Welcome to the Musquodoboit Harbour & Area Chamber of Commerce & Civic Affairs! Thank you for being part of our vibrant community!
PRESS RELEASE
Click for Public Update: Repurposing the Eastern Shore District High School - April 17, 2026
Please direct all your comments that will be heard from all 3 levels of government to esdhs@mhacc.ca
Please select the following tabs:
“What We Learned”
Repurposing the former Eastern Shore District High School, Musquodoboit Harbour
We are sharing with you, “What we Learned” outlining the feedback and findings gathered from the community on how the community envisions repurposing the facility.
Message from Councillor David Hendsbee, MLA Kent Smith, MP Sean Fraser
We encourage the sharing of this report with those you feel may be potential collaborators, stakeholders and, other community members who may have an interest in the repurposing of the ESDHS building and property.
Your voice is genuinely important, and we want to amplify it! If you believe that the school, with the proposed repurposing suggestions, would be a valuable asset for the Eastern Shore, please share your thoughts by emailing esdhs@mhacc.ca
YOUR MEMBERSHIP HELPS US PROMOTE AND ENHANCE THE
ECONOMIC, SOCIAL, AND CIVIC WELL-BEING OF OUR COMMUNITIES
Why should you become a member?
- Your membership helps us promote and enhance the economic, social, and civic well-being of our communities from West Ship Harbour to the Musquodoboit Harbour / Gaetz Brook western boundary.
- Investing in a membership also gives you a voice in the future of your community by allowing full voting privileges.
Membership benefits of the MHACCCA
Your Chamber of Commerce & Civic Affairs:
- provides a powerful voice on behalf of the community; it speaks out on issues such as taxes, transportation and education that affect you. As a member of your local Chamber you make that voice even stronger to speak on your behalf.
- is a voluntary business organization, supported by its member firms to promote the areas economic growth and development.
- enables businessmen and businesswomen, groups, associations and individuals to accomplish collectively what no one of them could do individually, creating a pool of resources from which one can draw ideas, energy, and finances.
- is a resource of information and services for the business community and the region that it serves. Many businesses both small and large support the Chamber because it is simply good business.
Types of annual memberships:
Membership categories include groups such as Businesses, Clubs, Groups, Societies, Associations or Individuals, and we welcome anyone who is directly or indirectly interested in trade, commerce, or the economic and social well-being of the area.
Individual, business and group memberships are each given one vote, and that person (or representative of a business or group) must reside (civic address) in the Musquodoboit Harbour and surrounding area. Memberships are valid for a full calendar year from January through December.
Annual Membership Fees
- Senior: $10.00 (Age 65+)
- Individual: $25.00 (Age 18 - 64)
- Business: $50.00 (Business Enterprises of any type or size)
- Non-Profit: $25.00 (Non-Profits)
- Associate: $50.00 (Groups, Clubs, Societies, Associations)
WORKING TOGETHER FOR A BETTER TOMORROW
Unifying Our Community Strengths
While a lot of good, constructive work is ongoing in our community, no single group can possibly create a future which benefits every member of the community. A Chamber of Commerce and Civic Affairs serves as an "umbrella" organization, uniting various community groups, businesses and individuals providing its members with a clear, representative voice where it's needed most.
Establishing the Musquodoboit Harbour & Area Chamber of Commerce & Civic Affairs puts us in a position to efficiently and meaningfully steer our community's destiny.
Why do we need a Chamber of Commerce and Civic Affairs?
As the average age of rural Nova Scotians rises to retirement levels and opportunities for employment diminish, communities continue to lose residents to metropolitan areas. In response, communities need to protect and develop sustainable strategies that ensure a comprehensive aging in place continuum of housing, accessible health care, and transportation which are all indicators of maintaining an individual’s dignity and right to live fully their community of choice.
A major misperception exists which suggests the investment of Municipal, Provincial, and Federal tax dollars in infrastructure (such as water and sewer, housing and business development, transportation, and I.T.) are subsidies afforded only to densely populated areas of the HRM and elsewhere in Nova Scotia. Given the existing population trends, going forward this belief requires correcting while both residents and various levels of government will require a major shift in attitude if we are to remain successful as a Province and continue to grow as a community.
A Chamber of Commerce & Civic Affairs …
- is all about its members
- fosters better communication through fact based research on important issues affecting our area
- helps to retain youth in our communities by fostering entrepreneurship and embracing immigration
- has a traditional objective of fostering trade and industry as well as civic development, and to promote the general welfare of the community and surrounding areas
- is a non partisan and non sectarian group
- is a well respected brand in Canada, offering proven programmes and many levels of support for each chapter
- provides one credible, unified, fully accountable voice for the community while holding its representatives accountable in all levels of government
- holds regular Town Hall meetings to maintain a current pulse of community concerns
- builds credibility with residents and all levels of government
- paves the way for rural communities to work with all levels of government to take the lead in developing long term social and economic strategies
- proves it has the support of its members through paid association and engagement
- allows decision-making to be controlled at the community level
- unifies several highly functioning groups under one respected umbrella, repairing fragmentation and making it possible for politicians to effectively meet with our community within busy schedules
- actively and positively engages elected officials and large private sector service delivery models IE: important rural infrastructure such as NSP, Bell, Eastlink etc. for the betterment of our entire community
- allows both community and business interests to be properly represented in shaping our community, making it one of the only organizations able to actively and effectively engage our area's business community
- facilitates economic growth of the region through ensuring the establishment of the requisite infrastructure for economic and social wellbeing while constantly being guided by the membership
- creates and maintains an environment that grows the quality of life for our citizens, and continues to grow it through a prosperous economy and a social network that meets the needs of all
- represents the voice of business, supporting its members’ success and championing community prosperity
- attracts highly skilled volunteers to help organize and operate an effective, all-encompassing group
- allows for future growth of historically important rural growth centres along the Eastern Shore, including Musquodoboit Harbour, Sheet Harbour, Sherbrooke
- is a brand well respected by Greater Halifax Partnership, Nova Scotia Business Inc., The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, CBDC Bluewater, Municipal, Provincial and Federal Governments
The MHACCCA Board of Directors is presently comprised of members representing our communities from West Ship Harbour to the Gaetz Brook line. Board Members serve a two year term and are from the following communities:
- Jeddore
- Lake Charlotte
- West Ship Harbour
- Ostrea Lake
- Musquodoboit Harbour
- Oyster Pond
President
Mike McKinnon
Vice President
Jason Dick
Secretary-Treasurer
Boyd Chapman
Board Member
Lori Beach
Board Member
Rose Carter
Board Member
Will Gilligan
Board Member
Lori Ponznansky
Board Member
Jane Young
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS (FAQs)
How did the idea of the MHACCCA get started?
On Sunday, Nov. 9th, 2014, at 2 pm at the Petpeswick Yacht Club, concerned citizens came together to discuss the benefits of a Chamber of Commerce and Civic Affairs for Musquodoboit Harbour and the surrounding area. Overwhelmingly, more than seventy community members gave their support in the public interest to establish a Chamber of Commerce & Civic Affairs. A “Steering Committee” was nominated and endorsed by the community, tasked to draft bylaws and draw up a suggested slate of officers. That community meeting was hosted by the Musquodoboit Harbour + Area Community Association, and the guest speaker was Senator Tom McInnis.
How did the "steering committee" form the MHACCCA?
The Steering Committee for the Musquodoboit Harbour & Area Chamber of Commerce & Civic Affairs is the result of our community's sheer determination to take control and change the status quo. The committee met weekly, determined to establish the framework of the MHACCCA while keeping in mind the Ivany report and other important recent studies done regarding Nova Scotia. Over the years much important and meaningful work has been done in our communities, in fact, the Musquodoboit Harbour and District Board of Trade was formed in October, 1980. The steering committee reactivated this old board of trade which happens to pre date amalgamation in HRM. We engaged in extensive research and established Chamber bylaws and an operational framework based on review of multiple existing Chambers. As such, as of March 17th, 2015 the MHACCCA is now a formally registered society with the Nova Scotia Registry of Joint Stock, and with additional membership will become a member of the Atlantic Provinces Chamber of Commerce.
How are the geographical boundaries of the MHACCCA membership defined?
The Halifax Municipal Planning Strategy for the Eastern Shore defines our membership boundaries; "Eastern Shore (West) Plan". As such the MHACCCA’s boundaries are from the West Ship Harbour east boundary to the western boundary of Musquodoboit Harbour where it meets the Gaetz Brook.
