Board Hopes To See Caledonia Become Gateway To Keji
The North Queens Board of Trade has landed federal funding to help revitalize the area.
Chair Laura Lee Johnson says the board was awarded close to $50,000 from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency to study the feasibility of making Caledonia a tourist destination.
They’ve hired Group ATN Consulting Inc. to undertake the study, which would determine if Caledonia could one day be the gateway to Kejimkujik in the same way Alma is considered the gateway to Fundy National Park in New Brunswick.
Johnson is very optimistic about what this investment could mean for the region.
“I think it shows that ACOA has put some faith into our community, and some hope. They obviously feel that it’s a good investment for them, which makes us feel really good.”
According to Johnson, both Parks Canada and the Region of Queens have agreed to participate in the ATN study.
Johnson says the consultants will be speaking with residents and businesses to find out what Caledonia needs to revitalize itself.
The area has been hard hit over the past five years, losing both its bank and gas station.
Johnson says the study may also lead to more ambitious projects finally getting underway.
“We’re hoping to do a boardwalk around our lake which is in the center of Caledonia. We’ve had that on our plate now for years, maybe twenty years, the board of trade has been talking about that, but we’ve never had the funds or the manpower to do it.”
The study should be completed by mid-July.
Johnson’s husband Gil is the regional councillor for North Queens.
He says once they have the data in hand, they can be strategic about attracting businesses to the area.
“We know from the work done at Alma, things like laundry services, these are things that campers are looking for, and if campers are looking for them, everybody going through will be looking for them.”
Councillor Johnson is also keen to leverage the recent rebranding by the Region of Queens to bring more attention to North Queens.
He says ATN is partners with M5, the group responsible for the “Queens Coast” strategy, so it makes sense to tie the marketing of Caledonia to that exercise.
“Instead of trying to sort it out for ourselves, we’re going to have the experts help us and then we’ll get a little bit creative with ways to be able to do that.“
Johnson hopes this study marks the beginning of a turnaround in North Queens’ fortunes.
He says once they have the report in hand it will then be up to the community to roll up their sleeves to ensure sure the work is done right and any businesses they bring in will be sustainable and in it for the long run.
Reported by Ed Halverson
E-mail: edhalversonnews@gmail.com
Twitter: @edwardhalverson