A Homecoming for the Baie Verte Peninsula

When long-standing residents of the Baie Verte Peninsula talk about their mining industry, they often frame it through the lens of family history.

For Lori Shea-Smith, that connection runs deep.

“My family’s history on the Baie Verte Peninsula spans multiple generations,” she says.

Lori’s mother was raised in Coachman’s Cove, while her father came from Fleur de Lys, before eventually settling in Baie Verte. Her family’s early livelihood revolved around fishing and forestry, but when the mining industry expanded in the late fifties, they moved into the industry as the asbestos mine entered production.

Experience That Meets the Moment

Lori spent her childhood on the Peninsula before leaving 35 years ago to attend Memorial University.

She built a long, accomplished career across the country, earning degrees in arts, commerce, and an MBA, and later went on to become a Chartered Professional Accountant. She worked in both the private and public sectors, led large teams, and supported major organizations through growth, restructuring, as well as crisis management.

The years she spent working in Alberta has shaped much of Lori’s professional life. For example, Lori supported large organizations during major transitions during her time in Fort McMurray and Edmonton. She helped built high functioning teams, led finance operations across multiple companies and took on leadership roles during significant events, including the 2016 Fort McMurray wildfires.

Before moving back to Newfoundland and Labrador, Lori held the CFO position in Northern Alberta, where she worked on financial sustainability, enterprise risk management and modernizing the financial function of an organization.

While her career expanded across several sectors and provinces, her connection to home remained strong. Lori’s decision to return home with her husband was a personal one. With her parents entering a new stage of their lives, she felt it was the right moment to be closer to them.

Neither she nor her family realized how naturally Lori’s homecoming would intersect with a major workforce development effort taking shape on the Peninsula.

Lori is now working with the Baie Verte Chamber of Commerce as their Project Director for the Employer-Led Workforce Development Project, led by the NL Workforce Innovation Centre (NLWIC) and funded through the Government of Canada’s Future Skills Program.

Groundwork for What’s Ahead

The project focuses on the first-ever Canadian pilot of the Talent Pipeline Management (TPM) model, implemented by the Atlantic Chamber of Commerce (ACC), in partnership with the Baie Verte Chamber of Commerce (BVCC).

This unique, talent management model will be jointly tested and evaluated by the ACC, BVCC and NLWIC teams in the Baie Verte Peninsula’s growing mining industry.

Sharon McLennon, director of NLWIC, says “From NLWIC’s and ACC’s perspective, this evaluated pilot project has the potential to be replicated and scaled to other regions and sectors where innovative workforce development is essential to the prosperity of the Baie Verte Peninsula, Newfoundland and Labrador, the Atlantic Region and beyond.”

The Employer-Led Workforce Development Project will bring key mining sector employers together, so they can identify their workforce needs through this model. For NLWIC and ACC, the pilot offers a scalable, skills-based approach that will extend beyond the Baie Verte region.

Lori describes the TPM model as a systemic structure for employers to work effectively with an end-to-end talent management strategy and address their common workforce needs.

Returning Home With Purpose

The mining sector on the Baie Verte Peninsula is at a critical point.

While recent mine closures and economic uncertainty have unsettled the region, they have also created space for new opportunities. Lori says this work is timely and essential, especially for the Baie Verte Peninsula.

She also mentions that the Baie Verte Mining Innovation Task Force, formed in 2023 in response to a regional economic downturn, has flagged workforce planning as one of the most immediate priorities for the Peninsula.

“One of the matters of significance the Task Force identified was planning for and addressing workforce needs and this project will enable our key mining employers to work through this issue using the TPM framework,” says Lori.

Her hopes for the Project stretch beyond the Peninsula.

“Working for the Baie Verte Peninsula and Atlantic Chamber of Commerce and this project will allow me to contribute in a meaningful way to setting up the Peninsula to be ready for the next boom cycle,” she said.

Although her return to Newfoundland and Labrador began with family, Lori is certain that she came home at the right time.

Lori sees the Employer-Led Workforce Development project as a golden opportunity to give back to the region that shaped her. In her new role, Lori feels both grounded in her roots and excited to support the Baie Verte Peninsula as it steps into its new chapter.