The Cape Breton Island Foundation (CBIF) is an independent, non-partisan public policy think tank that focuses on governance policy impacts on Cape Breton Island, and by extension, Atlantic Canada. Through CBIF’s evidence-based research and commentary, it will provide practical solutions to tough public policy challenges facing the Cape Breton Island, and Atlantic Canada in general, both at home and on the global stage. CBIF will serve as a catalyst for improving the quality of life on Cape Breton Island.
Activities
Consistent with: 1. The Human Rights Charter of the United Nations, 2. The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and 3. The International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights; CBIF will achieve its mandate by:
Serving as a public policy think tank for CBI,
Actively participating in the life of the community, engaging in consultation and discussion to ensure that CBIF remains relevant to what is happening on CBI,
Striving to make it easier for our communities of CBI to connect and to help each other.
Utilizing any opportunities to learn from the groups we fund, our donors, our partners, and our colleagues, by
Providing philanthropic leadership by responding to changing socio-economic community needs, environmental concerns, legal and non-partisan political research, judicial reviews and governance challenges;
Serving as a vehicle for generous citizens and corporations that want to contribute to the betterment of Cape Breton Island, by attracting and managing charitable gifts mainly cash, pledges, bequests, memorials and proceeds from life insurance;
Investing donations prudently and using earnings to conduct purposive research, make creative grants or loans, or in partnership with others, to qualified donees involved with charitable activities.
· Assist CBI decision makers by enhancing skills in governance and financial decision-making opening up opportunities for CBI’s greater participation in the Canadian economy.
Vision Statement (2020 Vision – Democracy 200 for Cape Breton Island, 1820-2020)
Cape Breton is an island and a people with a distinct social, cultural and political history. CBIF maintains Cape Breton Island’s people have been deprived of universal rights and liberties of human kind recognized in international law, whereby the 1820 re-annexation of Cape Breton Island (CBI) by Nova Scotia was illegal and a voidable action. Whereas a mass population exodus from CBI over the last four decades and ongoing extreme levels of unemployment, child poverty, along with abandon health care, rail and road maintenance, and services and infrastructure in general plague CBI, and given a lack of concern and cooperation by the governments of the Province of Nova Scotia and Canada, if necessary these challenges will require escalation to the international level to ensure CBI’s fundamental right of self-determination, and the inherent right to freely determine its political status within (or even out-with) Canada’s Constitution and to freely pursue CBI’s economic, social and cultural development.
Schedule “A”
CONSTITUTION
Name of Society
1.01The name of the society is Cape Breton Island Foundation
(referred to hereinafter in this Constitution as “the Society”).
Objects of the Society
2.01 The object of the Society are:
a) To support the socio-economic sustainable development of the communities of Cape Breton Island (CBI).
b) To support the right of self-determination of all peoples of CBI by virtue of which they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development through the formation of new policy, programs and governance models.
c) To help create a deeper body of primary and secondary research data to support the advancement of enterprise development, cultural promotion, social programs and services, and sound environmental and ecological stewardship.
3.01 The Society shall be carried on without purpose of gain for its Members and any profits or other accretions to the Society shall be used for promoting its purpose.
Location of Operations and Head Office
4.01 The operations of the Society are to be chiefly carried on in Inverness County, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. The activities of the Society shall be carried on in the whole of Cape Breton Island region, of Nova Scotia. The Head Office of the Society shall be located at Mabou, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia or such other place as Members may approve.
