Four values which should drive compensation

Letter to the Editor by Rob Burbach The Inverness Oran - October 22, 2025

Dear Editor, There have been many passionate letters published in The Oran about the proposal to build a golf course in West Mabou. They have addressed this issue much more fully than I could hope to. In this letter, I want to focus on one very important aspect that I think needs to be addressed.

A previous letter noted that the billionaires have more than enough money to pay to buy the land for a golf course. While this is true, it is also true that billionaires and rich corporations also have the power and influence to pay very little or nothing to get what they want. My fear is that Tim Houston has already cut a sweetheart deal for Cabot that is done except for the few final details.

If the deal goes forward, one of those details that needs to be addressed is compensation to the local community for the use of the land. While I am pleased that the principle of compensation being needed is recognized, the way it is being executed is woefully inadequate. I want to highlight four values which should drive how compensation should be paid.

1. It should be the community that decides how the money should be spent not Cabot. Cabot is now going again to individual groups in Mabou to offer compensation. But how can Cabot know which groups really need the money, and what is the most effective use of the money that balances all the needs in the community? The answer of course is that they can't, and the community should be deciding this for themselves. All the compensation should be paid into a vehicle like a Community Foundation with local residents deciding the best use of the money.

2. The amount of compensation offered needs to be to be fair and much more than the total amount offered in 2023. How should we think about what is fair? With the present Cabot green fee structure, we should expect the new course to generate about $7 million in green fees alone, and roughly double that in accommodations, meals, merchandise and other extras for a total of $20 million per year. This is before Cabot starts the real estate developments which will inevitably follow. $100,000 per year in compensation represents much less than 1 per cent of what they will make. Imagine living in a house if you make $50,000 a year and only have to pay $250 per year for the land to rent it. That's the kind of deal Cabot is proposing.

3. The amount of compensation should be indexed to inflation. One of the lessons learned by the IDA in Inverness is that a dollar today does a lot less than a dollar more than 10 years ago when they signed their compensation deal with Cabot. Costs for all our community groups are often rising faster than ability to fundraise for them. Indexing to inflation helps to ensure that we can adequately finance our community needs well into the future.

4. The community affected by the use of the land extends well beyond Mabou. Enjoyment of West Mabou Beach is not just confined to the residents of Mabou. Likewise, the impacts of a new course will not just be felt in Mabou. Communities across Inverness Count including Judique, Port Hood, Inverness, and Whycogomagh are going to have strained community resources which need addressing - ranging from increased housing demands, employment pressures on local businesses, and further pressures on old and overtaxed infrastructure. While Mabou should be first in line there should be enough compensation to help addresses community needs further afield in Inverness County.

If the deal goes forward, I would propose that a percentage of the total income from green fees in the new course should be paid directly to the community. I would say given the income streams to be generated with very minimal risk for Cabot this should be 10 per cent or higher.

It is good to see that our new MLA Kyle MacQuarrie says he is listening to his constituents on this issue. He needs to do more than listen if the deal for this course goes through and fight like hell to get the best compensation deal possible for the residents of Mabou and Inverness County. I would also expect our warden Bonny MacIsaac and the members of the Municipal Council to use their influence to do the same.

Rob Burbach

Broad Cove Chapel