St. Barbe is an important transportation site for the Great Northern Peninsula and the province of Newfoundland Labrador. The community is the site for the Strait of Belle Isle Ferry. The MV Apollo crosses daily from St. Barbe to Blanc Sablon, Quebec and the Labrador part of the province. With the completion of the Trans Labrador Highway in November 2009 the importance of the transportation connect to mainland Canada though St. Barbe has grown. Future growth in traffic will bring new business not only to St. Barbe but to the peninsula. The community has a business sector that serves visitors travelling on the Labrador Ferry and this will increase as traffic grows.

St. Barbe is also home to the region's arena and host a variety of events such as broomball, skating, and hockey. In addition, St. Barbe is proud to host the annual Straits Festival each summer.

Community and business services for St. Barbe residents include a K-12 school, Viking Trail Academy (located 25 kms south in Plum Point. Health care is provided in Port Saunders at the Rufus Guinchard Health Centre, 130 kms south or Straits of Belle Isle Clinic Flowers Cove Clinic 20 kms north. Local fire service is based in Pigeon Cove. The community also has a RV Service Centre for travelers. Additional community, recreational and business services are found in the communities in the Plum Point area and south (130 kms) in Hawkes Bay, Port au Choix & Port Saunders.

In addition to the transportation connection to Labrador the coastline and the Long Range Mountain offer incredible scenery to visiting tourists.