Whitney Pier is a working class area of Sydney that was settled at the turn of the 20th century by peoples from all over the world who came to work in the steel and coal industries. Presently, the ethnic groups represented in the "Pier" include Jewish, Celtic, Newfoundland, Ukrainian, Polish, Italian and Black(both Nova Scotian and West Indian), as well as a small number of First Nation families. Whitney Pier is considered to be one of the most ethnically diverse areas in Eastern Canada. Community institutions, represented by "ethnic" halls places of worship and, reflect this diversity.

The development of Whitney Pier has been going on for more than 100 years. Since it began as a working class community(steel and coal transportation) at the turn of the 20th century, this multicultural community has always retained a strong and proud sense of itself, and it is that pride which continues to make Whitney Pier an ideal place in which to live and to work.

The activities of the Whitney Pier Festival of Visual Arts (PierScape'98 Sept. 14-20, 1998) will coincide with and enhance recent and positive changes in the community. Several new businesses have started in the "Pier". Park areas have been revitalized, the Boys and Girls Club has initiated a beautification program, and there is considerable interest in the summer walking tours. Furthermore, the Whitney Pier Resource Centre has become a focus for community development. These developments all indicate a new ambience of optimism in this community which has been hard hit by the down-turn of the coal and steel industries in Cape Breton. In the midst of these initiatives, the strong voluntarism within the community has guaranteed the strength of its ethnic groups and its historical society as the basis for continued cultural development.