Investing in a heritage to keep it whole

Letter to the Editor -

Dear Editor,

The small and dying outports of Newfoundland and Labrador might be saved for future generations by a government program to make available abandoned properties to people looking for rural "getaway" homes. A pro-active and well-advertised program of longterm leases could provide a way to preserve a measure of our culture for the benefit of future generations.

Many of us know or have heard of recent visitors who are so attracted to our way of life and landscape that they acquire land and buildings, especially in rural places. These people are helping to preserve at least the physical structures of outport Newfoundland and Labrador so they can be there for future generations to enjoy.

Isolated rural communities and the way of life that is still followed there provide an important contribution to our culture and traditions.

Quick disintegration

Once they are abandoned, houses, sheds, wharves and other structures decay and collapse quite rapidly. In 10 or 20 years time, little may remain of places once full of life. Examples abound from earlier phases of resettlement, as graphically illustrated by Scott Waldren in "Places Lost."

Recognizing the value of rural places, some outsiders have already purchased abandoned properties and have set about restoring and maintaining them as part-time residences.

In Petites, for example, several properties have been bought by people from Ontario who delight in their new rural getaways. Further along the southwest coast, Grand Bruit now faces closure, despite the obvious reluctance of residents to move away from this small but spectacular outport, which they have tended with affection and care for many years. A few houses have already been acquired for seasonal occupation.

Such a process was not much evident during earlier phases of resettlement, but now there is great concern generally for environmental issues, for ways to become more sustainable on a local scale, and for the value of rural life. In the coming decades the effects of climate change and other environmental problems are likely to become more severe, and movements to become more locally sustainable seem likely to increase. Those concerned may welcome an opportunity to acquire a rural base on the "margins" of society, at least on a part-time basis.

The government of Newfoundland and Labrador should consider establishing a formal program to acquire the homes and properties belonging to people abandoning outports for new places, advertise widely their availability, and lease them out on a long-term basis.

At the end of the lease period, the owners might be required or encouraged to sell their properties back to the government at prices that would reflect conditions at that time. Such a program might be made additionally attractive by offering buyers special tax breaks. In the case of remote coastal communities, consideration might also have to be given to subsidies for a reduced ferry service.

This could be a way to preserve at least the physical infrastructure of dwindling rural communities. Then, at some future date, say a decade or two, when a new generation has grown to maturity, they could be given the opportunity to buy back properties which might once have belonged to their ancestors.

And no longer would we be faced with the sad images of houses and wharves disintegrating and churches sinking to the ground.

Carol E. Harris and Antony Berger