Newfoundland & Labrador’s history serves as a constant reminder of man’s capacity to evolve, and an era when we celebrated our ability to invent, create, design, expand, improve and change the world around us. An island off the eastern most shores of Canada, Newfoundland has long been recognized as a most valuable strategic asset, and thus a place where many historic experiments and advancements in industrial, technological, engineering, and defensive programs were unveiled.
“… historic experiments …”
Our whale and seal oils lit the lamps of Europe and lubricated the machines that drove the industrial revolution for nearly a century. Newfoundland’s rich cod fishery provided the badly needed protein for which Europe was essentially starving before the dawn of refrigeration. The first Transatlantic communication projects and all trans Atlantic shipping originated in Newfoundland. And with advancements in aviation came the recognition of Newfoundland’s importance as a strategic “Midway” used for refueling and maintaining trans Atlantic flights.
“… refueling midway…”
Though their importance may have faded over time, these very same changes have always provided new and greater opportunities for Newfoundland & Labrador. The improved range of airplanes may have negated the need for a refueling stop in Newfoundland, but the increased frequency of flights necessitated better Air Traffic Control and thus an enormous new ATC industry for our province. As oil production switched from animal fats to hydrocarbons, similar technological advancements allowed us to exploit our own offshore oil reserves. Our once depleted fisheries have been restored with valuable aqua culture developments. We’ve even seen communications swing from the first transatlantic cables to wireless, then satellites, and now back to fiber optics.
“… valuable aquaculture developments.”
For those who see a world filled with dread over potential medical viruses, climate change, and political manipulation – we hold steadfast in a pristine environment that has always promised a better tomorrow.
Here’s to a cleaner and greener future and the role Newfoundland & Labrador will assume as an environmental hinterland that dispels the fake and embraces the good common sense that has helped maintain our sanity for generations.
As our Grandmother often reminded us; “A change is as good as a rest!”
