Priority Areas of Focus

Natural resource management issues will be the primary focus of the regional planning exercise in the Corner Brook-Humber Valley Region. Conflicts over land use and land use values have become more pronounced over the past decade due to a number of factors. One is the development and promotion of the area as a tourism destination area, based on a year-round outdoor tourism product that relies on the preservation of natural landscapes and wilderness experiences. Another significant factor is the increased development pressures for new housing, generated as a result of declining household size, early retirees returning to the province, and large-scale resort developments that can accommodate year-round residency.

Forestry

Overall the forest industry is in a state of crisis, with many manufacturing plants closing worldwide. There is no place where this is more prevalent than in eastern Canada. In Newfoundland and Labrador both the newsprint and sawmill sector have been particularly hard hit. Presently only two newsprint machines are working in the province, both in Corner Brook, compared to seven only five years ago. The sawmill sector, which had eleven integrated mills five years ago, now has only three in operation. Two of the eleven are in the Humber Valley / White Bay area, one at Hampden still operating and one in Deer Lake presently idled.

Much of the area in the planning boundary has been managed for industrial forestry for the past eighty-five years. Many of the areas have been cut over on two separate occasions. Corner Brook Pulp and Paper has intensively managed these areas through investments in silviculture as large portions of the planning area have some of the best forest growing conditions in the province. This, plus the close proximity to the mill in Corner Brook, make these areas extremely valuable to the company.

Given the present state of the industry and given that much of the planning area is under license to Corner Brook Pulp and Paper until 2037, the management of forestry issues will be critical to the success of the planning process.

For several years, the region has been building capacity as a centre of environmental excellence with initiatives such as the Forestry Centre at Grenfell College, the Western Newfoundland Model Forest Network and the Geospatial Research Facility at the College of the North Atlantic. 

Agriculture

Within the Corner Brook-Humber region, agriculture has traditionally been located in the Deer Lake (Nicolsville), Cormack and Reidville areas where dairy and vegetable crops form the basis of production. The Humber Valley Agricultural Development Area protects agricultural lands in this area but in recent years, as some farms have gone out of production due to the retirement of farmers, there is pressure to release some of the lands for other uses. At the same time, lands lost to agricultural production to other uses such as urban development are unlikely to be reclaimed. It is expected that some revitalization of the agriculture sector will occur in the future, taking advantage of consumer interest in food security and eating locally produced food. 

Mining

The region has been the focus of a wide range of mineral exploration activity over the past 100 years. The presence of limestone in the Corner Brook area allowed the provincial government to pursue regional ‘industrialization’ by opening a cement plant in 1951. Exploration for zinc deposits in limestone continues to this day. Numerous limestone aggregate quarries exist around Corner Brook and Cormack, often resulting in highly visual ‘industrial activity’.

In 1978, the discovery of uraniferous boulders by the Humber River near the Town of Deer Lake lead to mineral exploration efforts that injected substantial money into the local economy. Renewed interest in uranium as a source of power, helped spark a second wave of exploration all around Deer Lake, which has only recently abated. Hydrocarbon exploration has also been carried out north of Deer Lake.

It is anticipated that the main mineral issues of concern to the regional planning process will be concerned with aggregate extraction operations, the extent and impact of such activity on the landscape and other resource uses.

Tourism

In the tourism sector, the Corner Brook-Humber Valley Region will continue to realise its potential as a full four-season destination, with its rich palette of natural and cultural resources and a developing cluster of attractions. Its offerings include a range of adventure opportunities, a mix of cultural entertainment and heritage sites. The Humber Valley Resort has introduced a high-end European market to the region and the province.

The region has become well known for its ability to host major events and marshal the large scale volunteering needed to make them happen, including the East Coast Music Awards, Hospitality Newfoundland and Labrador Conventions, ITU Triathalon, Canada Winter Games and the Strawberry Festival.  Other events that the extended region is well known for include the Gros Morne Theatre Festival, Trails, Tales & Tunes and the Woody Point Writers’ Festival.

The northern end of the region is the Gateway to the Viking Trail and Gros Morne National Park, a UNESCO site that is growing as an international destination. The region offers exceptional hiking opportunities such as the Newfoundland and Labrador segment of the International Appalachian Trail that passes through the region. When fully developed, this trail can play a significant role in growing the region and the province as a global travel destination. The multiple other adventure tourism opportunities include Marble Mountain skiing, kayaking in the Bay of Islands, cat skiing in the Blow Me Down Mountains.

To complement the region’s outdoor adventure offerings, Corner Brook and the Humber Valley is a growing cultural destination, with amateur and professional theatre, the Fine Arts programming of Grenfell College and organizations such as Visual Artists of Western Newfoundland. In addition to the region’s adventure tourism subsector, the cruise ship tourism subsector has been increasing steadily since 1976, when Corner Brook began hosting ships.

A tourism sector that relies on extensive natural areas, pristine waters and scenic landscapes, often finds itself in conflict with other natural resource uses such as forestry, agriculture and mineral development, as well as public concerns about access to natural resources such as shoreline areas.

Urban & Suburban Development

Most municipalities in the region have current municipal plans. The City of Corner Brook is currently in the process of reviewing their plan, which should be completed by the time this planning process gets underway. The main issues for the communities concerns the protection of watersupply watersheds, adequate infrastructure, and the management of land outside their boundaries inasmuch as it may affect their social and economic objectives. The form of urban development, particularly very low density, unserviced development, both within and outside municipal boundaries is an issue that needs attention in the regional planning process. While the plan will not address specific municipal planning issues, it should address the general role of each municipality in the region, now and into the future. The issue of municipal planning areas and boundaries also needs to be examined and recommendations for changes made where appropriate to facilitate the implementation of the regional plan through municipal plans.

Regional Infrastructure

The region’s communities are connected by the Trans Canada Highway. Port facilities at Corner Brook and a recently upgraded airport at Deer Lake form the key pieces of transportation infrastructure that enable the efficient movement of goods and people to, from and within the region. The Port and the Deer Lake Airport will continue to play strategic development roles; the port as a hub of commercial and tourism traffic (eg, cruise ships and the proposed freight service with Belledune, New Brunswick), and the airport as a gateway to the province for both business and pleasure travellers. The Trans Canada Highway has been upgraded over the past fifteen years with widening and re-routing in Pasadena and Corner Brook. It is not anticipated that significant changes to the highway network will be required in the coming decades. The regional plan will however, have to take into consideration the relationship between future land use and transportation and plan for development that ensures the long term functioning of the port, the Trans Canada Highway and the airport.