Developing Heritage and Cultural
Resources as a Catalyst for
Rural Diversification:
The Battle Harbour
Model
Sunday, April 27th
by Gordon Slade
Location of
Battle Harbour
Battle Harbour’s Cultural
Heritage Resources
• fishing premises and berths
• fishing boats, stages, flakes, seines and fishing
implements
• artifacts of the salt fish era
• artifacts of a way of life living on the headlands
• oral and written history
• evidence of aboriginal settlements
• evidence of early European explorers and
settlers
• merchants and their enterprises
What is the vision?
• To bring to life an 18th century northern
fishing station representative of early
English migratory fishing as well as the
early settlers from Newfoundland, the US
and Canada to pursue cod.
• For this restored Heritage site to receive
national and international recognition as a
tourism destination
How do you achieve that vision?
• Community involvement and ownership of the
project;
• Acquire cultural resource management
expertise;
• Develop and implement a strategic
management plan and marketing concept;
• Restoration, preservation and conservation of
the architecheral heritage properties;
• Develop partnerships with organizations,
agencies and governments to finance and
promote the site.
What principles should guide
your development?
• Minimum level of intervention to restore
the properties.
• Protection of the environment is
essential.
• Ensure local involvement in all stages of
development.
• Professional cultural resource expertise
in all activities.
Local Involvement with
professional expertise is essential
• The benefits from the site should all accrue to
local residents
• Employment should be 100% local if possible
• All goods & services acquired locally if
possible
• Youth from local communities should be
involved as student workers on the site
• Community heritage organization should be
established to carry out research and educate
local people on their heritage resources.
What role can governments play?
• Assist with the acquisition of the property.
• Provide financial resources to carry out
research.
• Provide financial resources to develop the
properties.
• Provide financial resources to hire
professional project staff.
• Establish site under the provincial historic
sites program.
Changing Phases:
Study & Planning → Business
• A strategic management plan will
suggest what sustainable development
will be required to be completed.
• A business plan.
• Staff needs to be recruited and trained
to manage the business.
What has been accomplished
over the past 12 years?
• More than 20 buildings have been restored
as well as wharves and walkways.
• More than $5 million has been injected in the
local economy.
• 20 heritage carpenters have been trained.
• A new business has been created.
• Local businesses have expanded.
• The last remaining salt fish mercantile
premises in North America has been saved
for future generations.
• 1000’s of artifacts of the salt fish era have
been catalogued and displayed.
• A major interpretation centre for the salt fish
era has been established.
• Historic homes are now available for visitors
to stay in.
• The site has been designated with National
Historic Significance and a National Historic
District by the Historic Sites and Monuments
Board of Canada.
• A core workforce of 10 people are now
engaged on a seasonal basis at Battle
Harbour.
• Battle Harbour will become a research node
in the Labrador Sea for Memorial University
through the Labrador Institute of MUN.
• The site has been recognized by National
Geographic and Conservation International
as one of the important heritage tourism sites
in the world.
• The site has been recognized by the
Smithsonian Magazine and the United States
tourism Operator Association.
• This year the foundation received the
Manning Award in the International category.
• Battle Harbour has been a catalyst to get the
Southern Labrador Research Initiative
underway. This project will see researchers
from many disciplines initiate research in
southern Labrador to improve the economic
prospects of communities from L’Anse au
Clair to Cartwright.
Where do I see the site going in the
future?
• Battle Harbour will:
– Produce heritage products which will be sold year
round produced by local people.
– Become a research node for universities and colleges
to do research field work in the Labrador Sea.
– Be a retreat for artists who want to bring students to
the site for seminars and workshops. This activity will
start in 2004 by the noted Canadian photographic
Michael Beedel.
– Be recognized as a model community utilizing the
most environmentally friendly technology and
practices for a northern location
– Become part of the provincial and/or federal historic
site program