Innovation, Trade and Rural Development
December 10, 2008

The following statement was issued by the Honourable Shawn Skinner, Minister of Innovation, Trade and Rural Development. It was also read in the House of Assembly:

Town of Winterton Celebrates History of Wooden Boat Building

I rise before this honourable house today to acknowledge the Town of Winterton�s rich history of wooden boat building.

The fishermen of Winterton have a long history of building some of the province�s finest wooden boats � everything from punts to schooners. To celebrate the community�s history, the Town of Winterton opened the Winterton Boat Building and Community Museum in 1997.

The museum is dedicated to the preservation of skills required to construct wooden boats that are in danger of being lost. It maintains a long-term objective of attracting skilled boat builders, training new boats builders, and offering boat building experiences for visitors that help stimulate economic activity in the community.

Since first being opened, it has steadily attracted visitors and wooden boat enthusiasts. Today, I am happy to announce that we have committed $82,052 to expand the museum�s facilities and enable it to become a centre for wooden boat building in the province.

In addition to interpreting the history of wooden boat building on a provincial scale, it will add boat collection and construction activities, along with interpretive exhibits to the museum�s collection. The museum will draw on committed traditional wooden boat building enthusiasts from across the province and beyond.

These are important resources for a community-based organization and I am confident that the historical value of boat building in the area will be greatly enhanced with this funding. Traditions of this nature are an integral component of the cultural fabric of a community, and speak to the skill and commitment of its people.

Funding for this initiative was through the Regional/Sectoral Diversification Fund. This highly-utilized fund addresses funding gaps of sector specific organizations, economic development groups, and community organizations involved in economic development.

2008 12 10                                                      2:30 p.m.
 


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