Rankin MacSween appointed to Order of Nova Scotia
Investiture ceremony held in Halifax on Tuesday for 2025 recipients.
New Dawn’s former President and CEO, Rankin MacSween, became one of the newest members of the Order of Nova Scotia today. An investiture ceremony was held at Government House in Halifax on Tuesday morning, where Lt.-Gov. Mike Savage presented the recipients with their insignia and appointment scroll.
The other Nova Scotians recognized today were former premier Darrell Dexter, musician Joel Plaskett, philanthropist and entrepreneur John George (Jack) Flemming, and human rights advocate Carolyn G. Thomas.
MacSween and his wife Marie made the trip from their home in Ironville to be part of the ceremony. He is being recognized for his leadership in business and community economic development as the head of Canada’s oldest Community Economic Development Corporation and a founding member the Canadian Community Economic Development Network.
“Rankin exemplifies the best of this province,” said New Dawn’s President and CEO, and MacSween’s successor, Erika Shea. “He has lived his life relentlessly committed to the people of Cape Breton.”
MacSween led New Dawn for more than four decades before retiring in January 2021. During that time, the organization grew from a small volunteer-run initiative into an internationally recognized social enterprise employing more than 150 people and serving over 600 Cape Bretoners each day.
His leadership fostered a culture of risk-taking and adaptability that allowed New Dawn to expand into new sectors and respond to emerging community needs through its work in affordable and supportive housing, senior and home care, immigration and newcomer settlement, food security, investments, and the arts.
“He has executed large scale developments and projects for community good and, at the same time, everyone who encounters him leaves the conversation lighter and better. How incredibly lucky we all are for his leadership, his insight, his friendship, and his singular presence,” said Erika Shea, who continues to lead the social enterprise from a place of deep love for Cape Breton and its people.
An accomplished scholar and lifelong learner, MacSween holds degrees from St. Francis Xavier University, the University of Ottawa, and the Merrill Palmer Institute, as well as a PhD from the University of Toronto and an honorary doctorate from Cape Breton University. In 2022 he authored The Search for a New Way: The Story of New Dawn Enterprises, published by Nimbus Publishing, sharing the lessons and vision that shaped his career.
MacSween’s work has been guided by a belief that community challenges are rooted not only in economics, but also in politics, culture, and history — and that lasting solutions must focus on healing, inclusion, and community-building. In his book, he described New Dawn as representing “an invitation to the community to assume the burden and the privilege of determining its future.”
The Order of Nova Scotia, established in 2001, has invested 132 members. It recognizes people in many fields of endeavour who have distinguished themselves and made lasting contributions.
