Welcome to the website of the Rural Secretariat. If you are looking at this website, we assume you are either interested in issues related to rural areas, or have a particular interest in work that the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador is doing to promote the sustainable development of communities and regions throughout the province.

For visitors who are not familiar with us, Newfoundland and Labrador is a province of Canada and is situated at the eastern edge of North America.  A province of Canada since 1949, Newfoundland and Labrador was first inhabited by aboriginal people thousands of years ago, was visited by the Vikings in the year 1000, was visited by John Cabot in 1497, and became Britain’s first colony in 1583. The population is approximately 510,000 in a land mass of 405,720 sq km. Our settlement patterns were largely dictated by access to the fishery, and virtually all our communities are still on the coast. While the fishery continues to play a very important role, the Province has a diversified economy based on oil and gas, mining, agriculture, manufacturing, and professional services.

The Rural Secretariat was established in 2004 and acts as a focal point within government and with communities to advance the sustainable development of our regions.

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