The Rural Upper Bay Of Fundy Regional Destination Development Project is the first-ever community-led regional development process for the area that stretches from Hillsborough, Riverside-Albert, Alma through Sussex, St. Martins, and the adjacent rural areas. The initiative brings together residents, business owners, non-profit managers, and local municipal officials to develop a plan that reflects the area’s unique community assets and opportunities.

To achieve its priorities, the project will employ a four-pronged strategy to create and build industry, community, and government support for a sustainable change agenda that is both long-lasting and rooted in regenerative tourism practices, using the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals (UN SDGs) as a guide. The UN SDGs are a collection of 17 interlinked global goals designed to be a blueprint to achieve a better and more sustainable future for all. The SDGs were set up in 2015 by the United Nations General Assembly and are intended to be achieved by the year 2030.

The initiative has four components.

1. Community Engagement and Information Sharing
2. Knowledge Review and Assessment
3. Data Collection and Assessment
4. Development of Community Indicators

The two-year project is funded by the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency (ACOA) and the Province of New Brunswick and is administered by Friends of Fundy. The first phase, which includes extensive community engagement, data collection and initial recommendations, will be completed by May 2022.

The Rural Upper Bay Of Fundy Regional Destination Development Project is co-managed by a Working Group comprised of people from around the region. The members of the Working Group are:

• Micha Fardy, Friends of Fundy, Alma (co-lead)
• Mike Carpenter, Red Rock Adventure, St. Martins (co-lead)
• Kevin Berry, Village of Hillsborough
• Lisa Brown, Farmer Brown’s Greenhouse/Foods of the Fundy Valley
• Jim Campbell, Mayor, Village of Riverside-Albert
• Janet Clouston, Albert County Historical Society & Museum, Hopewell Cape
• Jennifer Dingman, UNESCO-designated Fundy Biosphere Region
• Jamie Hare, Poley Mountain Resorts, Waterford
• Michelle Harvey-Larsen, Albert County Tourism Association/Studio on the Marsh, Mary’s Point
• Jordan Jamison, St. Martins Chamber of Commerce, St. Martins
• Bob Rochon, Mayor, Village of Hillsborough
• Jason Thorne, Town of Sussex
• Paul Winkle, Beach Street Inn, St. Martins

You can follow the progress and development of the project here www.ruralfundyregiondevelopment.com and on facebook www.facebook.com/RuralFundyRegionDevelopment/