Marystown

While the town contains a diverse mixture of churches of varying denominations, the town is almost entirely Christian. The information presented from a 2001 census from Statistics Canada indicates that 68% of the population is Roman Catholic.

Established in 1910, the original edifice, constructed in the early 1900s had to be reconstructed in the late 1970s 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.[14] 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.[15]

By 2018, it was recognized that the region exhibited significant unemployment, but also that the potential workforce was not sufficient to support shipyard and aquaculture expansions envisioned in subsequent years.[16] This led to a call for loosening immigration regulations so that the workforce could be expanded with immigrant workers.[16]

Shipyard workers are represented by at least two unions, Marine Workers Federation - Unifor Local 20 and the Marine Office and Technical Employees Unit.[17]

Oil platform docked in Mortier Bay.

Shipbuilding began in Marystown not long after it was settled in the early 1800s.[18] The earliest records of shipbuilding in the area date to 1908,[19]^: 12 and Marystown's first shipyard was constructed in 1918 north of the town.[20]

The Marystown Co-operative shipyard opened in 1939 was destroyed by fire in 1941; originally committed to building fishing trawlers, it was converted to minesweeper construction for World War II.[21]^: 2 Work at the site began in 1938 when the Newfoundland Commission of Government established the first government shipyard.[21]^: 3 The Marystown Shipyard was established by the Newfoundland government in 1959 for the construction of longliners, "motor-powered decked vessels ranging from 35 to 65 feet in length."[22] This facility was operated as a Crown Asset until the 1980s, when it was privatized.[4]

Construction of a nearby additional shipbuilding facility began in 1966 and it was opened in 1967 by the shipping company Canadian Vickers, initially for the construction and repair of fishing vessels.[23]^: 1 This facility has changed owners and names over the years; the initial owner was Newfoundland Marine Works Ltd., until 1973.[23]^: 1 Ownership changed hands to Marystown Shipping Enterprises Ltd., which held title until 1978, when ownership changed to Marystown Shipyard Ltd.[23]^: 1 In response to a decline in the cod fishery industry, the Newfoundland government refurbished the shipyard in 1992.[23]^: 79 Ownership left Canada when the American company Friede Goldman Ltd. bought the facility in 1998, and remained in American hands when ownership changed again in 2002 to Kiewit Offshore Services Ltd.[19] By 2019, the shipyard had been idle for four years and was acquired by Marbase Marystown Inc. (usually just Marbase), under a 20-year lease with the intention of establishing a service hub supporting regional aquaculture, the first of its kind in Canada.[4][17][24] Marbase is a partnership between one Newfoundland businessman, Paul Antle, and the Norwegian company Amar Group AS.[24]

In 2019, Marbase Cleanerfish Ltd., began work on a commercial lumpfish hatchery in Marystown, with an anticipated customer base of Atlantic salmon farm operators.[25] As of 2020, government approval of the work in relation to environmental impact had not yet been completed.[25]

For many years the fish plant in Marystown created hundreds of jobs in the small town. Originally operated by Fishery Products International (FPI) the plant was sold to Ocean Choice International (OCI) in 2007.[26] In 2011, the plant employed roughly 240 people seasonally.[27] 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.[28] On 2 December 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.[27] Demolition of the plant began in 2015.

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.[29]

Marystown currently receives numerous radio stations including:

• FM 88.3: CHCM ("VOCM"), news/talk/classic hits
• FM 90.3: CBNM, CBC Radio One
• FM 91.7: CBN-FM-5, CBC Radio 2
• FM 96.3: CHOZ ("OZFM"), Top 40
• FM 99.5: VOAR-2-FM ("Lighthouse FM"), Christian radio/music

• Channel 5 - CBC Television
• Channel 11 - NTV

Marystown is the home of The Southern Gazette, a newspaper that covers the entire Burin Peninsula.