City of St. John's to replace rundown Quidi Vidi slipway for $750k
The wooden structure closed in September 2023 for repairs
Quidi Vidi village might be a popular destination for tourists visiting St. John's, but Ward 2 city councillor Ophelia Ravencroft says, at the end of the day, the area is a fishing village.
That's why the City of St. John's has agreed to rebuild the Quidi Vidi slipway — the wide wooden structure that slopes into Quidi Vidi Gut — for $750,000.
"The minute you come down Quidi Vidi road and you're in this area, you feel like you're in a different place," Ravencroft said. "The slipway is part of what enables that."
The slipway closed in September 2023 for repairs but never reopened. Last summer, residents began to fear that the slipway would be gone for good.
Fourth-generation resident of Quidi Vidi, Jennifer Whiteway, told CBC News at the time that the exit point from the harbour leads to an area where fish are plentiful.
Whiteway said the structure is over 40 years old and has helped many residents feed their families.
"The slipway has been absolutely essential in our ability to be able to feed our families, store fish for the winter, upkeep on our boats, as well as recreational fishing," she said.
To preserve its history, last summer, residents created a Facebook group called S.O.S. (Save Our Slipway) to share information and raise support for the structure.
Ravencroft said the group's advocacy worked.
"I think everybody on council heard loud and clear, we really need to replace this thing," they said.
Ravencroft said the city is in the design phase of rebuilding the slipway. Following consultation with residents, they said the structure should replicate the current wooden slipway, with some additional accessibility modifications.
"What you're going to see is not a structure that is substantially changed. It's simply rebuilt to an even stronger position than we came into this," Ravencroft said.
Whiteway is looking forward to the new slipway. Over the last decade, Quidi Vidi Village has been transformed with several new and growing businesses cropping up.
"It was really important to make sure that the community was heard this time and that we really safeguarded this vital piece of our community so that we didn't lose it like so many things we have down here," she said.
Whiteway said residents will keep an eye on the new slipways development plans.
"We want to make sure that something isn't put back commercialized," she said. "We want to work closely with our ward councillor and with the developers to make sure that the historical and cultural integrity is intact."
Tenders will open for the slipway soon. Ravencroft said the goal is to start the project in the fall and finish it as soon as possible.
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With files from The Broadcast