March 2, 1998
(COOPERATION Agreement)

Businesses will benefit from downtown Corner Brook facelift

The Corner Brook Downtown Business Association has been awarded $300,000 under the Strategic Regional Diversification Agreement to carry out a downtown improvement program for the west coast city.

Today's announcement was made today by Gerry Byrne, MP Humber/St. Barbe/Baie Verte on behalf of Fred Mifflin, Minister for Veterans Affairs and Secretary of State for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency, and by Paul Dicks, MHA - Humber West and Minister of Finance, on behalf of Beaton Tulk, Minister of Development and Rural Renewal.

The program will include the construction of a gazebo for theatrical plays and concerts in Majestic Square and a pedestrian arch on Brook Street. Several pedestrian walkways will be constructed to improve access to facilities. Appropriate signs outlining the historical significance of the downtown area will be erected at strategic locations, and tree planting and landscaping will be done to improve the aesthetics of the downtown core.

"The Corner Brook Downtown Business Association is to be commended for their efforts. This beautification program will benefit the private enterprises in downtown Corner Brook," said Mr. Byrne. "The aesthetics of a city leave a lasting impression upon its visitors and a good lasting impression does have a positive economic impact over the long-term."

The business association was formed in 1994 and is now representative of approximately 400 business establishments in the area. A board of directors consisting of an executive, seven directors, a representative of the City of Corner Brook and a representative of the Chamber of Commerce directs the work of the organization which is mandated to revitalize the downtown business core of the city.

"These new infrastructure improvements are a good example of how a community organization such as the Corner Brook Downtown Business Association can bring economic benefits to a town," said Minister Dicks. "Corner Brook is becoming a major summer and winter tourist destination and an attractive downtown core will help businesses to increase sales and create new jobs. New business growth in the city has already increased 15 per cent over the last seven years."

The Strategic Regional Diversification Agreement is a 70:30 cost-shared agreement between the federal and provincial governments. The agreement is administered federally by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency and provincially by the Department of Development and Rural Renewal.

Contact:

Paul Murphy, Cooperation Communications ,(709) 772-0219

Clifford Grinling, Department of Development and Rural Renewal (709) 729-7066