Southwestern corner of province launches regional economic development board

The South Western Marine and Mountain Zone Corporation is the seventh Regional Economic Development Board (REDB) to enter into a one- year partnership with the federal and provincial governments.

During the ceremony in Port aux Basques, Roger Simmons, MP - Burin- St. George's on behalf of Lawrence MacAulay, Secretary of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency) (Veterans Affairs), and Judy Foote, Minister of Development and Rural Renewal for Newfoundland and Labrador, recognized the work of the volunteers who contributed their time and energy for the sake of their communities.

In February of 1995 the Government of Canada and the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced a new approach to regional economic development, as recommended by the Task Force on Community Economic Development. This involved the creation of new community-based volunteer boards to support economic development planning and coordination within specific zones of the province. REDBs consist of representatives of municipalities, business, labour, community development groups, education and training institutions as well as other interests within the zone.

"You are an influential group of volunteers," said Mr. Simmons. "Your work will help guide the regional development efforts throughout this part of the province. The experience and expertise you each bring to this task should result in wise decisions. Your challenge will be to always consider the greater needs of the region from as broad a perspective as you collectively bring to the table."

"It is wonderful to be a part of the momentum building in this new approach to regional economic development," said Ms. Foote. "Communities and their volunteers have been taking the lead role in this process which requires a lot of hard work and dedication to get to this point. With the partnership between both governments and the South Western Marine and Mountain Zone Corporation formally in place, we are now ready to move forward to identify and implement the development priorities of this region."

The formation of permanent regional economic development boards marks a milestone in this process in which the focus of attention now shifts from the creation of new community-based organizations, to the action phase of identifying, prioritizing and implementing new development initiatives that will see all the regions of the province strengthened economically.

Mr. Simmons and Ms. Foote took advantage of today's ceremony to clearly illustrate regional economic development at work. They jointly announced $57,710 in funding under the Canada/Newfoundland Strategic Regional Diversification COOPERATION Agreement for the Cape Ray Lighthouse/Dorset Eskimo initiative. This archaeological excavation will be a living tourist exhibit during the next two summer seasons. The discoveries will be interpreted as part of the region's cultural history in the Cape Ray Lighthouse museum.

Proposals to establish 18 REDBs have already been successfully negotiated. These agreements were negotiated considering the boards' work plan, regional geography, population, number of communities and transportation networks. The southern Avalon Peninsula, which originally constituted one economic zone, will be split and work has already begun at the community level to establish RED boards in zones 18 and 20.

Financial support for the economic zone process comes from the Canada/Newfoundland Strategic Regional Diversification COOPERATION Agreement which is administered federally by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and provincially by the Department of Development and Rural Renewal.

Contact: Paul Murphy, COOPERATION Communications, (709) 772-0219.