Legislative Assembly

Friday, April 7, 198'!

J. David Stewart: Mr. Speaker, last evening when I adjourned the debate to attend the hockey game, I had just started to talk about the Tourist Industry. Now I will continue on from there and I am very happy to see the very genial, affable Minister of Tourist Development back in his seat this morning so he can listen to some of my remarks. I think the big problem with our tourists, as we all know, has been and still is, is the shortness of the season from an economic viewpoint and it will not be successful, not be successful economically until that season can be extended to four or five months. I think, a quick answer, that the only way this can be brought about is simply by a great deal of hard work by those concerned, and a great deal of imagination. Insofar as the early months are concerned, May and June, I think the main hope is by way of conventions; people are not normally on the move at that time, but conventions are. The Charlottetown Board of Trade has made a start; they have a convention committee. but this involves a great deal of work. Conventions are being held, they are available but it is highly competitive and many, many places are looking for them. We have to shout and do a selling job just a little better than anybody else, but I know that if we persist and stay

Evith it, that this province can build up a convention trade in the months of May and une.

Then again, there is September and October and even early November. There is another available group of people who are on the move in September and October and they are coming here in increasing numbers, and that is the type of person whose family has grown up and they are “foot loose and fancy free” and choose to travel during the months of September and October.

One of the problems of our Province is not only to bring them here, but to keep them here when they do arrive. One of the means that we can use to keep them here is to have available different and various forms of recreation. Uppermost in my mind, among those forms of recreation, are golf courses and I am very happy to see that the Minister has inaugurated the system of installing a golf course at Brudenell. From a tourist viewpoint I think this is an outstanding beginning, and I would suggest that you carry through this program. I will ask the Government to back him up in this endeavour to the point that we not only have a golf course in Kings County but another in Queens and certainly one in Prince. (Applause)

I am a little selfish in making that suggestion. I am very fond of the game myself and it is crowded out at the present courses, but I can assure you that having played on these courses that you would be amazed at the type of person who is now playing golf. I would say that the residents of Cavendish and the person who is on that course very much, that even today 50%, I think that would be a fair estimate, are from the rural sections of our own Province. This is a trend that is just beginn- ing, and I don’t think the people realize that it has built up to the extent that it has. So, Mr. Minister you just keep on with those golf courses; you are doing just fine!

I think you should make some improvements in your parks. I don't think you should add any more; it is my feeling that the private sector should be allowed to develop the parks, as a private enterprise. There is a place for the parks that we have; I think they should be improved especially for the use of our own people. I would suggest that the rates charged to visiting people coming in should be slowly increased, in order to protect the people in the private sections. I have yet to find, and I think the Minister as he goes about will certainly find this. I have yet to find any visitor object to our present rates. In fact, they are amazed that our rates are so low and are so reasonable. They could stand to be doubled.

The Division of Rural Beautification, I am not quite aware just what this new division is all about, and I am rather suspicious that it is mostly for the beautification of the Minister’s political image. But the Minister has a lot of things going for him now, from a political viewpoint. He was runner up of course in the contest held about a year ago. If there is no change in the Government in Ottawa or if there is no election for the next three years, the present Premier will, in all probability, succeed his father. He has to retire in three years time and then the job is open.

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