Minister announces the Town of Tilting as first Provincial Heritage District

On behalf of Tourism, Culture and Recreation Minister Julie Bettney, Twillingate - Fogo MHA Gerry Reid attended a weekend ceremony to mark the designation of the Town of Tilting as the first Provincial Heritage District. Tilting, located on Fogo Island, is the first district to be officially designated by the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador as being of provincial historical significance.

The Heritage Foundation chose Tilting as the first heritage district under its new legislation because the community has a collection of important buildings and landscape features related to the inshore fishery, such as flakes and stores, which are still in use today. These structures are known in Newfoundland English as "tilts" - a linguistic fact that gave rise to the name of the town.

"I commend the Town of Tilting for taking such a high interest in their heritage," said Minister Reid. "In Newfoundland and Labrador, Tilting has one of best remaining landscapes relating to the historic inshore fishery. Tilting was first settled in the early 1700s to support the northeast inshore fishery. Anyone who visits Tilting will feel like they stepped back in time. The residents of Tilting have shown pride in who they are, and this designation is well-deserved."

The Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador has had the ability to designate individual buildings since its inception in 1984. In 2001, the province amended the Historic Resources Act to provide the Foundation with the authority to designate significant clusters of buildings as heritage districts.

"The efforts that the citizens of Tilting have gone through to save their built heritage are remarkable," said Ruth Canning, chair of the Heritage Foundation of Newfoundland and Labrador. "Not only are they saving their dwellings, but also buildings related to the inshore fishery, as well as fences, root cellars and barns. Both the Town Council and the Tilting Recreational and Cultural Society have been instrumental in saving the traditional lifestyle that is still alive and well in Tilting."

The Government of Newfoundland and Labrador was pleased to be joined at the ceremony by the Irish Minister for Trade and Commerce,. Michael Ahern, who is chairman of the Ireland Newfoundland Partnership Board, and by His Excellency Martin Burke, the Irish Ambassador to Canada. Although first occupied by the French and later the English as a fishing station, Tilting became an Irish community in the 1770s. Minister Ahern recalled that the first Irish settler in Tilting in 1752 was Thomas Burke, born in Dungarvan, Ireland in 1722, within 30 miles of the Minister�s birthplace.

The Department of Tourism, Culture and Recreation is looking forward to seeing more places in the province become registered heritage districts. "I encourage anyone who is interested in seeking provincial heritage district designation for their neighbourhood or their community to do so. Our landscapes in addition to our buildings need to be preserved and recognized so that we and future generations will remember what makes us so unique as Newfoundlanders and Labradorians," said Minister Reid.

Media contact: Deirdre Robinson Greene, Communications, (709) 729-0928

2003 06 25                                        2:25 p.m.