The hub of Labrador is on the cusp of significant economic activity with big spending headed its way for upgrades to the military base and, potentially, hydro development on the Churchill River.

Happy Valley-Goose Bay Mayor Bert Pomeroy welcomes the $187-million contract in upgrades for 5-Wing, but cautions that with the good, comes the bad.

He does not want to see the region repeat the mistakes of Muskrat Falls when everything was booming but without the support systems being in place, such as housing.

For example, the town council cannot approve any high-density housing as building height is limited to three storeys because of insufficient firefighting capacity.

The town has been lobbying government for several years for help in acquiring equipment, vehicles and a larger building but, no luck so far.

“Here we are, still fighting, and trying to get a design concept in place and have the funds to build a modern fire station and have the necessary equipment,” says Mayor Pomeroy. “If we’re going to expand, we’ll have to have those resources.”