NLIS 5
April 3, 2000
(Municipal and Provincial Affairs)

I rise today to provide members with an update on the progress of the construction on the civic centre project in St. John�s. Government is pleased to be a partner in this project and to be a part of a number of other major construction projects which are currently in various stages of development in our capital city.

Last week the premier and Minister Furey unveiled the concept design for The Rooms, the new $40 million facility which will house the Newfoundland Museum, the Art Gallery of Newfoundland and Labrador and the Provincial Archives. It will be a state of the art provincial facility which reflects our cultural values. Archaeological work will begin this spring with construction expected to begin in the fall of this year.

This year we will also see the completion of the $130 million redevelopment of hospital services in St. John�s as the major centre for referrals for all the province. This government is investing in our communities and developing an environment which lends itself to additional private sector investment.

The St. John�s Civic Centre project is enhancing the infrastructure of our capital city and revitalizing the downtown area. We are seeing a renewed confidence in the area by the business community as new private sector investments in the heart of the city are obvious. The employment resulting from this and other construction projects is also contributing to some of the lowest unemployment figures we have seen in our capital city in years.

The board, using Canadian Construction Association measures, estimate the direct and indirect economic impacts from the civic centre construction to be 752 person years of employment. A Coopers and Lybrand study estimated that 135 person years of additional direct and indirect employment will be created from the increased meetings and conventions which we will now be able to host. The board estimates the economic impact from meetings, conventions and event business will be in excess of $7.7 million a year when the civic centre opens.

Earlier today I toured the civic centre site with members of the Civic Centre Construction Board and our partners in this project. The budget of $36 million has been fixed and I am told the board expects to complete the project within the available budget.

Tourism in this province continues to be a major success story. Since the successful Cabot 500 celebration, the Canada Winter Games, and Soiree �99, tourism is up over 30 per cent since 1996. This year�s Viking celebrations promise to continue drawing tourists to our capital city and indeed throughout our province.

When the civic centre is completed and open for business, it will allow us to better compete with other major cities in the Atlantic region. It will allow the planning of larger conferences and conventions from all over the world and help to enhance the already very popular reputation our city has as a convention destination. I was told today that larger conventions are already being booked for next spring predicated on the opening of the new facility.

As the MHA for St. John�s Centre, it is very exciting for me to see the increased construction activity in our capital city. As a member of government I am pleased that we are partners in the civic centre project and I hope we can develop more future partnerships which will improve and enhance St. John�s as our capital city.

The Civic Centre Construction Board has placed a significant emphasis on consultations with various user groups of these new facilities and I am sure the citizens of St. John�s and the surrounding region will be pleased with the final results of this project. I commend the board members for their work to date and wish them every success as this project moves closer to the completion of the construction phase and the opening of the facility.

2000 04 03                                                 3:20 p.m.