NLIS 3
March 9, 2005
(Executive Council)
Rural Secretariat councils will help regions
advance social and economic development
At a news conference today, Kathy Dunderdale,
Minister responsible for the Rural Secretariat and Minister of Innovation,
Trade and Rural Development, announced the structure for the Rural
Secretariat. The Rural Secretariat will comprise nine regional councils and
one provincial council which will provide advice and guidance on rural and
regional strategies developed for the province. The secretariat was
established in February 2004 with a mandate to advance rural issues.
"To help promote cooperation among communities and to maximize the assets we
have available, we have identified nine regions each of which has two or
three larger centres, a number of smaller communities, and shared
infrastructure," said Minister Dunderdale. "If the province is to prosper in
the future, communities, regions and government must cooperate, recognize
our strengths and our weaknesses, and build strong regions which work
together."
The nine regions were identified based on patterns of activity already
existing in the province. Factors such as available infrastructure, the
number of communities, population, and economic and labour market activity
were taken into account. Each regional council will meet four times a year
to develop a regional vision and priorities, to identify barriers to and
assets available for attaining success, and to identify what policies and
programs are needed to help move the vision forward.
Minister Dunderdale said the regional councils will include community
leaders with proven track records in the areas of economic, social, cultural
and environmental development. Selection of individuals to sit on the
regional councils will be done through an open nomination process. The
councils will act as advisory bodies to government and will not be involved
in direct program delivery. To ensure their views are shared directly with
policy makers, each regional council will nominate individuals to sit on the
Provincial Council of the Rural Secretariat.
The Provincial Council of the Rural Secretariat will be mandated to provide
a province-wide perspective and directly advise government on policy and
program options that will lead to strong sustainable regions in the
province. The provincial council will include representatives from each of
the nine regional councils, Memorial University, the College of the North
Atlantic and other individuals who can advance regional development. At
least twice a year, the provincial council will meet with the premier,
Cabinet and deputy ministers to share their views on sustainable regional
development, provide advice on policy directions, and provide feedback on
proposed initiatives. These dialogues will promote an overall shared vision,
help establish priorities for development, and improve communications.
"One group alone cannot address the social and economic issues facing the
province, so it is essential we all work together. As a government we are
very excited to move forward with the new structure of the Rural Secretariat
as it will encourage more effective dialogue among partners within regions,
among regions, and with and among government departments," said Minister
Dunderdale.
Media contact: Lynn Evans, Communications (709) 729-4570 or 690-6290
Call for Nominations
Frequently Asked Questions
BACKGROUNDERS
Rural Secretariat
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In February 2004, the
Government of Newfoundland and Labrador announced the establishment of a
Rural Secretariat.
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During 2004-05 the Minister
responsible for the Rural Secretariat held consultations across the
province with a wide range of individuals and organizations. The purpose
was to determine how best to ensure that communities can directly
influence the long term sustainable development of the province.
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Part of the consultation
process included a Dialogue Day on the Rural Secretariat convened by the
Premier and Minister responsible for the Rural Secretariat. For the
first time, members of Cabinet, elected officials, senior bureaucrats
(both federal and provincial) and community representatives met together
to discuss a vision for rural development. Informed discussions and
development of a shared vision and shared responsibility for action will
be a hallmark of the Rural Secretariat.
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The approach to sustainable
rural development will be regional. Smaller and larger communities are
mutually dependent on one another for both economic and social
development. Communities will be viable within sustainable regions.
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Based on consultations,
government has developed a structure for the Rural Secretariat. The key
elements include:
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The Rural Secretariat is
part of the Executive Council. It will work with all government
departments to promote rural issues and develop regional approaches
which effectively link economic, social, cultural and environmental
issues.
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The Rural Secretariat
will report directly to the Minister responsible for the Rural
Secretariat.
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There will be nine
regions - each with two or three larger communities and a network of
smaller communities.
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Each region will have a
Regional Council.
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Each region will have a
representative on the Provincial Council of the Rural Secretariat.
Regional Councils of the Rural Secretariat
Provincial Council of the
Rural Secretariat
Rural Secretariat Staff
Support
- To facilitate and support the work of
the regional councils, the Rural Secretariat will have a small staff
component within the Confederation Building and one staff in each of the
nine regions (with two assigned to Avalon in recognition of its
population density).
- Staff of the Rural Secretariat will be
responsible for the following tasks:
- To work cooperatively with regions
and government departments to develop and recommend a rural strategy
for Newfoundland and Labrador which identifies economic and social
development priorities.
- To identify and review all key
legislation, regulations and policies to assess their impact on
rural areas of the province.
- To develop analytical tools and work
with or assist departments, agencies and community organizations on
how to assess the impact of their policies and programs on rural
areas.
- To develop and maintain a set of
core indicators in collaboration with departments and regional
councils and to use these indicators to provide regular monitoring
reports on progress.
- To promote innovative and
collaborative cross-departmental and cross-sectoral approaches which
identify opportunities, issues and new ways of developing and
implementing programs, services and opportunities in rural areas.
- To develop opportunities for the
coordination of relevant research related to rural development
including ways to share and interpret results to maximize their
benefits for multiple users.
- To chair a multi-sector stakeholder
committee to promote the use of the Community Accounts and ensure
that they are maintained and updated effectively.
- To work with the federal Rural
Secretariat to promote regional sustainability.
- The Rural Secretariat will continue
to support the work of the Community Accounts. The Community
Accounts is a Web-based information system which provides data by
community, regions, and provincially. It can be accessed at
www.communityaccounts.ca
2005 03 09
10:50 a.m. |