Labrador town building record-breaking boardwalk

The town of Rigolet in Labrador is trying to break the record for the longest boardwalk in North America.

Rigolet's boardwalk currently stretches 4.4 kilometres and is second onlytoAtlantic City, at 8.4 kilometres.

However, this summer, people in Rigolet are working to extend their boardwalk by three to four kilometres and oust the New Jersey city out of the top spot.

"We just want to be safe to say that we havethe longest boardwalk in North America," said Ashley Shiwak, Rigolet's tourism manager.

Shiwak said that breaking the record is part of the town's tourism strategy.

"We have a lot of tourists in town now and that's a huge attraction for when they come in town," she said.

The boardwalk area has a rich local history. Over the decades, it has been the location of a historic hospital, a Hudson Bay Company salmon factory, and a lookout point for the military.

At the end of the boardwalk there is an Inuit sod house village, where archeologists from Memorial University are currently working to unearth three houses.

The boardwalk is also a popular place to walk, and Shiwak said she hopes the extension will encourage more people to use it.

"You're walking along the boardwalk, the scenery is absolutely beautiful," she said .

"And you have an abundance of marine life. You can see seals...there's lots of birds you can watch. It's really relaxing."

Shiwak said she's not yet sure what the town will do if they beat Atlantic City, but that there will certainly be festivities.

The project, which will use wood shipped from Lewisporte, will employ nine people.