And the winners are...!

It wasn�t the Oscars, but the atmosphere was just as charged as at the Academy Awards here tonight as the winners of government�s first Community Economic Development Awards were announced.

The five winners "are stars in their own right," said Beaton Tulk, Minister of Industry, Trade and Rural Development, as he announced the names of the winners and invited them onstage to accept their awards.

"They have played leading roles in community economic development in the province. They don�t seek the spotlight. The only reward they seek is the economic betterment of their communities and our province," Mr. Tulk said. "Our province is very fortunate to have legions of individuals and organizations who play very active and productive roles in economic development at the community level. Whether they play leading roles or supporting roles, they are all winners."

The awards were presented tonight as part of RuralEXPO 2001, the first province-wide forum and exhibition about rural Newfoundland and Labrador.

And the winners are.....

Wilf Sutton and Tom Sutton, co-nominees, of Trepassey have captured the Outstanding Individual Achievement award that recognizes the distinguished contribution of an individual to community economic development.

NLOWE � Newfoundland and Labrador Organization of Women Entrepreneurs � takes home the Excellence in Fostering Entrepreneurship award that recognizes an organization�s or an individual�s distinguished effort to promote, mentor, and/or foster entrepreneurship at the community level.

The Nordic Economic Development Corporation (top of Northern Peninsula) has won the Excellence in Partnership award that recognizes exceptional efforts and achievements of organizations working together in partnership to achieve positive results in community economic development.

Michelle Snow of Clarke�s Beach (now residing in St. John�s) has won the Excellence in Youth Leadership award. This award recognizes a young person or youth group who has demonstrated exceptional initiative, visibility, leadership and success in engaging youth in community economic development.

The Random North Development Association has captured the Innovation in Education award that recognizes exceptional efforts and achievements of an individual or group in bringing together education and community economic development programs and activities for the betterment of their communities.

The five winners were selected from more than 80 nominations received for the five awards. All nominations were reviewed by an eight-member awards committee comprised of four representatives drawn from the Regional Economic Development Boards, and one representative each from the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Municipalities, the Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of Co-operatives, FINALY! (Futures in Newfoundland and Labrador Youth), and the Department of Industry, Trade and Rural Development.

Media contact: Josephine Cheeseman, Communications (709) 729-4570 or (709) 687-3353.

Wilf Sutton and Tom Sutton, co-nominees and friends, have been instrumental in the development of Mapping Our Future, a strategic development plan for their home town of Trepassey. It started in 1998 when, on their own initiative, and without financial or administrative help, they developed a discussion paper that provided the basis for extensive consultations with residents on the economic future of Trepassey. The community then came on side. This led to a Task Force on Economic Development, with Wilf and Tom in the lead. And now Trepassey has its own Strategic Development Plan that is tied directly to regional initiatives being championed by the Irish Loop Regional Economic Development Board.

NLOWE has played a lead role in fostering the success of women in business in Newfoundland and Labrador since 1997. Through its network of community-based facilitators and membership chapters, NLOWE provides women with access to information, counseling and connections they need to establish or grow their own businesses. NLOWE also plays a key role in linking women with community economic development processes, so that their ideas and perspectives directly influence the growth of their communities. Since 1997, NLOWE�s objectives have consistently been met or exceeded. NLOWE has assisted 1250 women entrepreneurs, facilitated 200 business startups by women, has led directly to the creation of over 400 jobs, and has helped improve the operation of almost 150 businesses owned by women.

The Nordic Economic Development Corporation, one of the province�s 20 regional economic development boards, uses a cooperative partnership approach among community stakeholders to produce tangible, long term results for the economy on the tip of the Northern Peninsula. Nordic developed and implemented a Working Group model to achieve positive results in such areas as forestry and tourism development, leading to sustainable new long term jobs for the regional as a whole. Nordic�s working groups have included broad representation from industry partners, development associations, funding partners, municipalities, school boards and the local community college. Nordic has demonstrated leadership in the coordination of both social and economic initiatives that have benefitted the entire region on the tip of the Northern Peninsula.

Michelle Snow is an enthusiastic mentor and role model for youth in Newfoundland and Labrador. She has unselfishly given her time and commitment to significant volunteer activities on behalf of youth. Her volunteer efforts have included chairperson of FINALLY! (Futures in Newfoundland & Labrador Youth), a member of the Regional Economic Development Board in the Conception Bay North area and its Youth Council, and a member of the Premier�s Advisory Council on Social Development. Her peers will tell you she is dedicated and passionate about the future of youth in Newfoundland and Labrador. Michelle, from Clarke�s Beach, now lives in St. John�s where she works in the recruitment office at Memorial University.

The Random North Development Association has been a driving force in the field of literacy, particularly in bridging the gap from education to employment for individuals who need assistance in upgrading their literacy skills to participate fully in the workplace. This has been accomplished through the development of a model that builds a partnership between an individual, a potential employer and several government departments who provide income and counseling support to the individuals in need of assistance. The Random North Development Association model has been successfully piloted on the Bonavista Peninsula and will now be integrated into the ongoing development activities of the Discovery Regional Development Board across a number of industries. The model has also been adopted by four other Regional Economic Development Boards across the province.

2001 10 26 9:45 p.m.