With Bay Roberts often being referred to as the Service Centre of Conception Bay North, economic development has always been significant in the town’s overall development. However, never has it been more important than today when towns are desperately seeking new businesses and residents in order to maintain a stable economic base and provide a consistent level of service to its taxpayers.

AVERAGE OF 50 HOUSING STARTS PER YEAR
The last six months have seen many new and exciting developments taking place in our town and the next six months shows promise of even more. Housing starts, which averaged almost 50 per year over the last four years, show little indication of slowing down with over 20 new applications having been approved by council already this year. Young people are staying, older people are moving back and retired people are looking at our town as a quiet and safe place in which to live.

NEW RESIDENTIAL AND COMMERCIAL DEVELOPMENTS
Council has okayed the next phase of development in Cleary’s Subdivision where twenty more building lots are available. A new 17-lot subdivision development in the Crossroads area has also been given the green light by Council. Business starts are also on the increase this year. We welcome new businesses like Slade’s Funeral Home, Collision Pro, Performance Centre, Ninety-Nine Cent Store, BJ Auto, Herbal Magic, etc. and thank them for having the confidence in establishing themselves in our town. We also welcome Shopper’s Drug Mart and thank them for their faith in our town’s future by becoming permanent residents here with their proposed construction of a large store, pharmacy and clinic on the Conception Bay Highway. Congratulations also to the Newfoundland Liquor Corporation on the relocating and expansion of its retail outlet from its location on Water Street to The Beaver Plaza which also houses the new Price Chopper Supermarket. Congratulations also to the operators of Klondyke Hotel who are in the process of adding 13 more units onto their attractive and busy building. The new Baccalieu Properties Office Building is just about ready for occupancy and we are looking forward to the soon to be ground breaking ceremony for our new Dental Health Clinic.

BUSINESS PARK
Our new Business Park on the access road leading to the Veteran’s Memorial Highway is also being vigorously worked on by Council and the Economic Development Committee. Negotiations are moving ahead with government on procurement of funding to run water and sewer lines from Water Street through the access road and connecting into Pickets Road in Shearstown. The Economic Development Committee has promising indications that there will be considerable demand for large commercial property purchases once this area is serviced.

"PORT READINESS" WORKSHOP
A delegation of Council which included economic development committee members recently attended a “Port Readiness” workshop in Conception Bay South sponsored by CANAL (Cruise Association of Newfoundland and Labrador) as an expression of interest in determining if Bay Roberts has the potential to serve as a port for cruise line visitations. Is our port an adequate one? Is our town able to put together several tour packages in which cruise ship passengers would be interested – do we have enough historical attractions in our town and are we rich enough in heritage to put together such packages? Ports like Battle Harbour, Bonavista, Lewisporte, Twillingate and St. Anthony have cruise ships visiting – why not Bay Roberts?

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT CONFERNECES
New and improved technological advances are occurring everyday with the result being the world becoming smaller and therefore enabling companies to set up for business just about anywhere in the world. This means that Bay Roberts not only has to compete with local communities for new business but also with communities throughout Canada and practically the rest of North America. Your council realizes this and understands that it is necessary for us to know what companies are looking for in a town in order to locate there. As a result some members of the Economic Development Association attend local and provincial symposiums related to economic development on a regular basis as well as attend the annual Economic Development Association of Canada Conference to keep Bay Roberts up to date with what is going on in other small towns and cities across our province and country. We feel this is time and money well invested. For example, as a result of council sending a delegation to the National Economic Development Conference last September in Alberta, several national companies have expressed a genuine interest in locating in our town if and when adequate land space and services can be made available. Such opportunities will pass us by if we are not proactive and don’t go in search of new potential. As a town we need to continue to expose ourselves to newer and larger markets through our economic development program.

SERIES OF LUNCHEONS WITH TOWN BUSINESS OWNERS
Sometimes it’s difficult to determine how important a role a town’s economic development program plays in attracting new people and businesses. It’s very difficult to measure the number of new homes that are built here and the number of new businesses that locate here because of the exposure our town has been given nation wide by its economic development program. The Economic Development Committee is in the process of sponsoring several luncheons to provide information to local businesspersons on possible future development in the town as well as to gather suggestions as to the direction the town should be taking with respect to economic development. It is hoped that the first such luncheon will attract personnel from all types of businesses while subsequent luncheons will be geared toward such specific businesses as food services, art, craft & souvenirs, financial, etc. The Economic Development Committee members are Mr. Dennis Brown, Chairperson, Mayor Glenn Littlejohn, Town Manager Edwin Fradsham, and Economic Development Director Ron Delaney. This committee also has a steering committee whose present mandate is to develop a town business profile as well as an economic enticement package. Members of this steering committee are Margaret Ayad, Richard Collins, Collette Crosbie, Brian Dawe and Corey Lawrence.

Please visit our economic development site on our own town’s website www.bayroberts.com