Dear Minister Mackay:

My family and I reently move to Bonavista and built a home which we plan on living in for many years. People asked why we chose Bonavista and not a larger area to call home. I believe they were in a round-about-way asking why we chose to build in a community that was at the end of the road and does not have the "amenities" which so many people consider essential to modern life.

Obviously, people have different views of what constitutes amenities of modern life and "off the beaten track." Bonavista has so much to offer that a larger center could not possibly compete. On our first visit to Bonavista my wife and I were impressed with the overall appearance of the community. Not only was the community clean, properties were maintained. Not only were there fences, but they were painted as were the homes they encircled. Bonavista has a strong sence of history which is evident in the number of restoration projects completed over the last few years. In fact, we built a two-story house on Strathie's Road which mirrors house styles common in historic Bonavista. In diciding to build the way we, like others used traditional materials and building design.

The Garrick is one more example of what will make Bonavista stand out among the numerous communites on the peninsula and in Newfoundland in general. It would appear logical that Bonavista be permitted to continue with the restoration of what is not only an historic property but one that would add to the economic base. This would add to the overall flavor which makes Bonavista one of the many historic communites for which Newfoundland has become so well known. No doubt, it is this flavour which helped Newfoundland and Labrador earn the distinction of the "Cultural Capital of Canada." All we need now is a place in Bonavista capable of allowing us to live up to this distinction.

Yours sincerely,

Keith W. Hewitt
Bonavista
kwhewitt@personainternet.com

cc:
Hon. Loyola Hearn, Minister of Fisheries and Oceans
Hon. Danny Williams, Premier, Newfoundland and Labrador
Hon. Tom Hedderson, Minister, Tourism, Culture and Recreation
Hon. Kathy Dunderdale, Minister, Innovation, Trade and Rural Development
Scott Simms, M.P., Bonavista Gander Grand Falls-Windsor
Roger Fitzgerald, M.H.A., Bonavista South
Paul Mills, Vice-President (Newfoundland and Labrador), ACOA
Mayor Betty Fitzgerald, Town of Bonavista