Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Getting Creative
Despite recent progress, these provinces still have some of the highest unemployment
rates in Canada, with Newfoundland leading the pack at around 12%. At present it's a
conservative government that's figuring out how to deal with the situation; each of the
provinces is led by a center-right party in line with Canada's current federal administra-
tion and the area's general conservative leaning.
It's true that many people bemoan the economy and that some expect the government
to bail them out, but this is also a region that embraces an independent and entrepreneuri-
al spirit. Plenty of cre ative folks see it as an opportunity: they refurbish fishing boats in-
to whale-watching boats, or turn mines into attractions that teach about ecology. Mean-
while, the artsy people of Halifax have pushed the city into the fourth-largest film in-
dustry in the nation, and small businesses, manufacturing and technology are all growing
sectors that are keeping more and more young graduates from the city's universities em-
ployed. In other provinces, small-scale businesses add to the ever-plodding-along agri-
cultural economy.
The region's abundant natural resources are still there to be used, but this is taking on
new forms: cod fishing may be on its way out, for example, but offshore oil drilling has
arrived to take its place. 'Fracking,' a controversial method of mining for natural gas, is
happening more, particularly in out-of-the-way areas in Newfoundland and Labrador.
While this is great for creating local jobs, environmentalists state that the chemicals used
in the process could contaminate the soil, freshwater sources and oceans as well as po-
tentially causing small earthquakes. What remains to be seen is how these resources are
developed from now on; whether the region has learned from past mistakes and whether
it will move forward responsibly and sustainably. It's this struggle that will loom largest
over Atlantic Canada in the coming years.
Search WWH ::
Custom Search