[08 Success on the [it/go

need - if not already to have - its own institutions, businesses, and industry is probably remote enough.

The question of how much of its own identity a community can retain once it has been absorbed is a serious and topical one, but somewhat beyond the subject of this book. There is also the question of whether a community which has lost its independence can ever regain it. The Tignish experience demonstrates that a small community may fall into the clutches of a large business such as the Myrick Company, but it can escape too, if a number of people develop more independence and thence co-operation. Could such a takeover happen today? And could Tignish escape again? It would take some time, but it has been done, and could certainly be done elsewhere, depending on the size and nature of the enterprise in question, and how badly residents wanted their freedom again. This too is beyond the scope of this book, but would certainly be worthy of further study.

A community usually needs to be a certain size in order to survive and keep its individuality. A very small remote community is often too small to develop or retain its own institutions and businesses; this has been proved over and over again in Newfoundland, although there are some very small communities on Prince Edward Island that have survived because of some unique businesses or historic features. At present, Tignish’s population is around 900, while its hinterland is home to about five thousand more. The demographics of a community matters too. What, for instance, is the proportion of school—aged children? - or of persons between the ages of 25 and 55.7 However it is not only a question of how many live in an area, but of how unified their community may be. The inhabitants do not have to be homogenous; those of the Tignish area are far from