Membertou is an urban and progressive Mi’kmaq community located on Unama’ki – Cape Breton Island.
With a strong focus on community growth through economic development, the spirit of Membertou is driven by its close-knit and vibrant people.
Membertou, named after Grand Chief Membertou (1510-1611), is one of five Mi’kmaq communities in Cape Breton and one of thirteen Mi’kmaq communities within the province of Nova Scotia. Membertou is an ever-expanding community, and its current population is 1,695, which includes both on and off-reserve members.
Today, sitting atop a hill, just three kilometres from Sydney’s downtown core, Membertou wasn’t always in its current location. The community was moved from its original location, Kun’tewiktuk (also known as King’s Road Reserve) in 1926 by the Exchequer Court of Canada; the very first time in Canadian history that an Indigenous community was legally forced to relocate.
