When the Bonne Bay Cottage Hospital in Norris Point, N.L. closed in 2001, a group of concerned citizens set up the Bonne Bay Cottage Hospital Heritage Corporation (BBCHHC), a not-for-profit community corporation dedicated to the adaptive reuse of the old hospital. Their goal was to preserve local culture and heritage, promote health and wellness, and contribute to the economic well being of the community – lofty goals for a population of 795.

Although it took awhile to get the title transferred, Marina Sexton (chair, BBCHHC) explains that the first thing volunteers did was clean up the top floor. In the past, it had provided accommodation for nurses, nursing assistants and doctors, so the corporation thought it would make a great hostel. Next, volunteers cleaned up the medical records department. “This became our community library,” she says. One of the first doctors there was passionate about radio and eventually established a radio program in Corner Brook so now there’s even a community radio station in the original part of the old clinic.
Currently the centre also houses a physiotherapy clinic and admin offices for cultural festivals. It also and incubates small business start-ups. It also offers wellness programs including yoga and exercise classes, and developed a community garden replete with a hothouse.

“The social enterprise model is all about community. It’s neither public nor private. Think of it as the third sector,” says Joanie Cranston, founding member and current board member of the BBCHHC. “Although we’ve had lots of federal and provincial assistance, we realized early on that at some point we had to generate revenue.”

The irony is that it’s creating a Catch-22 situation. “If you get too successful, you start paying taxes and this can tip the not-for-profit status over the edge. In order to retain our not-for-profit designation, about 50 per cent of our revenue needs to come from government sources.” So it’s become a non-stop juggling act. Cranston adds, “If we could only find a social enterprise angel investor …”

By Sandra Phinney