Building for Our Future: Premier Ball Announces Next Industry Sectors to be Developed in Phase Three of The Way Forward

  • Executive Council

March 23, 2018

The Honourable Dwight Ball, Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador, Ministers of the Cabinet Committee on Jobs, provincial MHAs, and representatives from the business and not-for-profit sectors, joined today in Grand Falls-Windsor to announce mining, forestry, and community sectors as the next areas of focus for economic development in the coming year.

Specifically, development work in the coming year will involve:

  • A partnership with key community stakeholders and Mining NL to develop a responsible, sustainable and competitive framework for mining growth. The timing for this work is ideal given renewed and growing interest in the province’s mineral resources – in 2017 our province saw the highest number of mineral exploration approvals issued to prospectors and exploration companies in its history.
  • A partnership with the Newfoundland and Labrador Forest Industry Association to develop a diversification plan for the forestry sector, and increase timber allocations and harvest levels by 20 per cent over the previous five-year period by 2020.
  • A partnership with community sector organizations, including the Community Sector Council NL, to recognize and support the economic contribution of not-for-profit organizations to the province. A pilot study conducted with 45 community organizations in the St. John’s region in 2015 showed those organizations supported $61 million in annual spending and approximately 1,200 full-time jobs.

This work builds on the Provincial Government’s partnerships with the aquaculture, agriculture, and technology industries to foster new economic development and job creation throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. Details regarding progress to date with these sectors, and the current status of other economic development initiatives, are now available online at thewayforward.gov.nl.ca.

In addition to developing the mining, forestry, and community sectors, the Provincial Government will also pursue a diversity in leadership initiative this year to increase the number of women in leadership positions in the province. This will involve engaging women leaders throughout Newfoundland and Labrador in the areas of business, academia, trades/technology, politics and the community sector to discuss ways to address cultural, social and economic barriers to gender diversity in leadership.

Actions to advance the mining, forestry, and community sectors will be officially launched at sector summit events later this year.

Quotes
“Our government’s approach to economic development and job creation is straightforward: partner with the people who are making things happen in the provincial economy, ask them what they need, and then take responsive actions that help us all achieve our goals. As we advance work across industry sectors, we also realize our vision of a strong, diversified province with a high standard of living. I look forward to working with mining, forestry, and community representatives in the coming year, and to taking actions together that help make our province more prosperous than ever before.” 
Honourable Dwight Ball
Premier of Newfoundland and Labrador

“Mining Industry NL is pleased to partner with government to advance the development of a comprehensive mineral strategy to realize our association’s vision that Newfoundland and Labrador is the best place in the world to develop and operate a mine. We look forward to consulting with our members and bringing forward their ideas for sustainable industry development and economic growth in the province.”
Ed Moriarity
Executive Director of Mining NL

“The Newfoundland and Labrador Forest Industry Association is very pleased to be partnering with, and be supported by, the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador to develop a comprehensive diversification plan for the forestry sector. Recognizing that 90 per cent of our commercially available forest resource is allocated every year, yet less than 60 per cent is harvested, we have plenty of room to grow, as industry and government join together and work towards our ambitious goal to increase timber allocations and harvest levels by 20 per cent by 2020.”
Bill Dawson
Executive Director of the Newfoundland and Labrador Forest Industry Association

“The Community Sector Council NL welcomes the Provincial Government’s foresight in identifying the community sector as important to our way forward and to participating in partnership with the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and community sector organizations. Volunteer led organizations are vital to seniors and youth advocacy, sports, tourism, arts and heritage, environmental protection as well as health and social justice issues. They are also vital to economic development, employing thousands of people, buying goods and services, maintaining properties and contributing significantly to the economy. We look forward to building on these positive impacts with government.”
Penelope Rowe
Chief Executive Officer of the Community Sector Council Newfoundland and Labrador

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Learn More
The Way Forward Website: thewayforward.gov.nl.ca

Media contacts
Michelle Cannizzaro
Office of the Premier
709-729-3960
michellecannizzaro@gov.nl.ca

Jessica Mercer
Mining Industry NL
709-722-9542
jmercer@miningnl.com

Bill Dawson
Newfoundland and Labrador Forest Industry Association
709-640-2485
Bill@nlfia.ca

Penelope M. Rowe 
Community Sector Council NL 
709-753-6112
Pennyrowe@cscnl.ca

2018 03 23 12:55 pm