Study to look at viability of opening the national historic site to the public
April 9, 2015 – Saint John, NB – Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
Rodney Weston, Member of Parliament for Saint John, on behalf of the Honourable Rob Moore, Regional Minister for New Brunswick and Minister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency), today officially announced that Dillon Consulting and partner, W.F. Baird & Associates Coastal Engineering Ltd, will undertake a feasibility study to assess whether or not Partridge Island can become a viable tourism destination. Officials from the Saint John Development Corporation (SJDC) were also on hand for the announcement.
The engineering feasibility study will look at access to the island, exploring the options available and estimating the costs that will be required to repair the breakwater, establish a walkway across it, and connect it to the mainland as well as to the island. The study will also estimate the annual operating and maintenance costs related to providing public access to the island.
The Government of Canada, through ACOA’s Business Development Program, is providing a contribution of $200,000 towards the feasibility study.
Quick Facts:
- Established in 1830, Partridge Island Quarantine Station was North America’s first quarantine station. At the peak of Irish immigration, up to 2,500 people were quarantined there with typhus fever and smallpox.
- Partridge Island Quarantine Station was designated a national historic site of Canada in 1974 because of the significant role it played in immigration to the Maritime Provinces in the 19th century.
- Access to the historic site, which is situated approximately one kilometre from the shore of west Saint John, has been strictly prohibited for decades.
- The Saint John Development Corporation, operating as Saint John Waterfront Development, is coordinating the development of the project while a Partridge Island Working Group has been developing an action plan to allow controlled public access to the island.
Quotes:
“Our Government is committed to building a strong, competitive regional economy. That is why we are pleased that Dillon Consulting and partner, W.F. Baird & Associates Coastal Engineering Ltd, will be examine the prospect of restoring access to the Partridge Island national historic site and rebuilding it as a tourism destination that can potentially be enjoyed by visitors and residents alike.
- Rodney Weston, Member of Parliament for Saint John, on behalf of the Honourable Rob Moore, Regional Minister for New Brunswick and Minister of State (Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency)
“We now have an opportunity, thanks to the Government of Canada (ACOA) and MP Rodney Weston, to further explore the possibility to have Partridge Island become one of Saint John’s iconic public spaces. This feasibility study will give us a conclusive answer to the question of accessibility to the island over the breakwater; with a solution we can ignite plans to develop the Island”.
- Stephen Alexander, Chairman, Saint John Development Corporation
Associated Links:
Contacts:
Kelsie Corey
Director of Communications
Office of the Honourable Rob Moore
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
613-941-7241
Ann Kenney
Senior Communications Officer
Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency
506-452-3687
Kent MacIntyre
General Manager
Saint John Development Corporation
506-674-4152
