The Town of Norris Point will receive a contribution of more than $500,000 from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and the provincial Department of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development to undertake significant improvements to the community�s waterfront, in particular enhancements to the area around the Marine Biology Station.  The announcement was made today by the Honourable Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans, on behalf of the Honourable Peter MacKay, Minister of National Defence and Minister of ACOA, and the Honourable Trevor Taylor, Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development.

"Our government�s funding for this project will be used by the Town of Norris Point for redevelopment and enhancements, including shoreline stabilization, parking areas, seating, links to community walking lanes, information kiosks and signage," said Minister Hearn.  "These activities will complement traditional industry development and help Norris Point continue as a major tourism asset for the entire region."

The Town of Norris Point, within Gros Morne National Park, will now have the opportunity to further attract and capitalize on the large number of visitors to the area (approximately 133,000 annual visitors to the park).  This project will provide significant improvements to the community waterfront area and will benefit the town�s tourism-related businesses.  Furthermore, the project will help attract more visitors to Memorial University�s Marine Biology Station, also located on the waterfront, where staff currently offer guided tours to some 8,500 visitors annually.

"These waterfront improvements will improve visitors� experiences and help increase the number of tourists visiting the area," said the Honourable Trevor Taylor, Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development. "Increased tourism will, in turn, result in increased business and employment opportunities which will benefit the entire region." 

As an enclave community of Gros Morne National Park, the town has developed a strong tourism industry and has seen more than $5 million in private investment in its tourism sector over the last 10 years, with much of that investment concentrated in the waterfront area.  Increased visits have resulted in traffic flow and congestion problems for this area of the Norris Point waterfront.  This project will help address those problems by decreasing congestion and improving traffic flow.  It will also provide accessible parking and tour bus turnarounds, as well as facilitating movement through the entire community so that businesses can benefit from increased tourism.

"This development is the result of partnerships which were initiated during our planning process," said Bruce Jenniex, Chair of the Norris Point Waterfront Development Committee and a Norris Point town councillor.  "The existence of a regional steering committee consisting of regional development stakeholders, businesses, municipal representatives and Parks Canada brings valuable expertise to the table.  In addition, the Gros Morne Cooperating Association, an organization with a great deal of experience in the management of development and marketing initiatives, have been a great asset in assisting the town implement and manage this plan."

ACOA�s contribution of $408,472 in this project is provided through the agency�s Innovative Communities Fund, a program which focuses on investments that lead to long-term employment and economic capacity building in rural communities. INTRD�s contribution of $92,000 is from the department�s Regional/Sectoral Diversification Fund which provides non-repayable contributions to economic development agencies for initiatives that address regional and sectoral development and diversification.

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2007 11 15                                                  11:55 a.m.