Annual Community Economic Development
Awards presented
The province’s second annual Community Economic Development Awards were
presented in Port aux Basques by Industry, Trade and Rural Development Minister
Kelvin Parsons at a gala event on the evening of October 19, 2002. "The
award winners are tremendous leaders in their respective fields," said
Minister Parsons in congratulating the seven award recipients. "They are
truly fine examples of the dedication and commitment that lies behind the good
things that are happening across the province today."
"They have played leading roles in community
economic development in the province. They don’t seek the spotlight. The only
reward they seek is the economic betterment of their communities and our
province," Mr. Parsons said. "Our province is very fortunate to have
legions of individuals and organizations who play very active and productive
roles in economic development at the community level. Whether they play leading
roles or supporting roles, they are all winners."
And the winners are....
Charlie Ennis
of Baie Verte has captured the Outstanding Individual Achievement Award
that recognizes the distinguished contribution of an individual to community
economic development. Mr. Ennis was a finalist in this category in last year’s
inaugural Community Economic Development Awards.
The Genesis Centre in St. John’s takes
home the Excellence in Fostering Entrepreneurship Award that recognizes
an organization’s or an individual’s distinguished effort to promote, mentor
and/or foster entrepreneurship at the community level.
The Eagle River Credit Union of Labrador
has won the Excellence in Partnerships Award that recognizes exceptional
efforts and achievements of organizations working together to achieve positive
results in community economic development.
The youth organization FINALY! (Futures in
Newfoundland and Labrador Youth) has won the Excellence in Youth
Leadership Award. This award recognizes a young person or youth group which
has demonstrated exceptional initiative, visibility, leadership and success in
engaging youth in community economic development.
The Labrador West Centre for Interactive
Learning in Labrador City has captured the Innovation in Education Award
that recognizes exceptional efforts and achievements of an individual or group
in bringing together education and community economic development programs and
activities for the betterment of their communities.
In a new category added this year, Lifetime
Achievement Awards were presented to the Fogo Island Co-operative Society
and to the late Ambrose Chubbs of St. Lewis in Labrador. This award
recognizes an individual or organization whose work has made a lasting
contribution to the economic development of a community or whose work over an
extended period has consistently empowered people to foster economic growth at
the community level.
Selection Process
The winners were selected from almost 90
nominations received for the awards. All nominations
were reviewed by an eight-member awards committee comprised of four
representatives drawn from the regional economic development boards, and one
representative each from the
- Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of
Municipalities,
- Newfoundland and Labrador Federation of
Co-operatives,
- FINALY! (Futures in Newfoundland and Labrador Youth),
- Newfoundland and Labrador Organization for
Women Entrepreneurs (NLOWE),
- Newfoundland and Labrador Association of
Community Business Development Corporations,
- Newfoundland and Labrador Division of Canadian
Manufacturers and Exporters,
- Newfoundland and Labrador Rural Development
Council,
- Department of Industry, Trade and Rural
Development.
The purpose of the Community Economic Development
Awards program is to recognize and celebrate the accomplishments of individuals
and organizations who have excelled as leaders in community economic development
in Newfoundland and Labrador. The program was introduced last year in
association with RuralEXPO 2001.
Backgrounder: The Winners
Charlie Ennis
Charlie
Ennis has been involved in community economic development in Baie Verte since
1967. Mr. Ennis has been a strategic thinker and visionary participant in a
number of initiatives which have shaped the face of regional economic
development in Newfoundland and Labrador over his career. As the executive
director of the Baie Verte and Area Community Futures Committee (now the Emerald
Business Development Corporation), he was instrumental in bringing the
micro-business lending concept to this province. Mr. Ennis was also involved in
bringing high technology to rural areas through the Enterprise Network. He was
an active member of the 1995 Community Economic Development Task Force, which
gave rise to the twenty Regional Economic Development Boards in the province.
His most recent pioneering undertaking has been the establishment of a Community
Capital Corporation in the Baie Verte region which encourages investors in the
community to invest in a pool of capital to support new business start-ups and
expansions.
The Genesis Centre
The Genesis Centre is a business support network designed to help Newfoundland
and Labrador knowledge-based entrepreneurs create new high-growth business
enterprises. It provides a wide range of resources and services for its clients
with the primary goal of preparing them to become "investor ready".
The Genesis Centre is owned by Memorial University and governed by a Board of
Directors representing industry, academia and government. Since 1997, it has
provided both on-site services to clients who are tenants in its
"incubator" facility located on the MUN campus in St. John’s, and
out-reach services to clients located in their own premises throughout the
province. The Genesis Centre has had ten companies "graduate" from its
program and currently has nine active clients, including Genoa Design
International of Manuels. Notable "graduates" of the Genesis Centre
include Garrison Guitars International of Mount Pearl and Innova Multimedia of
Stephenville.
Eagle River Credit Union Limited
(ERCUL)
In 1984, the only local branch of a chartered bank in the Labrador
Straits area closed its doors. Local residents decided it was time to look to
themselves for a solution to the problem. Thus was born the Eagle River Credit
Union. Under the direction of a broadly based local Board of Directors, ERCUL
has made itself an integral part of the community in the Labrador Straits area
ever since then. Together with its many partners, ERCUL sponsors annual
educational scholarships, administers a financing program for core fishing
enterprises, is represented on two regional economic development boards, and
sponsors countless community-based events and organizations in the local area.
To their customers, they mean more than a chequing account and an ATM. From its
modest beginnings in 1984, the Eagle River Credit Union has grown to three
branches, has 32 staff, 4,700 members and over $37 million in assets under
active management. They are a key stakeholder in the communities in which they
operate and in the economy of the entire region.
FINALY! Futures in Newfoundland and Labrador Youth!
FINALY! is a province-wide organization which provides a strong, unified voice
for young people engaged in community economic development throughout
Newfoundland and Labrador. FINALY! has established and maintains youth councils
in 15 economic zones in the province, contributing directly to the work of the
regional economic development boards in those areas. Since its founding in the
mid 1990s, FINALY! has established itself as a credible, active, youth run
organization, with over 500 youth members and has "graduated" a
multitude of young leaders from across the province. FINALY! holds provincial
and regional youth forums annually, as well as other youth leadership
development activities at the community level. Its ongoing partnerships with
other organizations such as Youth Ventures and the Newfoundland and Labrador
School Boards Association, and the leadership role it plays in involving youth
in local, regional and provincial economic development issues, are attracting
national and international attention.
Labrador West Centre for Interactive Learning
Recognizing the tremendous requirement for continuous skills upgrading and
life-long learning programs in the workplace, the Iron Ore Company of Canada
established the Labrador West Centre for Interactive Learning (LWCIL) in
September of 1998 through an innovative partnership with the Labrador West
Campus of the College of the North Atlantic. Its mandate is to strengthen and
enhance educational opportunities and worker training in the Labrador West area
through the use of cutting edge communications technology. This unique
partnership, with the resources and commitment of the region’s largest private
employer, and the facilities and experience of the public college system, has
proven to be a potent force in community economic development in the Labrador
West area. From a virtual site visit to the New York zoo for primary students,
to on-line delivery of lectures from Labrador City to MBA students at Memorial
University, the Centre continues to break down the geographical barriers to
educational opportunities in Labrador West.
Mr. Ambrose Chubbs
(Deceased)
Mr. Chubbs was nominated for this award by the Town Council of St.
Lewis for his legacy of accomplishment for his community and the inspiration he
has been to all residents of the town. Mr. Chubbs first became a community
volunteer in1983 when he joined the St. Lewis Town Council for the first of many
terms. He was active as a member of the East Shore Development Association, a
founding member of the Battle Harbour Regional Development Association, and
later a member of the Southeastern Aurora Development Corporation. In more
recent years, he served as the Mayor of St. Lewis, and Vice President of the
Joint Councils of Labrador, an umbrella organization of all municipal councils
in Labrador. Mr. Chubbs was a devoted community volunteer, playing leadership
roles in attracting new investment and economic activity to the St. Lewis area.
He was a strong advocate for youth involvement in the community and in economic
development generally. He was a pioneer in the development of the Labrador
Snowmobile Winter Trails Initiative and was instrumental in making the business
case to have St. Lewis joined up with the Trans Labrador Highway. Mr. Chubbs
died on May 29, 2002, in St. John’s, after suffering a massive stroke. He was
53 years old. He is survived by his wife Lillian, sons Brad and Byron and
daughter Benita and granddaughter Tana. The award was accepted in Mr. Chubbs’
memory by his son, Brad.
Fogo Island Co-operative Society Limited
This year marks the 35th anniversary of the Fogo Island Co-op. The
contribution that this member-owned organization has made to the community of
Fogo Island has been outstanding. Many residents believe that their island
community would not have survived without the direct involvement of its people
through the Co-op. Today, the Fogo Island Co-operative owns three fish
processing facilities, one buying station, a marine service center, and a fish
product development/research facility. It also operates a fish processing
facility at Change Islands for experimental sea cucumber production. It markets
a variety of fish species to countries around the world and has annual sales in
the vicinity of $25 million. It is owned and operated by fish harvesters and
processing plant workers who invest 5% of their net income into the Co-op
annually. The Co-op has provided leadership, stability and sustainability to its
island community for the past 35 years and has been actively involved in
supporting the community through a host of economic, educational and social
initiatives.
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