ARICHAT - During their regular monthly council meeting on January 23 at the Richmond Municipal Building, councillors for the Municipality of the County of Richmond made two decisions that could have an impact on tourism projects for two parts of the county. 

The municipality will enter into a development agreement for four tourist-oriented cabins and cottages in the community of Walkerville. Located just outside of Whiteside, which is across Highway 104 from the community of Evanston and the accompanying Strait-Richmond Hospital, Walkerville isn't seen as a major cog in Richmond County's overall tourism strategy, and Richmond Warden Amanda Mombourquette is hoping council's move on Monday evening will change that. 

Council has also agreed to defer a decision on a popular scenic look-off in Isle Madame to its upcoming 2023-24 budget deliberations. 

The Babin's Hill Look-Out is located on the outskirts of Arichat and less than half a kilometre from the adjacent community of West Arichat, and its views of Arichat Harbour and several nearby islands have attracted many visitors and tourists alike over the years. 

Richmond councillors have been investigating the potential purchase of a nearby property to handle overflow traffic at the Babin's Hill Look-Off since last June. They officially directed municipal stuff to look into the projected cost of such a land purchase only two months ago, and with those figures now coming together, Warden Mombourquette says the time is right to bring the Babin's Hill project into the upcoming municipal budget talks. 

A decision on this potential land purchase is expected to occur before the municipality brings down its budget for the coming fiscal year in early June.