Acknowledgements

Completing the We are an Island project required support and goodwill from many different individuals and organizations. We would sincerely like to thank all those who helped in any way.

We must give honorable mention and thanks to Kenzie MacNeil who granted us permission to use the title of his song “We are an Island” for our resource. As well, thanks to Sr. Rita Clare and the Cape Breton Chorale for permission to include “Song for Cape Breton” on our multimedia compact disc.

This resource has been significantly shaped by the work of Erin Columbus, project researcher. In addition to her excellent research, she must be given credit for her assistance in writing portions of this resource.

In particular we wish to thank: Pat Savage of Enterprise Cape Breton Corporation for her help with photos and maps, Justina Zatzman for the illustrations on pages 75, 76, 113, 28 and 289, Wendy Bullerwell, Anne Connell, Kate Currie, Sheldon MacInnes and Philomena Sutherland of the Beaton Institute of Cape Breton Studies at University College of Cape Breton, Darrell Landry and Brenda Martell of Development Isle Madame Association, Kenneth Donovan of Fortress Louisbourg National Historic Park, The Cape Breton Post, Ron Caplan, Daniel Merritt, John Boudreau, Greg Organ, the staff of the Cape Breton Regional Library-Sydney Branch, Eileen Burns at Malcolm Munroe Jr. High School and Elaine Wallace at Cape Breton Highlands National Park.

Phyllis Martell, with the Richmond County Literacy Network in D’Escousse, was welcoming and hospitable. We thank her and the following learners in that program for their contributions: Brenda Landry, Johanne Vautour, Amanda Boudreau, Lena Boudreau, Dale Kennedy, Raven Ivy Boudreau and Anonymous Learners from Richmond County and Isle Madame.

Faye Fricker, Suzanne Stevenson and Tommy Chubbs, with the Community Learning Association North of Smokey (CLANS) were also supportive of this project, as was Ermie LeBlanc, of the Adult Learning Association of Cape Breton County. The following Victoria County learners contributed writing to this resource: Daryl Christie, Sonia MacDonald, Elizabeth Bonnar, Arlene Fougere, Vera Gwynn, Anna MacDonald, Charlene MacKinnon, Telly MacKinnon, Linda Symes and John Ashton.

Instructors with the Adult Learning Association of Cape Breton County not only helped with focus groups for the project but tried out earlier drafts of many of the lessons. Their time and insightful comments are appreciated. They are Joanne Adshade, Karen Blair, Denise Chiasson, Dianne Gray, Kathleen Head, George Howie, Bernadette Kendall, Ermie LeBlanc, Peggy MacInnis, Allan MacIntyre, Arlene MacKenzie, Shauna MacMillan, Robin MacMillan, Rob MacVicar, Janice Rideout and Marilyn Ruelland. We are thankful to Cape Breton County learners Keith Fougere, Ernest Hewer and Crystal Murphy from the Sydney Day Class, and North Sydney learners Margaret Anderson, Brian Bobbitt, Holly Daye, Pauline LeMoine, Janice MacLean, Vera Miehm, Sam Serroul, Amanda Theriault and Bobby Young, as well as Jack Burgess, Karen James and Rose Murphy from the Glace Bay Day Class for their writing which appears in this resource.

Thank-you to Mabel Yakimchuk and Irene Ferguson who were a great help to this project. Margaret Cooke was dependable, willing, and capable, as always.

In any undertaking of this size and magnitude there are bound to be people who contributed in some way but due to space and time limitations cannot be named. This in no way diminishes their importance in the development of this resource and we extend our sincere thanks to each of you.

Joanne Binns, Fred Deveaux,
Kathryn MacCuish and Julie Zatzman