Nova Scotia·NewA shortage of trained mechanics in Inverness County has left many service stations scrambling and some customers waiting up to a month for an appointment.Only 8 mechanics active along Ceilidh Trail between Port Hastings and Cheticamp, causing frequent delays Adam Cooke · CBC News · Posted: Nov 19, 2025 5:00 AM EST | Last Updated: 30 minutes agoListen to this articleEstimated 4 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.D.F. Beaton Service Centre takes in customers from across Inverness County and currently has a one-month wait time for service appointments. (Adam Cooke/CBC)When Dwayne MacEachern began advertising for a new mechanic for the service centre he runs in Judique, N.S., he figured it might take a few weeks — or at worst a couple of months — to fill the vacancy.He didn’t expect the search would last a year or that he’d have to look to the other side of the country for a replacement.MacEachern and other garage owners in Inverness County are sounding the alarm about a shortage of mechanics in western Cape Breton that’s throwing a wrench into their operations.The local community college hasn’t offered an auto mechanic certification course in two decades, and those young people who choose to pursue the trade seem to be looking farther afield for their first job.That has vehicle owners waiting up to a month for service and garage operators scrambling to meet their needs. ‘I’m swamped all year’Donald Francis Beaton, who operates D.F. Beaton Service Centre in Port Hood, is sharing auto service duties with a new full-time mechanic. On a cool, drizzly November morning, Beaton finishes installing snow tires for a couple that just retired to West Mabou. Anyone trying to book a similar appointment now will have to wait up to three weeks — a situation that’s typical for garages along the Ceilidh Trail. “I’m swamped all year, pretty well,” says Beaton, adding he and his mechanic would be working “around the clock if I wanted to,” in an effort to fill requests that flood into his business all year long.Donald Francis Beaton, the owner of D.F. Service Centre in Port Hood, says he and his mechanic could work ‘around the clock’ to satisfy service requests. (Adam Cooke/CBC)Staff shortages have forced Beaton to shut down his Ultramar-affiliated gas station on six nights over the past year, and he fears for the future of the auto service sector in rural Cape Breton.“There’s nobody taking the trade right now — not in Port Hood, or anywhere, all across Nova Scotia.”Cross-country search for mechanicsEarlier this fall, MacEachern described the lack of mechanics as “a shortage we can’t ignore” in a widely shared social media post also sent to two local newspapers as a letter to the editor.MacEachern had just welcomed Martin Schelp to the Judique garage once owned by MacEachern’s father. Schelp and his family travelled thousands of kilometres from their previous home in the Yukon for him to take the job, after he learned of the vacancy through friends in nearby Richmond County.That followed MacEachern’s year-long search during which he received only two inquiries about his job posting — both from overseas.This Esso station in Mabou, which employs two mechanics, has struggled to deal with a long list of clients, including American visitors to the Cabot Links and Cabot Cliffs golf courses in nearby Inverness. (Adam Cooke/CBC)Schlep’s arrival was a relief not only to MacEachern but also to his longtime customers, including retiree Blaise MacLellan of Judique. “Around here, if you need a mechanic, it’s a two-week wait time,” MacLellan said. “And if you go to the dealer, you’re looking at a three-week wait.”NSCC offers training at 6 campusesMacEachern wants the province and the Nova Scotia Community College to provide more incentives for young people to train as mechanics.“Auto mechanics was never one of those trades that they pushed,” he said. “And it’s understandable. It’s a thankless job at times — it’s a dirty job, it’s a tough job.”This Ultramar station in Inverness was run for 20 years by recently retired former owner Tommy Poirier. Its new owner, Mykola Kushnir, is planning to have a new mechanic on duty by the end of February, in response to several residents’ requests for a functioning garage in Inverness. (Adam Cooke/CBC)The NSCC now offers an automotive service and repair course at six of its campuses. While Port Hawkesbury’s Strait Area Campus stopped offering a mechanics course 20 years ago, the Sydney Waterfront Campus has had some success attracting homegrown students. “Our Sydney campus, which has a capacity of 20 annually — that does draw Cape Breton students predominantly,” said Sarah Hall, NSCC’s dean of trades and transportation.Hall said any consideration of expanding an NSCC program would come only after “we look at all our demands,” including waitlists for a course and requests from Nova Scotia’s Department of Labour and Advanced Education as well as the Nova Scotia Apprenticeship Agency.MORE TOP STORIESABOUT THE AUTHORAdam Cooke is a journalist living in Port Hawkesbury.
Garages in western Cape Breton struggling to find mechanics
