I4

Mark Rickard
The Victoria Star

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PERTH-ANDOVER - Perth-Andover village council will encourage local business owners to register their commercial enterprises with the Grand Falls Region Global Positioning System project, councillors decided at their Oct. 13 meeting.

Council received a media release from the Enterprise Grand Falls Region outlining their efforts to have the upper valley communities, businesses and residences become part of an updated global positioning system. Municipalities throughout the region contributed to have their communities added to the project.

"GPS has become one of the most used navigational tools by tourists and business people. It is the "now" technology. And as we speak, our region isn't on the map. While travelling on the highway in our region, visitors who use their GPS for navigation will find very little information. It seems that we are living in a no man's land," a letter from Francois Picard, general manager of Enterprise Grand Falls Region, stated. "The different companies who develop databases for GPS use are offering information for larger urban centres. And since we live in a rural area, with no concentration in population, it's too expensive for them to include us. This project is therefore very important for the development of our region and it's crucial that local businesses and institutions participate."

The project includes the communities of Plaster Rock, Aroostook, Perth-Andover, Tobique First Nation, Saint-Anne-de-Madawaska, Saint-Leonard, Saint-Andre, Grand Falls, and Drummond. Residential addresses will automatically be included in the database. But local businesses and organizations must register their information to be included in the free listing. Interested parties need to go on the Enterprise Grand Falls Region website at www.ent-grandfalls.ca and follow the link to the registration form. The deadline is Dec. 4.

"With this information, travellers, for example, looking for restaurants in the area would receive the information and directions right on their GPS," Dionne commented. "All business should take advantage of the opportunity."