Demetri Kachafanas Appointed Chief Administrative Officer

March 18, 2025

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) is pleased to announce the appointment of Demetri Kachafanas, KC, as the new Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), effective immediately.

A long-time employee within CBRM, Mr. Kachafanas has served as the municipality’s solicitor for 27 years and was appointed interim CAO in November. His permanent appointment marks an exciting new chapter for the municipality as he steps into this key leadership role.

He has a Bachelor of Business Administration from Acadia University with a concentration in Finance. He was called to the bar in 1996 after earning a Bachelor of Laws (LLB) at Dalhousie University. He subsequently attained a Master of Laws (LLM) from York University’s Osgoode Hall Law School with a specialty in Dispute Resolution. 

Throughout his career, Mr. Kachafanas has earned numerous accolades. In 2017, Demetri was awarded the Municipal Law Fellow designation, recognizing his work in local government. He received the Certified In-House Counsel, Canada (CIC.C) designation in 2019. In 2020, Demetri was honored with the Nova Scotia King’s Counsel designation for his exceptional contributions to the legal profession. In 2023, he was awarded the Queen Elizabeth II Platinum Jubilee Medal, followed by the Bruce A. Noble Award for Distinguished Canadian Municipal Lawyer from the International Municipal Lawyer’s Association.

"Demetri's wealth of experience, both in law and municipal governance, will be invaluable as CBRM continues to evolve and thrive," said Mayor Cecil Clarke. "His leadership will help us navigate the opportunities and challenges of a period of exciting growth and development for our municipality."

The CBRM looks forward to the continued success of the municipality under Mr. Kachafanas' leadership.

CBRM Council passes 2025-26 capital and operating budgets 

March 6, 2025

SYDNEY, NS – Cape Breton Regional Municipality Council has approved its 2025-26 capital and operating budgets, totaling $321.1 million. The operating budget is set at $187.5 million, while the capital budget stands at $93 million, reflecting a strategic and cautious approach to municipal investments and operations.

Mayor Cecil Clarke described the budget as “a cautious budget for uncertain times, focused on modernizing our infrastructure and operations while building on the opportunity growth presents to us”.

Budget Highlights:

Public Safety and Service Modernization:

• Establishment of a new firefighter training division, enabling volunteer firefighters to achieve credentials necessary for career fire service positions.
• Approval of public safety enhancements, including downtown security cameras and body cameras for Cape Breton Regional Police.
• Encryption upgrade of the TMR (trunked mobile radio) first responder radio system, used by police and fire services.
• Enhancements in human resources capacity, emphasizing diversity in hiring.
• New property enforcement officers to address derelict and unsightly premises.
• Hiring of an electrician to improve traffic signal response times.
• Combining Communications and 311 communications centre staff to improve communication with residents.

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Update Regarding Corporate Credit Card Investigation

Feb. 7, 2025

The Cape Breton Regional Municipality (CBRM) is aware that the provincial Department of Municipal Affairs has informed media that they are satisfied with the municipality’s actions in investigating irregularities on a CBRM corporate credit card issued to the former Mayor. 

Now that the provincial process is complete, the interim CAO will bring it forward to council for their direction.