Donkin, a quaint rural village in Canada, is home to a population of 532 as of 2021. Nestled on the scenic coastline of Cape Breton Island in Nova Scotia, it forms part of the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. The smaller communities of Port Caledonia and Schooner Pond are directly adjacent to the village, connected by the Donkin Highway.
Donkin is situated 11 km east of the town of Glace Bay and 32 km east from the city of Sydney. The nearest village, Port Morien, is just 10 km away. Donkin is perched on the northeasternmost tip of Cape Breton, along the Marconi Trail which stretches from Glace Bay to Louisbourg. Its coastline offers breathtaking scenery, sandy beaches, and vantage points for bird watching. It's not uncommon to spot whales, seals, and other marine life from the shore, as well as passing cargo ships and fishing boats.
Originally known as Dominion No. 6, Donkin was named after the Dominion Coal Company colliery that operated from 1904 to 1934. In 1940, to correct postal delivery errors due to another nearby community named Dominion, the village was renamed Donkin. This was in honor of Hiram Donkin, the second general manager of the Dominion Coal Company who later became the Deputy Minister of Mines for Nova Scotia.
At the turn of the twentieth century, most families were settled in Schooner Pond. The opening of the Dominion No. 6 colliery in 1904 attracted people from diverse ethnic backgrounds from all over the globe in search of work. The area saw active development with the construction of numerous mining buildings, homes, and businesses. The S&L Railway provided daily transportation through 5 miles of the community.
Historically a coal mining area, Donkin has a colliery developed by the Cape Breton Development Corporation (DEVCO). The first mining operations in the area began in Schooner Pond in 1863, with the Acadia Mines opening and beginning production from the Emery coal seam. All mining operations in the area ceased after the miners' strike of 1925. In 2006, the Swiss mining consortium Xstrata won the rights to develop the abandoned mine site. However, the mine was sold to the Cline Group in 2014, and operations ended on March 30, 2020.
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada, Donkin had a population of 532 living in 246 of its 272 total private dwellings. With a land area of 9.5 km2 (3.7 sq mi), it had a population density of 56.0/km2 (145.0/sq mi) in 2021.
The village's only school is the Donkin Morien Elementary Junior High School. There is also a Canada Post Office, a branch of the Cape Breton Regional Library, and the #5 Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion with its active Ladies' Auxiliary. The community is served by a volunteer fire department and three churches. There is no police station, but the area is patrolled by the Cape Breton Regional Police.
In recognition of its heritage and culture, the people of Donkin honor their past in a week-long celebration each July called the Coastal Days Heritage Festival. Donkin is a Block Parent community. Its clubs include the Donkin Police Boys and Girls Club, Scouts Canada and Girl Guides of Canada, the Donkin Port Caledonia Rural Development Association, and the Queen Victoria Rebekah Lodge. Its oldest group is the Donkin Citizen's Brass Band, which was formed in 1919.
Schooner Pond was chosen for its scenery to film the Hollywood film Margaret's Museum, with St. Luke's Anglican Church in Port Caledonia also being used for a scene in the same film.
