A New Entrepreneur Provides Rentals On The Beach 

Kristin Neville is one of Bathurst’s newest entrepreneurs and owner of East Coast Adventure Company.

ECA Rentals & Canteen began operation on June 28th the start of Canada Day weekend, a day that Kristin says, “was busy and a great learning experience.”

ECA Rentals & Canteen offers kayaks, paddle boards, spikeball, volleyball, and, of course, the canteen. The priority is to get more people outside, because as Kristin says, “people that love the outdoors, will respect the outdoors.”

And her prices reflect her mission statement. “If the prices are high, I’m pricing people out of playing outside.”

The idea for this business venture came when Kristin was attending NBCC in Fredericton. She studied business management, where this was a project that she worked on throughout the course. In high school, she worked at Youghall Beach as a lifeguard. Many people would ask her if the beach had kayaks and paddleboards, which they didn’t. So, with her love of the outdoors, and her business management course, Kristin opened up ECA Rentals & Canteen.

The process of starting her business went smoothly, according to Kristin. She took it to a city council meeting in February. The meeting went well, and after a few weeks of waiting, they approved her request. 

Then she took additional courses leading up to the opening of the shop. She has her Outdoor Council of Canada Field Leader for Hiking and Paddling, her Paddle Canada Level 1, and attended the Outward Bound Canada Training Academy.

One of Kristin’s priorities with the rentals is kid’s equipment. “It is especially important for kids to get outside. I had a young boy the other day whose aunt came up to me afterwards and said that it was the most fun he’d ever had outside.”

Last year, Kristin was teaching newcomers to Canada about camping and being outside through Parks NB. She said it was an amazing experience to see the kids realize the importance of caring for the environment, and quickly they would hold their parents accountable by saying things like “don’t litter!”



Those little things about learning to respect nature are really awesome.”

You can find Kristin at the beach from 1-6 daily, and she posts daily updates on the ECA Rentals and Canteen Facebook page.

Kristin is a great example of what’s so special about the Bathurst region. A young entrepreneur who left to get an education and returned to start a business. One which promotes the importance of the outdoors and respecting nature.



We hope you enjoyed this edition of The Northern Heat Report, the place you come to listen to the stories that have not yet been discovered.