Sheet Harbour, Nova Scotia

Location Sheet Harbour is a small rural community located on the Eastern Shore of Nova Scotia, in the eastern area of the Halifax Regional Municipality. Sheet Harbour is located slightly more northward compared to other coastal communities in the area, due to the shape of the harbour. The population of the census tract for the Sheet Harbour area is 3,478 as of the 2011 Census. The population of the community proper is about 800. The community of Sheet Harbour is located along the shores of the harbour of the same name, a branched saltwater harbour. Extending from the convergence of the two arms below Church Point, the wider Northwest Arm travels until it meets the mouth of West River at the West River Falls. Six moorings were installed in the arm in the Spring of 2017. The Northeast Arm is the more narrow arm and extends generally northeastward under the East River Bridge until it meets the mouth of the East River. It is wider than both arms and is approximately eleven to fifteen metres (36–49 ft) deep at low tide. The harbour gradually widens as it travels southeastward toward the Atlantic, passing the Sheet Harbour Industrial Port as well as the small community of Watt Section. The shore is very rocky and eroded, as is commonplace on the Eastern Shore. Sheet Harbour has an average tidal range of about . Rivers Several rivers and small streams empty into the arms of the harbour. West River begins near Beaver Dam. The main branch of the river is about long. The river has two secondary branches, the Killag River, which is long, and Little River, which is long. which sprays limestone into the water to stabilize pH levels. Dosing began in September 2005 in West River. It was successful in stabilizing the pH of the river at 5.5, a healthy level for salmon and other aquatic life. East River, formally East River Sheet Harbour, is the other main river that discharges into the harbour. Originating in the Marshall Flowage, the river flows southward past the Ruth Falls Power Plant, a hydropower generating station. It narrows back into a river for the remainder of its watercourse, then flows into the head of the Northeast Arm. Climate The closest weather station to Sheet Harbour is in Malay Falls, about northeast of the community. ==History==

18th and 19th centuries The Miꞌkmaq name for the area around where Sheet Harbour is today was Weijooik, which translates to "flowing wildly". Almost all of the present land area of Sheet Harbour was granted in 1773, and the settlement was established around 1784, by Loyalist refugees and British veterans of the American Revolution and became a prosperous centre for the lumber industry. Sheet Harbour was named "Port North" on the Royal Navy Chart that was published in 1778. In January 1805, the ship Salisbury was wrecked off of Sheet Harbour and nine of the crew were lost. The settlement was referred to as Port North until 1807. Alternate names for the settlement were Campbelltown and Manchester. It remained in operation until it was destroyed by Hurricane Beth in August 1971. The first electrical lines were run into Sheet Harbour in the fall of 1925. The first line ran along the shore and was an offshoot of the line that ran to the mill, which received its power from the Ruth Falls power plant along East River. A second line was built in 1928 along the west side of the highway to provide street lighting. A lighting ceremony was held after all of the houses in the community had been wired. They were an early adopter of hydro electric power, and produced 23,000,000 kilowatt-hours per year in the early days. The first efforts were made to establish a hospital in Sheet Harbour in the spring of 1945. The effort was sparked by Duncan MacMillan, a doctor who had been serving the Sheet Harbour area for about 20 years at the time. A meeting was held in early 1946 at the Masonic Hall in Sheet Harbour. Representatives of the Nova Scotia branch of the Canadian Red Cross were in attendance. The plan was given unanimous approval at the meeting and steps were taken to organize an official hospital board, which was incorporated in March 1946 by the Nova Scotia Legislature. An enthusiastic funding campaign was started afterward. The hospital board then engaged an architect, Leslie R. Fairn, to design the hospital. The plans called for a 21-bed Georgian style building. John Smiley was engaged as the contractor for the project, and was later succeeded by Robert MacDonald. Construction began in 1947. The total cost of construction was $170,000, with $34,000 contributed by the provincial and federal governments, while the remaining $136,000 was contributed by the residents of the Sheet Harbour area. The Eastern Shore Memorial Hospital was opened with an official ceremony on May 24, 1949, The bridge was in length, with a main span of . It spanned the Northeast Arm of Sheet Harbour, just north of the new bridge. The deck carried the two lanes of Trunk 7, and was hung from the arch by vertical steel hangers. The ribs of the bridge were reinforced heavily in 1988. 21st century Sidewalks were built through the main downtown area of Sheet Harbour in 2010. They cost approximately $2.9 million (US$2.4 million). Watts Wind Energy, Inc. built a wind turbine in Watt Section, a small community east of Sheet Harbour. It was the outcome of favourable wind data that was obtained by a meteorological tower near the future site of the wind turbine. It was constructed in 2010 and was producing power by October 2011. It stands tall and produces about 1.5 MW of electricity, powering 375 households. A motion was put forward to the former Halifax Regional School Board in 2012 to review the schools within the Duncan MacMillan High catchment area. The review was conducted and concerns were raised about the aging facilities as well as a high transfer rate and commute time for faculty. Boundary changes were proposed – the catchment area was the largest in the board – but proved highly unpopular among the populace. The HRSB publicly announced the project to build a new P-12 school in the Sheet Harbour area on December 23, 2013. Three sites in and around Sheet Harbour were proposed, but it was decided in 2016 to construct the facility on the then current ground of SHCS and DMHS. SHCS was closed in 2017 to provide clearance for the new structure. Lakefront Consolidated Elementary in Tangier was closed in 2019 as a part of the consolidation process associated with the plan. The school opened in September 2020. The East River Bridge was built from 2014 through 2015 to replace its predecessor of the same name. The Nova Scotia Government had proposed minor repairs, but they decided that an entirely new bridge would be more cost-effective. The new bridge was designed, unlike its predecessor, without large, overhead steel arches, because it would have been twice as expensive to build. The new bridge was constructed on the same site as the old bridge's predecessor which was constructed just south of the East River Bridge in 1907. The bridge cost $19,000,000 (US$14,671,644) to build and construction began in September 2014. The contractor, Dexter Construction, poured of concrete over of rebar. The new bridge relies on two pillars set in the granite below the Northeast Arm. A deck, along with railings and sidewalks, were laid when it was nearing completion. The bridge was officially opened on December 17, 2015, to pedestrians and opened the next day to traffic. Road adjustments were made on the Sheet Harbour side of the bridge to accommodate it. Trunk 7 was aligned with what was formerly Riverside Drive, Church Point Road and Pool Road were slightly modified and the access road to Duncan MacMillan High School was slightly modified as well. Sprott Lane, a minor loop, was extended along a part of the old Trunk 7 for a few households. Shortly after the new bridge was opened, the old East River Bridge was closed and was demolished through 2016. ==Economy==

Eastern Shore Memorial Hospital serves the Sheet Harbour area. Construction began in 1947, and the hospital was opened on May 24, 1949. It is administered by the Nova Scotia Health Authority. It has sixteen beds for patients. There is a cenotaph and gardens in front of the site where Duncan MacMillan Nursing Home (DMNH) previously stood. The hospital offers several services and is connected to Harbourview Lodge through a corridor. Harbourview Lodge was built in 2011 to replace DMNH, which was nearing the end of its life span. The community also has a local radio station, broadcasting on 94.7 FM as Sheet Harbour Radio. They comprise more than 25 of the businesses in the Sheet Harbour area and they also operate a Visitor Information Centre at the MacPhee House, situated on the site of the ground-wood pulp mill just east of the West River Bridge, where Trunk 7 crosses the West River at the entrance to Sheet Harbour. There is a community museum at the MacPhee House and they have a collection interpreting "Life before plastic". Sheet Harbour also has an RCMP detachment and a fire station, as well as a Ground Search and Rescue team. The community also hosts a post office and a branch of the Halifax Public Libraries. A park surrounds the West River Falls, There is also a campground in the community, which is located near the mouth of the East River. Taylor Head Provincial Park is located ten minutes west of Sheet Harbour. The 2610 Royal Canadian Army Cadet Corps is based in Sheet Harbour. They were originally formed on October 1, 1957, but were disbanded on December 31, 1973. Twelve years later, the corps was reformed on February 1, 1985, and is still active today. They have won the Strathcona cup, an award that is given to the best performing cadet corps in Nova Scotia, five times. Marine Drive Academy is the only school in the Sheet Harbour area. It serves grades primary through twelve and was opened in September 2020. It replaced Duncan MacMillan High School and its family of schools. As of 2020, 256 students were enrolled in the school. ==Notable residents==

• Duncan MacMillan (1897–1969), Liberal Party politician, member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1956 to 1963 and 1967–69, physician and surgeon • Tom McInnis (born 1945), member of the Senate of Canada, former Conservative Party politician and member of the Nova Scotia House of Assembly from 1978 to 1993 ==See also==