Premier pleased with opportunity to hear from residents
on recent trip to North Coast of Labrador

The challenges faced by communities of the North Coast of Labrador are unique and varied, says Premier Danny Williams who traveled with a delegation to six communities on the coast last week. The Premier was joined by Joan Burke, Minister of Human Resources, Labour and Employment and Minister Responsible for the Status of Women, John Hickey, MHA for Lake Melville, Wally Anderson, MHA for Torngat Mountains, and government officials.

"Our trip to the North Coast of Labrador was a wonderful opportunity for me as Premier to see first hand the social and economic challenges facing residents of that region," said Premier Williams. "In each community we had the opportunity to speak with many residents and community leaders and I was pleased with the frank and forthright nature of those discussions. The purpose of the trip was not to resolve all of the issues or to hand out miraculous solutions to the many challenges, rather it was a chance for me to sit down face-to-face and listen and learn directly from the individuals who live there and face those problems daily."

The delegation met with several town councils and held a number of sessions with residents of the communities. Other stops on the trip included visits to nursing stations, museums, safe houses and fish plants. The delegation also had an opportunity to meet with the Labrador Inuit Association (LIA) in Nain, as well as tour the Voisey�s Bay site to view progress being made on the project.

"I was struck most by the children of the North Coast," added the Premier. "In every community it was wonderful to see the high population of young children, which is certainly not typical of other rural regions of the province where the demographics reflect an aging population. While these young people represent hope for the future of the North Coast, they also represent our greatest challenge. In my opinion, we must focus our efforts on ensuring these children have the tools for a better future. All levels of government have roles to play, and I will also be contacting the Child Advocate to ensure that his office is concentrating efforts on children in this region of the province."

Many issues were brought to the attention of the Premier and minister, including matters relating to health care, recreation and the high costs of living. The Premier noted that many of these issues fall under the jurisdiction of the federal government, and the province will bring these issues to the attention of their federal counterparts. The Premier recently spoke to the issues of high travel costs for Labradorians for health care and aboriginal health care at the Council of the Federation, and he will raise these issues again at the First Ministers� Meetings in September. "In our first budget and throne speech, our government made strong commitments to the people of Labrador, including social workers and policing and we intend to see those commitments through. We will also continue to press the federal government to work with us and community leaders to address the serious issues facing the region. Labrador has a strong role to play in the future prosperity of this province and we must ensure that residents benefit from the vast resources of the region."

Media contact: Elizabeth Matthews, Office of the Premier, (709) 729-3960 or (709) 690-5500

2004 08 16                                              4:00 p.m.