NLIS 1
December 17, 2003
(Executive Council)

 

New chair for Labrador Region of the Strategic Social Plan

Goronwy Price, regional director for the Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation in Labrador, has been elected as the new chair of the Labrador Region Steering Committee of the Strategic Social Plan (SSP).

"I am constantly impressed by the commitment and dedication to this process that SSP regional steering committees demonstrate," said Gerald Smith, Minister of Health and Community Services and lead minister for the Strategic Social Plan. "Working together to deal with complex social issues is the best way to bring about long-term change."

"As a network of partners dedicated to advancing social and economic development, we�ve worked diligently to implement the Strategic Social Plan over the last two years," said Mr. Price. "We�ve accomplished a great deal but this is only the start."

The Labrador Region Steering Committee has a large and diverse membership that includes regional boards of education, health and economic development, municipal/provincial and federal governments, aboriginal groups and other agency partners.

The committee has identified four priority areas for its work in Labrador: 1) recreation, 2) human resource development, 3) recruitment and retention, and 4) health care delivery.

"We define recreation broadly to link health, education and community development. We continue to place a strong emphasis on building community leadership and encouraging physical activity, and this is very much in keeping with the province�s health plan," said Mr. Price. "We�ve been focused on this for over a year now, but we�re covering new ground in terms of cooperating among partners."

Last year the steering committee organized a health and recreation summit for the region, following up this year with community planning sessions that focused on building leadership skills and fostering community pride. Recently the committee has partnered with a number of organizations in the region to offer training and development sessions to volunteers.

Human resource development, and recruitment and retention of professionals are other key issues for the steering committee. A researcher hired last summer is collecting exit, retention, youth and business surveys, developing an employer survey, creating Labrador specific marketing tools, and researching aboriginal transition programs. A human resource forum, Opening the Door to the North, is planned for early May 2003.

Partners are also looking for ways to improve health care delivery in the region, developing innovative programs such as the Integrated Nursing Program that helps Inuit students attain their bachelor of nursing degrees. They are also piloting a new training program for nurses practicing in Southern Labrador.

The steering committee also sponsors Labrador Youth Online, a Web site that profiles Labrador youth and offers information on health, career planning and scholarships. Click on for a look.

Media contact:

Marcia Porter, Communications, (709) 729-0175
Alicia Sutton, Regional Planner, (709) 896-5152

2002 12 17                                         9:50 a.m.


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