Results: Work in Cape Breton for Land

Sandee MacLean is promising to give 0.8 hectares of woodland to anyone who commits to work at "The Farmer's Daughter Country Market" for five years. MacLean, who owns about 80 hectares of land, said she was trying to come up with ways to attract employees to the quaint bakery and store in the Village of Whycocomagh, Nova Scotia because conventional ads hadn't worked. Do you think this offer is a win-win for the owner and employee?

She is offering parcels of woodland to anyone who will work at the store and might not mind living off the grid. "We think we need to think outside of the box to keep Cape Breton true to its roots - a place where people live year-round and celebrate the beauty that surrounds us in music and stories, and where being a neighbour truly means you talk to everyone in the local co-op,'' the ad reads. More than 1,000 people called or sent messages from across Canada, including British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador. Does this type of work/living arrangement appeal to you?

Employees make between $11 and $13 an hour - a typical wage for rural Cape Breton. MacLean said the only requirement is that the person must work at the store for five years. After that, the two acres of land is theirs for free, as long as they cover the legal cost of roughly $2,000 to transfer it into their name. Do you think more rural business owners could attract workers if they had a work for land arrangement?