April 2017 | Business View Magazine

102 103 Celebrating a green ‘first’ for Newfoundland and Labrador. Beclin, in Mount Pearl, is the first business park in Newfoundland and Labrador to be LEED® Certified. Cheers to the team that made this green breakthrough possible. eastportproperties.ca Mount Pearl, Newfoundland you’ve got.” The oil industry is a huge economic driver for Mount Pearl. Retail is another significant driving force. The largest retail activity is on Merchant Drive at the west end of the city, with standard anchor tenants: Dominion/Loblaws,Wal-Mart, Canadian Tire, among many other smaller re- tailers and national chains. In addition, the city’s unique tourism strategy is gaining a tremen- dous amount of interest and participation. Simms explains, “Most people are familiar with how the province promotes the heritage and colorful, historic towns of Newfoundland & Labrador to visitors. Our tourism strategy is not that at all.We are a new city.Well planned. Compact. The first planned residential devel- opment happened in 1954, which seems like a long time ago, but is not.When it comes to at- tracting tourists, we have a competitive edge in recreation and sports, compared to our neigh- bours. And we played upon that.” Today, Mount Pearl has some of the most modern, well-kept recreational facilities in the province. One soccer field is an international size with lighting and artificial turf, suitable for national championships. In fact, the Mexican National team came there to play the Canadi- an National team. The city also offers baseball, hockey, and a brand new $4.5 million, state- of-the-art gymnastics center. In the last two years, a $36 million facility called ‘The Summit’ opened, with a 25-meter, eight-lane pool, a lei- sure pool, huge gymnasiums - everything need- ed to practice and train. More than one hundred thousand visitors per year come to Mount Pearl to participate in sports events. “We have an area in the center of the city called Centennial Square that constitutes for us a downtown core,” says Simms. “City Hall is there, a myriad of commercial businesses, banks, grocery stores, clothing stores, and a large seniors’ development with underground parking. Seniors like living there close to all the amenities. In older communities, you see Mil- lennials moving to the downtown core, living