The Our Town - Clarenville Blog by Paul Tilley

  I skate to where the puck is going to be, not where it has been.  Wayne Gretzky In 1971, the provincial median age was 20.9 years, 5-3 years younger than the Canadian average. In 2021,  the provincial median age was 48.4 years, almost 7 years older than in Canadian average (41.6).  When coupled with a declining share of working-age adults (due to an aging population and outward migration), these challenges hamper the opportunity for economic growth in the Province, and in Clarenville. This past week,  Statistics Canada  published a new set of demographic data from the 2021 Census. Although not a lot of people get excited over statistical data, we should - at least - be aware of the potential impact these new numbers will have on the future of our Town.  I would like to focus on some of the potential opportunities and the inevitable challenges that these numbers are pointing towards - and of course, how I believe we can set Clarenville up to minimize the challenges and maximize the be

“Two roads diverged in a wood, and I— I took the one less travelled by, And that has made all the difference.”    Robert Frost This week as we celebrate Earth Day and the outdoors I wanted to talk trails. Clarenville has some fantastic 'Official" trails that, if you have not already had the opportunity to take, you should try over the coming summer.  But there are more.    Our Town's rich logging history means that there are lots of old paths and trails through the woods within and surrounding Clarenville that you don't see on the Town's official list of trails.    Many of these are interesting gems that if you're adventurous enough, you should check out - and share with visitors: Here are my top picks for 'unofficial' off-the-beaten-path trails: Pittman's Point Trail:   (3 km return)  Most people are aware of the TCH overlook just east of Clarenville.   From there you can take a path to the beach at Pittmans Point.   This well-marked 1.5km trail (

The greatest opportunity for Clarenville is that thousands of cars drive by every single day. The biggest challenge for Clarenville is that thousands of cars drive by every single day.                                                                                 Noel O'Dea (Target Marketing) (Speaking to the Clarenville Chamber of Commerce about tourism development)  One of the things that I often tell my students is that hope is not a strategy.  Business and community success depends on their ability to recognize and capitalize on opportunities as they arise.    If you ask someone like successful Clarenville businessman, Philip Mercer, who has guided and grown Mercer's Marine for decades through some of the most difficult times in the inshore fishery, the key to success is working hard to follow the market while providing a product offering that customers want while at the same time providing outstanding customer service.  (Be sure to listen to Jane Adey's excellent inte

In principle, most everybody would agree that working together to support one another is a good idea.  Could this same approach work for our region's towns and communities? One of the biggest challenges for political leaders in Newfoundland and Labrador - particularly rural Newfoundland and Labrador - is figuring out how to sustain the hundreds of little settlements that dot our coastline.  The vast majority of these settlements depended on the fishery, many of them are remote, and few of them have any form of local government to provide basic community services.   Today, the continued closure of the inshore cod fishery has meant that the next generation simply does not exist in these settlements, leaving an aging and shrinking population.  This is occurring against a backdrop of rising expectations for the continuance of services - most of which have been traditionally provided, at no additional charge to residents, by the provincial and federal governments.  In the face of increa