At the foothills of Skye Mountain lies beautiful Waycobah First Nation. Seen from above, the landscape shows valley grooves connecting to the Bras d’Or Lakes, an inland sea. Eagles soar high above the trees, getting ready to make a catch in the nearby waters.

Waycobah is a rapidly growing community with a population increase of 8.7% last year. Current population stands at 851 people. Economic and social development remains a priority for the community as Chief and Council work to enhance Waycobah’s natural attributes.

Just past Skye River is Rod’s One Stop, a convenience store and gas bar located along Highway 105. The business is 100% owned by the Waycobah Band. Rod’s offers a variety of products and services including grocery items, sporting equipment, etc.  The Waycobah Gaming Centre is located just a few hundred meters from the gas station which houses all of Waycobah’s VLT’s.  It is also fully owned and operated by the Waycobah Band. 

Residents of Waycobah show great pride in their Mi’kmaq culture and tradition. The largest basket shop in Atlantic Canada, Negemow Basket Shop, offers many beautiful and unique crafts such as baskets, beadwork and leather made by local Mi’kmaq crafts people.

During the summer, Waycobah hosts a Mi’kmaq traditional Powwow, the most important aspect of all Mi’kmaq gatherings. The three-day Powwow allows Mi’kmaq people to proudly demonstrate their culture and traditional background. People from far and wide come to enjoy the festival. Craftspeople from other communities attend the Powwow and sell a variety of crafts to visitors.

Education is an important part of life in Waycobah.  We are committed to maintaining diversity amongst the student body, faculty and staff.  A new school was opened in the fall of 2008 that represented a dramatic enhancement of our facilities.  The new building combines our Elementary (Kindergarten to Grade 6) and Secondary School (Grades 7 – 12) under one roof.  Our new supportive learning environment not only meets Provincial School guidelines but also provides specialty services meeting the diverse needs of students whilst maintaining a curriculum based in Mikmaq language and culture.  In partnership with national universities and colleges, Waycobah provides university programming as well as trades and technical programs.

Waycobah’s daycare facility, connected to the Band Administration complex, is one of the most widely recognized Mi’kmaq daycare centers in Nova Scotia. It provides an essential service for working parents with children being cared for by members of the community.

Our administration building is one of most beautiful Band administration buildings in all of Atlantic Canada. Our facility provides a wide variety of services such as the social administration office, finance department, Native employment office, housing authority, fisheries department and economic development department.

Waycobah prides itself in the opening of the Theresa Cremo Memorial Health Centre.  The doors officially opened to the new state of the art building in June of 2010 and boasts a wide array of services, some of which are a doctor day twice a week, full time Nurse Practitioner, full time clinical therapist, prenatal classes, lab collection, Reiki treatments, an Alcohol and Drug counselor, midwifery clinics, well women and men clinics, a dietician, teen health clinic and a variety of ever changing activities for members of the community of all ages.