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SYDNEY, N.S. —

The Cape Breton Post has learned where the province is hoping and planning to build the new Nova Scotia Community College waterfront campus in Sydney.

Sources have told the Post the land includes various pieces of property from where Mercer Fuels is situated on the Esplanade, the Cape Breton Regional Fire Services Station 1, a house at 540 Esplanade currently being renovated, to as far along as a property at 40 King’s Road.

The owner of a house at 540 Esplanade, beside the fire station, said as of Monday he still owns the property but confirmed he has been in talks with the province.

“I’ve spoken to people but, as of yet, I haven’t sold the property.”

The owner — who wished not to be named — said he purchased the property about 20 years ago.

He lived in the house for upwards of eight years but renovated another home a couple blocks away and moved there.

He said with kids it was hard working on renovating the house on the Esplanade but he worked on it as he could.

A couple years ago he had begun gutting it all out. Plans were to move back into it in a couple years time. Contact from the province regarding his property began about a year ago. He said they’ve been in "talks" with the province since then and as recently as a few weeks ago.

The owner did speak in favour of the campus being relocated.

“I think if it does move downtown it will be a great thing for Sydney.”

Calls to Gary Mercer, owner of Mercer Fuels at 490 Esplanade, were not returned by press time.

Businessman George O’Neil owns property on that stretch of Kings Road that house a number of businesses including a used furniture store, an auto repair shop and a hair salon.

O’Neil was at an appointment Monday and didn’t have time to talk but did say he hasn’t sold his property.

According to the Nova Scotia Joint Registry of Stocks, some of the property dates back in his family to 1891.

Nova Scotia Business Minister Geoff MacLellan said he couldn’t confirm or deny the area in question along the Esplanade and Kings Road is the location for the new campus.

MacLellan did say, however, that hey don’t currently have a set of land parcels that would be required for construction of a program this size from any location in Sydney.

MacLellan said they don’t talk publicly about private negotiations between government and private land owners. He said there becomes a risk of when a construction plan is confirmed, that the price will change.

MacLellan said the province is discussing options for land and is communicating with land owners in a number of different locations in Sydney, downtown and otherwise. “At this point it gets quite dangerous and potentially costly for taxpayers, to be sharing information that has not been confirmed,” he said.

He said it not only adds to the cost of the project but also to the timeline.

“I can confirm the Department of Transportation is in discussions with landowners in multiple locations across Sydney. We've got nothing confirmed in any particular location.”

Regardless of where the final location is, MacLellan said this is a "mega project" that will transform the downtown core.

“I’m very excited about this. It’s going to mean very positive economic for Sydney and for all of industrial Cape Breton.”

In March 2018, Dartmouth-based design firm Ekistics was awarded a $145,000 contract by the provincial government to begin an eight-month study on the campus moving to downtown Sydney. Marconi campus is currently located on the Sydney-Glace Bay Highway next to Cape Breton University. NSCC leases the campus from the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal.

In March, officials with the Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Advanced Education said an update on the project was expected by mid-July.

Last week, an interview with Labour and Advanced Education Minister Labi Kousoulis regarding the project was turned down, but in an emailed response, the department said they will have an update on the relocation of the Marconi campus in the coming weeks.

“Where we are unable to share more information until the official announcement, we are respectfully declining your request for an interview at this time.”

Cape Breton Regional Municipality Mayor Cecil Clarke said it’s a provincial project and the province is continuing with its ongoing site selection process. Clarke said the CBRM became involved in the project when the province indicated the willingness and desire to put the community college in the downtown core. He said from there they have been involved with land identification with clusters of land. There were three general blocks of potential locations in the downtown core, including the waterfront and around Centre 200, he added.

“Outside of that we wouldn’t have had more involvement other than questions that would come back and forth.”

Clarke confirmed one of the sites being considered would impact Station 1 of the CBRM fire services. He said there have been high-level discussions, but no steps have been made.

If it comes down to needing to relocate it for this project they would possibility look at it., he said.

Clarke said once the preferred waterfront piece has been decided, the footprint the province needs for building the campus would follow.

"There has been nothing back to us at the municipality for a direct ask for that property,” he said.

“It’s too premature to even say we’re bringing it to council because there’s been no final requests for us to do that. It’s preliminary but we would be open to that.”

Clarke said it comes down to nailing down all the properties you need first, in order to make a final decision.

“It’s very preliminary on that side of things right now but there has been and are discussions,” he said.

From the municipality's point of view, Clarke said their involvement and role will be about campus access as far as transit service and parking capacity.

He said the transit is a big piece that would be in the downtown core. Overall, he said, the relocation of the campus to Sydney is great news. The new location will offer greater choices and options for students, being in the downtown core, and the new campus will mean greater program options and future program potential as well, he added.

“Regardless of where they end up picking of the three sites, it’s going to be good for the overall downtown Sydney and CBRM.”

sharon.montgomery@cbpost.com