Leaders of N.L.’s Largest Municipalities Gather in Bonavista to Discuss Shared Successes and Concerns

For Immediate Release
August 21, 2023

Urban municipality leaders gathered this past weekend in Bonavista for Municipalities Newfoundland and Labrador’s (MNL) Urban Municipalities Committee (UMC) meeting.

Graciously hosted by the Town of Bonavista and taking place at the Garrick Theatre, this two-day meeting showcased the businesses of Bonavista and economic development efforts within the town.

The meeting began with a presentation from Bonavista Mayor John Norman, who gave an overview of Bonavista’s economic development and revitalization efforts. Other sessions included best practices in community economic development, presented by ACOA; national perspectives on municipal issues presented by event sponsor Strategic Steps; an infrastructure data research update from MNL; and presentations from College of the North Atlantic, among others.

A session on housing realities, planning and partnerships proved to be of particular interest to members, as MNL heard during roundtable discussion sessions.

Approximately three-quarters of the gathered delegates from Newfoundland and Labrador’s largest communities identified housing-related issues to be of particular concern. Accessing Crown Lands, the cost of construction, securing housing for a growing labour force, and the difficulty in keeping pace with growth were all identified as areas of concern by UMC members.

The UMC comprises the 23 municipalities in the province with populations above 3,000. MNL was pleased to see representation from 80 per cent of these communities during the recent Bonavista gathering.

The next UMC meeting is scheduled during the MNL annual conference, to be held in St. John’s Oct. 25-28.

MNL thanks the Town of Bonavista and the many local businesses that helped to make UMC members feel welcomed.

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Media Contact: 
Tobias Romaniuk 
MNL Communications and Marketing Officer 
tromaniuk@municipalnl.ca 
709 725 1440