The development of Port aux Basques has been closely intertwined with the fishing, transportation and communications industries in Newfoundland, all of which takes advantage of the port's access to the Gulf of St. Lawrence and mainland Canada.
Port aux Basques is the point of entry for underwater communications cables to Nova Scotia. The town is also the gateway for most people, goods and services entering the province via it's large ferry terminal. Port aux Basques is an aggressive community, proud of its heritage and determined to take advantage of the social and industrial opportunities made available through it's strategic location.
The area's hospital services are located in Port aux Basques and are provided by the Dr. Charles L. LeGrow Health Centre. The modern sixty-bed hospital serves over 13 000 area people.
The health centre also maintains a group of cottages for senior citizens, with qualified staff to serve their needs.
Designated a federal harbour by Transport Canada, the port of Port aux Basques can handle ships in excess of 200 metres in length and can accommodate eight to ten ocean-going vessels at a time. Port aux Basques has been chosen as the transhipment point for passengers and equipment to the Hope Brook gold mine at Couteau Bay.
The port is the major entry point for goods and services entering the island of Newfoundland, as over sixty-five percent of all provincial freight is shipped through the Port aux Basques facility.
Terratransport, with a dockside facility, can handle 200 cantainers per day at the terminal and transfer shed. Specific spur lines have been established for the storage of containers containing dangerous commodities.
The rail and truck service is a major distribution and transhipment service to the rest of the province.
As with freight and cargo, the port is a major entry and departure point for tourists entering and leaving the province. Several ferries, in the Marine Atlantic fleet, make the trip from Port aux Basques to mainland Nova Scotia, the newest of which is the M. V. Caribou. This modern ship has the capacity to handle twelve hundred passengers and three hundred and fifty vehicles per trip.
Closed now due to a moratorium, but when in operation, a modern fishery harvests the rich grounds in the Gulf of St. Lawrence, returning its catch to the Port aux Basques processing facilities. The mainstay of the Port aux Basques facility was the lucrative winter fishery, one of the largest on the island. Hopefully, it will re-open in the near future.
The movement of fishing vessels, freighters and large cargo ferries, is monitored by the Canadian Coast Guard Vessel Traffic Management Centre in Port aux Basques. The centre monitors in excess of 14 000 vessels per year, giving up to date weather and marine traffic information as well as other pertinent marine data.
A major Joint Venture Company has selected Port aux Basques as a site for an offshore related fabrication yard when the anticaped Hibernia development becomes reality. The yard will also have the capability of participating in offshore-related steel fabrication contracts.
Located just a stones throw away is the scenic Codroy Valley which contains some of the most fertile agricultural land in Newfoundland. The rustic setting of this area, combined with the natural ruggedness of other communities on the southwest coast, provides an exciting contrast to the many thousands of tourists who visit the area each year. It is in Port aux Basques, the site of the main provincial tourism interpretation and information centre for the island, that they experience their first taste of Newfoundland culture and scenery.
The area is served by the Royal Canadiam Mounted Police, from headquarters in Port aux Basques. Modern homes and apartment buildings provide excellent accommodations. A shopping mall with a full range of services and government offices can be found here.
The town has an elected mayor and council and all major service clubs and social organizations are represented in the community.
The completion of a 23 000 square foot industrial mall offers subsidized rental, on an annually declining scale, to entrepreneurs who wish to operate manufacturing, processing, prefabrication and machine shop businesses.
It is expected that with lower rentals, business advisory support, and common user services, the business will develop to the stage where it can leave the industrial mall and move into a building of its own, This process ensures that the full potential of a new enterprise is recognized in a positive way at the earliest step, and since its viability is better known, the prospects for sound investments in the future are substantial.
A lot of things are happening in Port aux Basques. Established industries are growing as a result of a healthy economy, and new businesses and industries are taking advantage of the friendly business climate to set up business.
Port aux Basques is a town of opportunity and Gateway to a province of opportunity.
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