It provides local government to about 17,000 residents of the historical county of the same name, except for the incorporated town of Port Hawkesbury and the Whycocomagh 2 Miꞌkmaq reserve, both of which are enclaves.

[6] MacLeod Resources quarried red marble in River Denys, with a $2-million expansion in 2009 that saw the installation of finishing and polishing equipment.

[8] The municipality covers the entire western coast of Cape Breton Island.

[11] In terms of employment by sector, it is: Agriculture, forestry, fishing and hunting 12%; retail 12%; health care 12%; manufacturing 10%; accommodation and food services 9%.

[12] Fifty-seven per cent of the municipality's expenses go towards public housing, more than double the provincial rural average.

Tracks of the Cape Breton and Central Nova Scotia Railway cross the causeway, but it has not seen train traffic since 2015.