No support for recreation director

It looks like the Labrador Straits won't have a recreation director this time around.

The regional position, covering the area from L'Anse au Clair to Red Bay, was to be funded partly by the provincial government, which would cover the sum of $23,000 for three years.

Three communities in the area would have to support the position and match the provincial government's contribution.

L'Anse au Loup Town Council voted against supporting the position last month.

Mayor Deborah Barney said council's vote was based on community support.

"Our councillors heard loud and clear from the community that they weren't in support of spending X number of dollars on a recreation director," Mayor Barney said, adding council received letters and phone calls regarding the issue.

"Our community in L'Anse au Loup did not support it, so our council stood by our community."

L'Anse au Loup's support for the position was vital, since the dollars matching the provincial government's offer was based on per capita.

L'Anse au Loup, with a population more than 600 people, would have had to pay a greater share.

"L'Anse au Loup was the ones who had to come on board in support," Mayor Barney said. "But then again, government said they would approve this if three communities come on board, and L'Anse au Clair, Forteau and West St. Modeste were in support of it - that was their three communities, if they want to go ahead with it - but it's based on per capita and L'Anse au Loup had X number of dollars.

Mayor Barney added that her town felt the sum could be put to better use within the community.

"But the government was only looking for three communities," she said. "But I guess other communities probably couldn't afford that."

The recreation director position is not entirely new to the area.

The position was supported and filled when the arena at L'Anse Amour was in place, Mayor Barney said.

"Personally, I felt that it worked well and got people out in the community and recreation," she said. "There's not so many volunteers out there, as there were in previous years, and some of us felt that this would be a great idea, to have this recreation director in place and would help out with some of the work that the volunteers are doing."

The Pen made numerous unsuccessful attempts to contact Forteau Mayor Reg Hancock for a comment on where the issue stands in that community.