elementary school in Main-à-Dieu. Its purpose is to provide:

• A home for local businesses and entrepreneurs, serving both residents and visitors, with a special focus on establishing the site as a major tourist attraction on the Marconi Trial.

• A venue for social and leisure activities, including fundraising events designed to support and develop the CDC project.

In working to advance these twin objectives, the MCDA is guided by the following principles, considerations and priorities:

• To build on the strong platform already established by the Main-à-Dieu Fishermen’s Museum, to construct the Centre’s appeal and image around the defining themes of fishing and the ocean.

• To ensure that 100% of funds raised under MCDA auspices to support the CDC is invested in the project in the most effective and transparent manner, with a special focus on guaranteeing the longevity and sustainability of the facility.

• To ensure that benefits and opportunities arising from the project are offered and shared as widely as possible to residents in the whole MCDA area.

• To the maximum extent possible, to encourage local business people and potential young entrepreneurs to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the Centre.

• To involve all residents as fully as possible in the Association’s review and development of the project.

The fundamental responsibility of the Association with regard to the project is to raise the funds and maintain the funding partnerships necessary — at the federal, provincial and municipal levels — to secure the financial future of the Centre.

The overarching vision of the Association with regard to the project is to see the Costal Discovery Centre established as the strong, vibrant heart of commercial and social activity in the area, significantly improving the overall well-being of residents and providing a rewarding and enriching experience for visitors.


The Main-A-Dieu Community Development Association
 

The Main-à-Dieu & Area Community Development Association (MCDA) is a not-for-profit volunteer organization incorporated since 1995 under the Nova Scotia Societies Act. The Association is dedicated to assisting economic and social development in the following communities: Main-à-Dieu, Bateston, Little Lorraine, Baleine and Catalone. Membership of the Association is open, free of charge, to all residents over 16.

The overarching vision of the Association is to establish and sustain Main-à-Dieu and area as an economically prosperous and socially vibrant network of communities, attractive and enriching as both a place to visit and a place to live. In pursuit of its general mandate, the MCDA seeks:

• To raise funds in support of community development projects aimed at providing services and amenities otherwise unavailable to both residents and visitors

• In close association with the local parish and other interested parties, to organize and coordinate a calendar of community events aimed both at providing leisure and entertainment for residents and visitors and at raising funds to in support of the Association’s various projects

• To involve all residents as fully and regularly as possible in the decision-making and activities of the Association

• To raise the profile and increase the attractiveness of the area as an important tourist attraction on the Marconi Trail

• To ensure that 100% of all funds raised by the Association are deployed both to cover the costs of Association activities and in support of the Association’s core community development objectives

• To work cooperatively and constructively with communities outside our Association’s area, both along the Marconi Trail and more broadly, in order to maximize the effectiveness of small not-for-profit volunteer organizations such as our own in enhancing the prosperity and quality-of-life for all of Cape Bretoners. ​