Quote: mello Originally Posted by Really enjoyed this thread, how is the economy there? Do young people usually flee?



The long answer is this...



Newfoundland and Labrador was an independent country prior to becoming a Canadian province in March of 1949. We had a small, exceptionally wealthy ruling class (merchants) and a large population of poor, indebted servants (fisherman), who had to borrow each year enough money to buy the supplies they'd need to fish the next.



After joining Canada, income equality started to lessen. The government invested heavily in rural areas with grand ideas (hockey stick factories, poultry farms, etc.) meant to free the people from this form of economic slavery. Nothing really worked, though the quality of life in rural areas improved dramatically.



In the 1960s, the government forcibly demolished hundreds of villages and towns and forced their residents to move to larger communities that were less expensive to service with things like electricity, water, etc. This event, known as Resettlement, is part of our collective consciousness as Newfoundlanders, it is one of our great victimhood stories that forms a part of our identity today. Here's a song about it:



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In 1992, the s**t finally hit the fan. A moratorium was imposed on cod - it was no longer legal to harvest. Rural Newfoundland collapsed. Village after village, town after town, saw its entire reason for existing yanked out from under it. Tens of thousands (in a province with a population of only half a million) were forced to move.



This was the situation in which St. John's found itself. Although it never lost population (because thousands of rural residents fled here, just as tens of thousands fled to other provinces), it did stagnate economically - and visually. For example, the office towers you see under construction in the above photos are the first new ones here for 25 years.



So, we were the capital of a critically wounded province. There was enough going on to keep the city afloat, but we were clearly hurting.



Now... we have greater control over our own resources and the ability to develop them. Oil, gas, minerals, fish, forestry, etc. We are LOADED. Since 2008, we haven't even received equalization payments (which are payments taken from a fund all provinces contribute to and shared amongst so-called "have-not" provinces to ensure they can provide a comparable standard of living to Canada's "have provinces". Becoming a "have province" was a huge and cheerful occasion for us.



As our Premier (equivalent of a governor), Kathy Dunderdale, recently said announcing a MAJOR hydroelectric development:



Quote: Newfoundland and Labrador is a very special corner of the world. No one wants to leave, and for anyone who does, this place never leaves them. The rhythm of a majestic sea, the secrets of ancient rock and the movement of our ever-changing sky all seem to call us home. The nature and geography of this place are so intricately woven into our culture, history and tradition that they are as much a part of Newfoundlanders and Labradorians as our own heartbeat. The island and the Big Land hold our hearts and souls, no matter where we go. That separates us from other Canadians. Newfoundlanders and Labradorians yearn for this place. Fortunately, a fundamental shift in our history has occurred in recent years, and we are no longer compelled to leave to provide for our families. Now our aspirations can be met here at home, and as of this day, we may never be forced to leave again.



Our experience in confederation with Canada has included some challenges: the stigma of being the poorest province in the union, the bitterness of the Upper Churchill injustice, the resentment of a decimated fishery and the anger of not having our voice heard within the federation. However, today represents a significant shift in our relationship with the federal government. We are now a full partner in the federation of Canada. The answer is complicated - but the short version is: the economy is doing very well now, but this is a relatively recent development.The long answer is this...Newfoundland and Labrador was an independent country prior to becoming a Canadian province in March of 1949. We had a small, exceptionally wealthy ruling class (merchants) and a large population of poor, indebted servants (fisherman), who had to borrow each year enough money to buy the supplies they'd need to fish the next.After joining Canada, income equality started to lessen. The government invested heavily in rural areas with grand ideas (hockey stick factories, poultry farms, etc.) meant to free the people from this form of economic slavery. Nothing really worked, though the quality of life in rural areas improved dramatically.In the 1960s, the government forcibly demolished hundreds of villages and towns and forced their residents to move to larger communities that were less expensive to service with things like electricity, water, etc. This event, known as Resettlement, is part of our collective consciousness as Newfoundlanders, it is one of our great victimhood stories that forms a part of our identity today. Here's a song about it:In 1992, the s**t finally hit the fan. A moratorium was imposed on cod - it was no longer legal to harvest. Rural Newfoundland collapsed. Village after village, town after town, saw its entire reason for existing yanked out from under it. Tens of thousands (in a province with a population of only half a million) were forced to move.This was the situation in which St. John's found itself. Although it never lost population (because thousands of rural residents fled here, just as tens of thousands fled to other provinces), it did stagnate economically - and visually. For example, the office towers you see under construction in the above photos are the first new ones here for 25 years.So, we were the capital of a critically wounded province. There was enough going on to keep the city afloat, but we were clearly hurting.Now... we have greater control over our own resources and the ability to develop them. Oil, gas, minerals, fish, forestry, etc. We are LOADED. Since 2008, we haven't even received equalization payments (which are payments taken from a fund all provinces contribute to and shared amongst so-called "have-not" provinces to ensure they can provide a comparable standard of living to Canada's "have provinces". Becoming a "have province" was a huge and cheerful occasion for us.As our Premier (equivalent of a governor), Kathy Dunderdale, recently said announcing a MAJOR hydroelectric development: __________________

Note to self: "The plural of anecdote is not evidence."