Nova ScotiaA critic of the economic benefit claims by Cabot Cape Breton says golf course lands generate less than $150,000 in municipal taxes, but Inverness County records show that all told, the developer’s residential and commercial properties bring in more than $1.2 million.Critic says golf course lands generate little tax, but county records show overall benefitTom Ayers · CBC News · Posted: Nov 14, 2025 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 4 hours agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Golfers make their way across the Cabot Links course next to residential properties in the town of Inverness, N.S., in this 2019 file photo. (Tom Ayers/CBC)A critic of the economic benefit claims by Cabot Cape Breton says the company’s golf developments in Inverness, N.S., have not improved the economic status of the region, but the county begs to differ.Gerard Naddaf, a retired university professor with properties in Cape Breton and Halifax, said since the Cabot Links course opened in 2012, Inverness County’s population has barely increased and the average annual income has remained below provincial and national averages.”I’m not opposed to golf at all,” he said. “I enjoy a game of golf with friends just as much as anyone else, but if you’ve been going to Inverness for the past few decades and you go through the front street in the town of Inverness, has it really changed? I don’t see much evidence of that.”Almost a decade after Cabot clubs had blessed the area, so to speak, it hasn’t really changed.”Nova Scotia Premier Tim Houston said Thursday that a controversial proposal by Cabot for a golf course development near West Mabou Beach Provincial Park will not go forward.Naddaf said between Cabot Links and the Cabot Cliffs course north of there, the golf course lands generate less than $150,000 in commercial taxes for the county.”One can say that’s nothing to sneeze at, but it’s just a reflection of how little the golf courses are assessed at,” he said.Gerard Naddaf says since the Cabot Links course opened in 2012, Inverness County’s population has barely increased and the average annual income has remained below provincial and national averages. (Submitted by Gerard Naddaf)Cabot Cape Breton owns 38 commercial and residential properties in Inverness County, including five condominium properties totalling 44 units next to the courses in Inverness.The assessment value on those condominiums alone is more than $53 million, generating more than $560,000 in residential taxes for the county, and a handful still haven’t been fully developed.Keith MacDonald, the county’s chief administrative officer, said Cabot’s tax bill this year was just over $1.2 million, which included $630,573 in commercial taxes and $592,871 in residential taxes.In total, that’s about four per cent of all of the county’s tax revenue.”It’s a fairly sizable portion,” MacDonald said. “So for District 3, where Cabot is located, their commercial tax portion would be approximately 45 per cent of the total commercial tax base.”Revenue pays for services, infrastructureSince opening, the Cabot properties have paid nearly $7.9 million in municipal taxes to Inverness County and an additional $2.2 million in room levies that are provided to Destination Cape Breton for tourism marketing, according to figures from the county.Although the golf course developments have put pressure on the county’s sewer and water systems, MacDonald said the infrastructure was aging and any growth has added to the stress.He said increased tax revenue from Cabot has helped pay for municipal services and infrastructure improvements.No one from Cabot responded to a request for comment.MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORTom Ayers has been a reporter and editor for 39 years. He has spent the last 21 covering Cape Breton and Nova Scotia stories. You can reach him at tom.ayers@cbc.ca.
Cabot golf properties contribute $1.2M in taxes to Inverness County
