| Marystown | |||
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| — Town — | |||
| Winter Sunset Over the Harbour featuring Canning Bridge | |||
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| Motto: "Ubi Incrementum Est Via Vitae" (Latin) "Where Growth Is A Way Of Life" |
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Marystown
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| Coordinates: | |||
| Country | Canada | ||
| Province | Newfoundland and Labrador | ||
| Census division | 2 | ||
| Government | |||
| • Type | Marystown Town Council | ||
| • Mayor | Sam Synard | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 61.97 km2 (23.9 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | 14 m (46 ft) | ||
| Population (2006)[1] | |||
| • Total | 5,436 | ||
| • Density | 87.7/km2 (227.1/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | Newfoundland Time (UTC-3:30) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | Newfoundland Daylight (UTC-2:30) | ||
| Postal code span | A0E | ||
| Area code(s) | 709 | ||
| Highways | Route 220 | ||
| Website | Town of Marystown Website | ||
Marystown is a Canadian town in the province of Newfoundland and Labrador with a population of 5,436 as of 2006[update]. Situated 306 km from the province's capital, St. John's, it is on the Burin Peninsula. Up until the early 1990s, its economy was largely based on shipbuilding, and it is due in part to this that the town experienced a population increase of 295% in just over a decade.[1] The town was also dependent on the fish plant for employment.
Though the shipyard still holds a presence in the town, residents have had to look elsewhere for economic subsistence in the last decade or so. The closure of the fish plants in Newfoundland has also had its hand in the decline in economic subsistence. Mortier Bay also served a strategic role during the war, and was the site selected to evacuate the Royal Family and regroup the British Navy in the event of German invasion of Britain.[2]
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Marystown and surrounding area is home to four public schools, Marystown Central High School, Sacred Heart Academy, Pearce Junior High, and Donald C. Jamieson Academy. Post secondary institutions include three public trade-colleges, College of the North Atlantic, and Keyin College.
Marystown's public schools are serviced under the Eastern School District of Newfoundland and Labrador.
Despite being in a province reporting one of the highest obesity rates in Canada,[3] Marystown has sport enthusiasts in disciplines including softball, soccer, swimming, track and field and hockey can find endless outlets to express support or participation in these active groups and clubs. Marystown has many attractions for both residents and visitors:
The urban centre is surrounded by rolling hills and densely wooded areas, as a result Marystown is frequented by hunting, fishing, camping and ATV enthusiasts.
While the town contains a diverse mixture of churches of varying denominations, the largest of the town is Christian. The information presented from a 2001 census from Statistics Canada indicates that 68% of the population is Roman Catholic.
===Sacred Heart Parish=== www.spsh.ca Established in 1910, the original edifice, constructed in the early 1900s had to be reconstructed in the mid 1980s due to a fire. In more recent years, the church has received much attention from the news when a family of illegal immigrants from Israel resided there as a place of sanctuary. Alexi and Angela Portnoy and their five children (the three youngest of whom were born in Canada) stayed in the church's basement for a total of 962 days while seeking citizenship status.[4] The family was ultimately deported to Israel, but their supporters vowed to try to help the family to return.
Establishment of the church began in 1956. It was not until 1958 that the first Pentecost church in Marystown was officially completed. Since then there have been three Pentecost churches erected in the Marystown area: the original edifice in 1958, the second in 1974, and the current church that was built in 1995.
It wasn't until the 1970s that the Seventh Day Adventists established a significant population in Marystown. The construction of the first church began in 1985 along with a Seventh-Day school. Though the construction was completed much earlier, 1987 denotes the official church opening.[5]
The shipyard consists of two essentially independent facilities, namely the older Marystown portion (built in 1967) and the newer Cow Head facility (built in 1992).
First opening in 1967, Marystown's shipyard existed as the backbone of the economy up until the early 1990s, when the yard was privatized by the provincial government.[6] Today the shipyard is seeing renewed interest as the current owner, Peter Kiewit and Sons, strives to secure contracts for the facility.
| Name | |
|---|---|
| 1967-1973 | Newfoundland Marine Works Ltd. |
| 1974-1978 | Marystown Shipping Enterprises Ltd. |
| 1979-1997 | Marystown Shipyard Ltd. |
| 1998-2001 | Friede Goldman Ltd. |
| 2002–present | Kiewit Offshore Services |
For many years the fish plant in Marystown created hundred jobs in the small town. Originally operated by Fishery Products International (FPI) the plant was sold to Ocean Choice International (OCI) in 2007.[7] In 2011, the plant employed roughly 240 people seasonally.[8] In November 2011, provincial government-appointed auditors backed up claims by OCI that they were losing millions of dollars each year operating the fish plant.[9] On December 2, 2011, the company announced that they would permanently close their Marystown and Port Union fish plants and invest money into other plants in the province.[8]
Attractions to the town include:
The Shrine of Marymount, or The Marymount as it is locally referred to, is one of the largest Marian statues erected in Newfoundland. It stands at fifteen feet tall, and overlooks the entirety of Marystown, sitting at one of the highest points in the area.[10]
Marystown currently receives numerous radio stations including:
Marystown is the home of The Southern Gazette, a newspaper that covers the entire Burin Peninsula.
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