BAY ST. GEORGE DISTRICT (Stephenville, Barachois Brook & Piccadilly)

AREA MANAGEMENT TEAM WEST
BAY ST. GEORGE DISTRICT
(Stephenville, Barachois Brook, Burgeo, Channel/Port aux Basques, & Piccadilly)
Mailing Address: District Commander
RCMP Bay St. George District
40 Oregon Drive
Stephenville, NL
A2N 3M3

Telephone: 709-643-2118
Fax: 709-643-9393

Detachment Area: Population approximately 35,000 in 59 communities
Primary Industry: Forestry, Fishing (presently negligible)
Nearest major centre: Corner Brook - approximately 80 kms away

Bay St. George District Main Office (Stephenville) is centrally located within our Detachment boundaries and serves a population of approximately thirty-five thousand clients in fifty-nine communities throughout the District.
Bay St. George District Main Office is 165 km from Port aux Basques, which has Marine Atlantic connections to North Sydney, Nova Scotia. This crossing takes approximately six hours.
Newfoundland's second largest city, Corner Brook, is located 80 km away and Marble Mountain, one of the best downhill ski resorts east of the Rockies, is just a few kilometres outside of Corner Brook.

The outlying communities are generally rural areas, and although may not have all of the facilities of a larger center, they make up for it with exceptional hunting and fishing for an ardent outdoors person.

The Port au Port Peninsula has a small element of French-speaking people and there are several bilingual members in our District.

RCMP ESTABLISHMENT

Stephenville, St. George’s and Piccadilly

• 1 Staff Sergeant (District Commander)
• 1 Sergeant (Operations NCO)
• 4 Corporals (Team Leaders)
• 1 Corporal i/c GIS
• 22 Constables (20 for detachment and 2 for GIS)
• 1 Police Dog Services Member (Corporal)
• 4 Public Servants (Detachment Assistance)
• Traffic Services (West) Three (3) constables designated to the District

Channel/Port aux Basques Detachment

• 1 Sergeant (Team Leader)
• 6 Constables
• 1 Public Servant

Burgeo Detachment

• 1 Corporal (Team Leader)
• 2 Constables
• 1 Public Servant (half-time)

DISTRICT:

District Mandate:

The District priorities are: Drugs, problems with Youth, as well as any issues surrounding all-terrain vehicles.

Case for District:

Number of Cases Handled for the District are at approximately 6,700 annually with the majority of the cases being property crime.

Liaisons with Other District:

The Primary Liaisons for the District would be Deer Lake, Grand-Falls/Windsor, Northern Peninsula and Cape Breton District.

Other Provincial and Federal Departments:

• Royal Newfoundland Constabulary
• Wildlife and Fisheries
• Western Health Community Services
• National Parole Board

Community-based Initiatives:

The key community-based initiatives for the Bay St. George go hand in hand with the District mandate. Thus the primary initiatives would be bridging the gap with the local youth, eliminating drugs in the district.

Community/ School/Youth Programs:

• Bay St. George Alternate Measures
• Anglican Church Seniors
• Bay St. George MADD Chapter
• Bay St. George Community Education Initiative
• Bay St. George Snowmobile Race Committee
• Bay St. George Snowmobile Race Committee
• Bay St. George Youth Advisory Committee
• Bay St. George Sr. Citizens Liaison
• Bay St. George Coalition to End Violence
• Bay St. George Trauma Response Team
• Bay St. George Big Brothers/Big Sisters
• Bay St. George Breakfast Program
• Charles Legrow Hospital Board -Port aux Basques
• Bay St. George Child Protection Team
• Community Based Intervention Program Committee
• Crime Stoppers
• Crime Prevention Wise-up
• Crime Prevention Committee
• Criminal Harassment Focus Group
• Critical Incident Stress Debriefing Team
• D.A.RE. (Drug Abuse Resistance Education)
• Disaster Planning Committee - Port aux Basques
• Duke of Edinburgh Program
• Emergency Operations Group - Stephenville
• Family Resource Committee - Port aux Basques
• Festival Coast Tourism Association
• Gateway Women’s Centre - Port aux Basques
• H.E.L.P. Committee - Health Committee - Burgeo
• Health Committee - Ramea
• Hockey Coordinator (Detachment and Charitable Games)
• John Howard Society Regional Board
• Junior Curling Coach
• Kids & Kops
• Kinsmen
• Masonic Lodge
• Minority Languages Focus Group
• National Youth Bowling Counsel
• Occupational Health & Safety - District
• Port au Port Peninsula Tourism Initiative
• Port au Port Fall Fair Committee
• RCMP Recruiting
• Recreation Committee - Burgeo
• Safe Grad
• Bay St. George School & Community Liaison
• Bay St. George Search & Rescue
• Sr. Liaison Members Group
• St. Stephen’s Parish Theatrical Group
• Stephenville High Scholarship & Bursary Fund
• Stephenville Middle School Council
• Traumatic Event Response Team - Burgeo/South Coast
• Understanding the Early Years
• West Coast Regional NL Army Cadet League
• Westbridge Admissions Board
• Western Regional Integration Management Services Team
• Western Coalition for the Injury Prevention
• Wreckhouse Digital Sineage Committee
• Youth Group - St. George’s, St. Theresa’s Flat Bay
• Youth Advisory Committee - Burgeo
• Youth Assessment Centre Board

Stephenville

Stephenville has been designated as Canada's first International Free Trade Zone. It has its origins around 1846 when settled by Acadians and it flourished as a farming and fishing community. During World War II the United States Air Force established the Ernest Harmon Air Force Base. The Base became the major employer in the town until it was phased out in 1966. Stephenville reestablished itself when Labrador Liner board Mill was built.
Stephenville is strategically positioned on the north shore of St. George’s Bay in Western Newfoundland and is accessible via the international airport or Marine Atlantic and Route 460 and 490, just off the Trans-Canada Highway. Stephenville is only one hour from the ferry terminal in Port aux Basques and is within easy reach from the Atlantic provinces. Currently, many visitors are attracted to the area to visit the scenic Port au Port Peninsula.

Stephenville’s population is over 8,000, with the overall population of the Bay St. George region at approximately 30,000. This is a thriving community with choice recreational facilities such as the Stephenville Dome (arena), Caribou Curling Club and the Regional Aquatic Centre. In addition, there is a world class 18-hole, par-72 golf course. This unique course is located adjacent to scenic Bay St. George and is said to be one of the most challenging courses on the island. There is a large shopping mall and an attractive shopping area on Main Street.

An F-102 Delta Dagger aircraft is displayed on Main Street next to the Town Hall. It was presented to the town by Casper Weinberger as a memorial to the former U.S. Air Force Base that existed here from the early ‘40s 1967.

One of Stephenville’s longest-running events is the Stephenville festival. The festival usually runs from mid-July through to early August. Season passes are available at the Arts & Culture Centre.

A municipal park located on Marine Drive just beyond the golf course, is in a wooded area adjacent to the seashore and harbour. It features camper, tent and picnic sites.

Stephenville is a thriving community that offers any number of recreational. Cultural and sightseeing activities. Facilities are also available for martial arts classes, weightlifting, aerobic classes, racket ball, floor hockey, badminton, volleyball and squash. Tourists are drawn by the excellent sport fishing and hunting available in the outlying areas. Stephenville is located within a half-hour of two Provincial Parks, one hour from Gos Morne National Park and one hour from Marble Mountain Ski Resort.

Stephenville Crossing

Stephenville Crossing was a busy distribution centre for the Port au Port Peninsula from the time the railway was built in 1897 to when it was discontinue in 1988.
Today, this quiet charming community boasts they have the country’s highest quality municipal water supply. People from out of town often visit the community to avail of this precious resource.

The town is also recognized as an important wildlife habitat where many species of birds, including rare species, can be observed year-round. If it’s birds you want to see then visit Stephenville Crossing. It has probably the largest variety of birds in the province. In 1994 over 90 species were observed!

Stephenville Crossing is approximately 10 minutes from Stephenville.

St. George's

This picturesque town of approximately 2,000 people located just off the TCH on the southeast side of Bay St. George, has its origins in the French fishery of the 1600s. Its fine natural harbour attracted the French fishing fleets and eventually settlers to Sandy Point, a small island a few hundred metres offshore.

It is believed to have been the first settlement on the west coast of Newfoundland. It was in this area that there was an early mixing of French and Micmac Indian settlers. Their descendants are still here.
Sandy Point was the commercial centre of the west coast of Newfoundland during the 1700s and the 1800s. It declined in prominence with the completion of the trans-island railway in 1897. Most of the island’s residents emigrated to St. George’s as it was, at the time, a water stop for trains.
Sandy beaches and picnic tables are available in nearby Barachois Park (fresh water). As well, camping and recreational facilities including mini-golf, convenience store, boat and bike rentals and a hiking trail are available. There are some of Newfoundland’s best salmon rivers in this area.

Usually, the second weekend August St. George’s Recreation Centre puts of an annual Blueberry Festival on Blueberry Hill, which has children’s entertainment and games, concession stands, traditional local & national entertainment.

Port-au-Port

One reaches Port au Port West, where Abbott and Haliburton Co. Ltd., the oldest firm (over 100 years) in western Newfoundland is located. There is a most interesting museum in the priest’s house at Our Lady of Mercy Roman Catholic Church which has become the major attraction on the Port au Port Peninsula. It is the largest wooden structure in Newfoundland. Many of the statues were imported from Italy.

Route 460 continues on through Campbell’s Creek, Jerry’s Nose, Lower Cove and Degrau to Cape St. George where there is a small park at Land’s End. A new section of paved road now links Routes 460 and 463 from Cape St. George to Mainland, which completes the circle around the Port au Port Peninsula. The round trip from Stephenville takes about two hours. Route 463 joins 460 at Abrahams Cove, having passed through Lourdes and Piccadilly. There is an open-pit gypsum mine at Lower Cove.

You can visit Alpacas of Newfoundland farm located at Felix Cove on the French Ancestors Route of Port Au Port. These Beautiful animals were introduced to the Island in 1998, attracting many interested visitors and locals alike. This Alpaca Farm is owned and operated by RCMP Cpl. Ed Hutchings and Cpl. Cathy Whitehead, two members of our Bay St. George District.

Channel-Port aux Basques

The business and service centre of southwestern Newfoundland, the town has a natural deep water port, and was named in the 1500s by the Basque fishermen and used as a haven in storms and a base for fishing and exploration on the northeast coast of North America.

It is the business hub of southwestern Newfoundland, providing shopping and business services to the area through a mixture of national and local retail. A 60-bed hospital offers the latest in medical and health care technology to the 13,000 people it serves.

For recreation there are many fishing rivers (salmon and trout), sandy beaches, provincial parks and unspoiled “outports” on both sides of Port aux Basques offering a great chance to explore.
This town has a museum called Gulf Museum which allows you to visit Newfoundland’s past.

Take a view of the lighthouse, built in 1873. This structure is now fully automated.

Port aux Basques has excellent entertainment and recreation facilities. People of all ages enjoy sports, and the outdoor nearby provincial parks. It’s in Channel-Port aux Basques, the site of the main provincial tourism interpretation and information centre for the island, that you experience your first taste of Newfoundland culture and scenery.

Burgeo

A picturesque community on the southwest coast of the province with a population of approximately 2400 people. It was settled in 1798 and incorporated in 1950.
Burgeo is dependent upon the fishery and boasts one of the most modern fish plants in eastern Canada. There are many lakes and ponds along the Burgeo Road where one can fish for tout and salmon. Several areas on the road are only an hour’s walk from Grandy’s River - one of the best salmon rivers on the southwest coast.

Sandbank Provincial Park, located right on the coastline, is one mile by road west of the town. The park is most beautiful with a fresh water sandy pond for swimming and beautiful beaches for sunbathing and swimming. This park is among the best in the province.

There is a ferry service from Burgeo to Ramea and a connecting ferry service to Grey River and Francois.

Ramea

Ramea is an island community situated six kilometres off the south west coast, near Burgeo, and about mid-point between Port aux Basques and the Burin Peninsula. It has a population of about 900 and the main industry is fishing. It is surrounded by spectacular scenery and has easy access to wilderness resources, fjords, caribou herds, seabird colonies and magnificent rivers.

A visit to the community of Ramea will be most rewarding, if for no other reason than to meet a truly remarkable breed of people, and to learn many of life’s lessons from them.