As Canada’s oldest Community Development Corporation and a founding member of the Canadian Community Economic Development Network (CCEDNet), we hold a steadfast belief: true and lasting change happens when communities are empowered to define their own path and shape their own destiny.
New Dawn Enterprises exists in motion. Its work responds to changing social, economic, and human realities while remaining grounded in values, relationships, and community-led action. Each day is understood as a beginning, an opportunity to listen, adapt, and build toward a more just and sustainable future.
New Dawn exists to nurture a community that is vibrant, healthy, just, and self-reliant through:
Cultivating spaces where local leadership, voices, and decisions can flourish
Building an economic foundation that is sustainable and rooted in community care
Raising our voices for deep, lasting change in areas like immigration, housing, energy, and governance
Some of New Dawn’s services generate revenue, which — true to our non-profit model — is reinvested back into the organization to expand and deepen our community impact. We are governed by a volunteer board of directors and operate with a commitment to sustainability, inclusion, and transparency.
Our work responds to the real and changing needs of our community while also working to address the systems that shape those needs. Through our efforts in areas like immigration, governance, and energy, we aim to strengthen the conditions that allow people and communities to thrive. Grounded in service, partnership, and local leadership, we create space for community voices, decisions, and action.
Since 1976, our purpose has been to support community-led solutions and challenge decisions made without local voices. While our work has evolved, our core remains the same: to act with integrity, build trusting relationships, and lead in ways that are bold, honest, and empowering. We exist to serve the community with compassion and respect, and to help create a future that is shaped by the people who live here.
New Dawn is about possibility — about what unfolds when people come together with courage in their hearts, care in their hands, and a shared belief in a better tomorrow.
We exist to nurture that belief, and bring it into being.
Community
The steady pulse at the heart of every decision, every action
Leadership
Fearless, honest, and empowering
Independence
Courage to speak truthfully and act with integrity
Integrity
The foundation of trust woven through every authentic relationship
Partnership
Collaboration with those who share our vision for Cape Breton
Service
Leadership grounded in compassion, carried with humility, and guided by deep respect
At New Dawn, the Board of Directors serves as both compass and caretaker — guiding the organization with vision, integrity, and deep connection to the community it serves.
These volunteer leaders do not manage day-to-day operations; instead, they set the course, hire and support the CEO, and ensure New Dawn’s work remains rooted in purpose, possibility, and sustainability.
Drawn from across the community, the Directors bring diverse perspectives and deep local knowledge to the table, helping New Dawn stay grounded in local realities while reaching toward a more just and self-reliant future for Cape Breton.
2023
2021-2022
2020
2019
2025 was a year that asked a great deal of all of us, and gave a great deal back. On behalf of the Board of Directors, I want to begin by acknowledging the loss of John Whalley. John was woven into th… read more
2025. A year that at times felt like five years. Perhaps because the loss of our sweet friend and co-worker, sage and confidant, John Whalley, and all the times we’ve missed him since. Perhaps because… read more
Every day at New Dawn, we engage the community to meet the needs of today and imagine new possibilities for tomorrow. Whether it’s a warm meal for a senior, a safe place for a youth to call home, or a studio where artists and entrepreneurs can dream and build — your support makes it possible. It’s a shared investment in the kind of Cape Breton we all want to call home. With your help, we can do more
"I've worked with a lot of development corporations and companies and communities, and New Dawn is a rock in our community. I love that it's the oldest community development corporation and, in my opinion, one of the most successful and sustainable in the country. I’ve always been very proud of my relationship with New Dawn."
—Annette Verschuren and Stan Shibinsky,
New Dawn donors
Last year, with community support, we had the following impact:
Delivered 20,000+ nutritious meals to seniors
Provided safe, supportive housing to dozens of youth and adults
Offered subsidized care to help seniors age with dignity, at home
Supported 600+ newcomers in making Cape Breton their home
Created affordable workspace for 45+ artists and social impact organizations
Make a one-time gift, become a monthly donor, or leave a legacy. Give in the way that's right for you.
| Title | Schedule | Wage/Salary | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custodial cleaner | Permanent, Casual, Part and Full-Time located at multiple sites | $18.00/hr | APPLY by April 17, 2026 CLOSED |
| Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) | Full-Time, Part-Time, Casual | $30.45/hr | OPEN |
| Trustee, Community Support | Permanent, Full-Time (32 hour per week, 75% Remote, 25% On-Site, 2-3 days per month in Port Hawkesbury) | $40,040 | APPLY by September 12, 2025 CLOSED |
| Title | Address | Price | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Commercial office space | New Dawn Centre, 37 Nepean Street, Sydney | $1100 + HST/month | OPEN |
“This lottery is a collective act of love for our arts, our languages, and our heritage.”
Café Marie’s head baker, Yi Wang, featured in regional food publication
New kinds of mini homes are multiplying across the country to take on the housing crisis
New Dawn Enterprises
37 Nepean St, Sydney, Nova Scotia B1P 6A7
newdawn@newdawn.ca
902-539-9560
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Eymu’ti’k Unama’ki, newte’jk l’uiknek te’sikl Mi’kmawe’l maqamikall mna’q iknmuetumittl. Ula maqamikew wiaqi-wikasik Wantaqo’tie’l aqq I’lamatultimkewe’l Ankukamkewe’l Mi’kmaq aqq Eleke’wuti kisa’matultisnik 1726ek.
We are in Unama’ki, one of the seven traditional and unceded ancestral territories of the people of Mi’kma’ki. This territory is covered by the Treaties of Peace and Friendship which the Mi’kmaq first signed with the British Crown in 1726.
Ketu’-keknuite’tmek aqq kepmite’tmek ula tela’matultimkip wjit maqamikew ta’n etekl mtmo’taqne’l. Ula tett, ula maqamikek, etl-lukutiek l’tunen aqq apoqntmnen apoqnmasimk aqq weliknamk Unama’ki.
We wish to recognize and honour this understanding of the lands on which we reside. It is from here, on these lands, that we work to create and support a culture of self-reliance and vibrancy.
