 |
|
Regional Overview |
|
|
The Avalon Peninsula Rural Secretariat region encompasses the Northeast Avalon including Bell Island, Conception Bay South, Conception Bay North, Trinity Bay North and the areas of Placentia, the Cape Shore, St. Mary’s Bay, and the Southern Shore. (Map)
The region consists of approximately 9,100 square kilometers and is the smallest Rural Secretariat region geographically. The 2001 population is 238,015 making it the largest Rural Secretariat region demographically. The region is made up of a lot of bigger towns and areas and has a total of 188 communities. The majority of the population (approximately 71% or 170,100 people) live in towns with more than 5,000 people – in our case, St. John’s, Mount Pearl, Conception Bay South, Paradise, Portugal Cove-St. Philip’s, Torbay, and Bay Roberts whereas about 15% (approximately 35,400 people) live in towns and areas with less than 1,000 people. The region has relatively few people living in small towns.
Following an open nomination process, a Regional Council was established and consists of 13 individuals with varying backgrounds and interests from larger and smaller communities throughout the region. The Regional Council members met for the first time in October, 2005 and have continued to meet on a regular basis to date. The work of council is being focused by asking the following three questions: What will your region look like in 15 years? What do you want it to look like? What will be required from a policy perspective to bridge the gap? The Council is supported by two Regional Partnership Planners, Jamilee Fitzpatrick and Ken Carter . Their regional offices are located in Placentia at the McCormick Building and Carbonear at the College of the North Atlantic Campus, respectively.
The Avalon Peninsula Rural Secretariat region has unique diversity, including the largest urban areas of the province such as the capital city of St. John’s and the City of Mount Pearl, but also many rural communities. While the region has a large rural population, it is also the provincial center for oil and gas and the main location of government, most Industry Associations and many Corporate Headquarters. The region has numerous opportunities in energy, tourism, communications, marine and ocean technology, agrifoods and fisheries, biotechnology, mining and manufacturing.
The region contains two deep water ice free ports which are Argentia and Long Harbour. The Port of St. John’s is situated within this region which is located near the major North American shipping lanes. The Port provides year – round shipping and container services to major destinations in North America and Western Europe. In addition, there are numerous deep-water ports with wharfage and marine service centers throughout the region. There is an international airport in St. John’s and it acts as a vital link to mainland Canada and other countries in the world.
There are three post-secondary education providers within the Avalon Region. They consist of Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, College of the North Atlantic and private training institutes. Memorial University is the only university in Newfoundland and Labrador and the largest university in Atlantic Canada. It has a campus in St. John’s and the Fisheries and Marine Institute in St. John’s. In the Avalon Region, College of the North Atlantic has campuses in St. John’s, Seal Cove, Carbonear and Placentia.
|
|
|
|
Council
