On April 21 and 22, the Harbour Breton Lions Club was the setting for the Coast of Bays Economic Development Forum hosted by the Town of Harbour Breton. Over fifty people representing municipalities, government agencies and industry associations attended the two day event.

The forum began with a welcome by Mayor Churence Rogers of Harbour Breton followed by an address by the Hon. Oliver Langdon, MHA. Mike Bruce of HRDC was the keynote speaker to set the atmosphere for the event. He emphasized the importance for communities to work together for the common good of the region and that the community economic development process is a long one requiring planning and patience. He also pointed out that money spent by municipalities on economic development are investments, rather than expenditures, ensuring the viability of the community.

Ms. Tracey Perry then gave a presentation about the opportunities that exist in various sectors within the Coast of Bays region and the work being done by the Coast of Bays Corporation. Helena Lawlor of Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador gave a detailed presentation of the services offered by HNL. The evening session about the preparation of proposals consisted of presentations by Gail Moore and Sheila Boutcher (Department of Development and Rural Renewal), Tom Courtney (HRDC), Jeff Gillam (South Coast Community Development Corporation) and Don Hollett (ACOA).

Day two of the forum consisted of presentations by Conrad Collier, the Coast of Bays IT Facilitator, about the applications of Information Technology in economic development and by Derrick Baker, the Executive Director of OceanNet in Harbour Breton, about the importance of a clean marine and coastal environment and its subsequent effects on tourism. Don Hollett (ACOA) spoke briefly about the importance of marketing the region using various events and media.

The forum concluded with closing comments by Mike Bruce who complimented the region on being very aggressive with the various economic development initiatives. Mayor Rogers also added his observations about the forum and complimented Al Wurdemann, the Economic Development Analyst with the town of Harbour Breton, on a job well done with planning the forum.

For more information about the economic development forum, contact:
Al Wurdemann, Economic Development Analyst
Town of Harbour Breton
Harbour Breton , Newfoundland
A0H 1P0
Phone: 709-885-2885
Fax: 709-885-2095