Cory Thomas, City Councillor for Ward 8-Wilmot

Community Garden Project

2012-02-01T10:54:00.000-08:00

I was approached by a local resident named Rosalyn Abbott about the idea of developing a community garden for the Eastern end of the City. I think this is a tremendous idea and I am currently lobbying for this to happen. Hopefully we will see this developed this Spring. People who grow their own food have access to a variety fresh produce which supports nutritional health, decreases susceptibility to illnesses and overall reduces the burden on the health care system. Gardening involves physical activity so it helps individuals improve their physical fitness. This project could also bring neighbours together. Community gardens are a valuable social venue where neighbours can get to know one another, and build a sense of community and belonging. This project could also be a means of improving the Lefurgey Park if this were the location (Rosalyn and I both propose this location).

2012 Budget Priorities

2012-01-03T17:16:00.000-08:00

In the next few weeks, I will post my budget priorities for 2012. Some of those will be the usual requests I have been making since 2007 such as ditch infilling, paving and playground equipment improvements. I also have some other projects I believe need to take place within the City. I will list those on my blog in the next few weeks.

Policing riskier without long-gun registry

2011-10-26T17:32:00.000-07:00

As former Chair of Police Services, I agree with the Chief here. Not everyone will register, but if this registry helps our police in any way possible (which many tell me it does), then it should remain.

Policing riskier without long-gun registry: chief
CBC News
Posted: Oct 26, 2011 8:44 PM AT
Last Updated: Oct 26, 2011 8:24 PM AT
Related Links
New long-gun registry bill would destroy records
At least one P.E.I. police force says the loss of the controversial national long-gun registry will make the job of policing that much riskier.
The national long-gun registry will likely be scratched. CBC
The bill to scrap the long-gun registry was up for second reading Wednesday in the House of Commons. A similar bill last year was defeated by just two votes. But with a Conservative majority now in Ottawa, it seems clear the days of the registry are numbered.
Summerside Police Chief Dave Poirier said the day the long-gun registry is dumped, the job of policing becomes more dangerous.
Police chiefs across Canada, like Poirier, have always said the registry is a useful tool that helps officers prepare for potentially dangerous situations. Departments access it 17,000 times a day.
"When we get a 911 hang-up call, a domestic [complaint], or an assault, you know, to a residence in Summerside, our dispatchers immediately punch the information into the system," said Poirier.
And it's not just the registry that could go. The current bill before the House would also see all the data that's been collected over the years destroyed, something that concerns gun-control advocates like Jane Ledwell of the P.E.I. Advisory Council on the Status of Women.
"The next time there's a violent incident involving a gun, the victim's families are going to be starting from scratch to look for positive steps from preventing this from happening to other families," said Ledwell.
Conservatives have long decried the gun registry as a waste of taxpayer's money, something that targets law-abiding farmers and hunters, rather than criminals.
On Wednesday, Statistics Canada reported homicides in Canada in 2010 were at their lowest level since the 1960s. Since the long gun registry was introduced, homicides involving long guns have dropped by more than 50 per cent.

Animal Rights

2011-09-21T17:48:00.000-07:00

In this year's budget process (2011), I lobbied council to support a grant of 1500 to provide to Spay PEI. This money I knew would be used to provide low income families a chance to spay their cats or dogs. In the back of my mind, I wanted to do something for my little 12 year old dog Nicki who during this time was diagnosed with liver cancer. I knew she was going to die as we had her to the Atlantic Veterinary College at UPEI. They told me it was a rare form of cancer that had spread throughout her liver and there was nothing they could do. I would have remortgaged my house to save her but there was nothing they could do. Knowing we did not have much time left with her, I wanted to get something in the budget that I would know in my heart that was going to be for animals and I could do in memory of my best friend and beloved pet Nicki. I got my way and when I think of this grant and the good cause, I think of my little Nicki. She passed on March 19th 2011. The budget passed the end of March.
Now another issue that has been a bone of contention with me for many years has been the abuse of animals, in particular, the way animals are treated in circuses. When I was working in the United States in 1999 one summer at a sports camp in Pittsfield MA, we took some kids from the camp to the local circus. As we pulled up to the circus, I noticed a group of protestors pointing out that animals had to endure abuse to perform for us. This is when I started to become informed.
Ridicule - Fast forward to my first term on City Council
As the former Chair of Police Services, animal control fell under my committee. I tried to feel out other councillors how they felt about putting rules into place for circuses. I got nowhere. Management did not support either.
Erin Moore (on CBC TV) and Brendan Elliot (CBC Radio and who I might add is actually one of the few reporters on PEI informed on this topic) did stories with me on the circus on CBC and my views. Both stories were well balanced and I appreciate their reporting on this issue. I actually felt the Journal did a balanced story as well by former reporter Jim Brown. Unfortunately the most ridiculous, under researched and quite frankly most embarrassing editorial I have ever read appeared in the Journal poking fun at me about my views on the circus. I am not sure who wrote it but as an adult educator I give it quite frankly a 2/10. It provided zero research, no fact checking and essentially ridiculed me for taking a progressive stance on animal rights. I guess some view the torture and abuse of animals for human entertainment as a good thing like the writer of the piss poor editorial that appeared in the Journal back in the day!
I was also laughed at by some councillors (not in a mean way they just did not see as an issue) for wanting to put strict rules in place for the greasy circuses that would visit our City each and every year.
Left Wing Loon? I always thought I was a Progressive Social Democrat or at the very least a Left Liberal?
One CBC reporter said to me one time, "Every reporter in PEI knows you are the voice of the political left of City Councils in PEI" I took it as a compliment and a challenge.
Maybe I do lobby for issues that have not been seen as "politically sexy" in PEI such as the homeless, the poor, animal rights and such but I like to think these are just as important as any other issues. As a 35 year old adult educator and experience at the grassroots level with youth and seniors, these issues need to be addressed and I will continue to lobby.
I intend to present a draft by-law pertaining to the entertainment of circus animals in our City to the Police Committee in the next coming months. This could also be a component of our current animal control by-law- not sure yet.I feel I may have some others on council now who may support this. I will do this in memory of my best friend Nicki. If I am ridiculed, so be it.
"For those who know, no explanation is necessary, for those who don't, no explanation is possible"

Bennie and the Jets

2011-09-16T17:18:00.001-07:00

Great last few days for Summerside and what a show! This puts Summerside on the map with promoters. I understand the promoters and management of Elton's were really impressed. Lots of off Island tickets sold and great boost to the PEI economy.

Elton John concert delivers
Elton John didn't disappoint the thousands of fans at Credit Union Place on Wednesday night.
Published on September 15, 2011

By Stephen Brun
No matter your age, it's nearly impossible be unaware of Elton John.
I'm more than familiar with several of his songs, mainly due to my parents being fans. My folks even caught one of Sir Elton's concerts themselves in the 1970s.
But even after so many years of listening to the singer's biggest hits like "Rocket Man," "Tiny Dancer" and "Benny and the Jets," nothing can quite prepare you for hearing the man himself performing those songs live.
I went into Wednesday night's sold-out show at Credit Union Place as something of a casual fan, but I left the arena as an Elton John believer.
Maybe it's because he's been doing this singing thing for so long that there's a certain mystique about this 64-year-old Brit.
After all, it took him this long to finally play P.E.I., the only Canadian province in which he hadn't preformed before Wednesday.
The goose bumps grew on my arms as the legendary performer walked modestly out to the stage, decked in a rather modest (for him) bedazzled jacket and sunglasses.
He sat down at his piano, the lone prop on the stage, and started into his opening song "The One." By the end of the tune, his masterful piano playing and booming vocals assured that my goose bumps weren't going anywhere.
The crowd of over 5,400 was a mixture of all ages, a testament to John's more than four decades of lasting popularity.
Looking at those around me that night, I'm guessing I wasn't the only one getting goose bumps.
It's hard to say how many times a rousing piano solo would shake your seat, or a single song would bring everyone in the arena to their feet.
The show ran smoothly, with John performing more than 25 songs over nearly three hours.
There didn't appear to be any abnormal traffic or parking tie-ups outside, and there were no line-ups for entry into the arena itself. Volunteers stood at the top of each bowl section, ready to help eager fans find their seats.
The result was an appreciative crowd, and the evening felt like an intimate concert between John and thousands of his closest friends.
Most of the big hits were there, including "Goodbye Yellow Brick Road," "Crocodile Rock" and "Candle in the Wind."
John would even build suspense with flourishing intros before playing the recognizable opening chords to one of his hits.
Just after 10:30 p.m., Sir Elton returned to the stage for an encore of "Circle of Life."
Before the final performance, the singer spent several minutes signing autographs for fans lined up along the front of the stage.
Many performers would simply hope to impress a crowd with their music. But this was different.
By the end of the night, it seemed like Elton John and 5,400 people in Summerside were old friends.

Stephen Brun is a Journal Pioneer reporter. He can be reached at sbrun@journalpioneer.com.

Rest in Peace Jack Layton

2011-08-24T19:54:00.000-07:00

This is a difficult post for me to write;

While not a member of the NDP, I can say this without any apprehension, Jack Layton was one of the reasons I became involved in public life and without a doubt, has been the Canadian politician I have respected the most since 2004 or so. While I respect many politicians from all political stripes such as John Crosby (former Conservative Cabinet Minister from Newfoundland), Ed Broadbent, Jean Chretien, and of course the greatest Canadian of all Tommy Douglas, I have found that Jack has impressed me the most (after Douglas of course). After he became leader of the federal New Democratic Party, the former President of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities and a former Toronto City Councillor, (while not holding a Federal seat) impressed me with his ability to garner media attention on issues related to social justice and the environment (both issues that matter to me a great deal). During his first federal election campaign, I watched a CBC report on his background and I was impressed. I was mostly impressed at his work as a City Councillor with the City of Toronto. The former political science professor, Layton fought for the environment, gay rights, funding for HIV/Aids, and the homeless (when it was not politically correct to do so). This report helped inspire me to run in the 2006 City Election. I always worked in recreation and with communities, and I have seen first-hand how poverty can hinder a child’s development and can negatively impact families. As an adult educator (similar professional background as Layton) I thought the municipal level would be a good opportunity to make some positive changes to assist families. I read two of Jack Layton’s books and took the lessons learned from that into my fight for a municipal seat. Upon election to City Hall, I fought for many left leaning issues that were not necessarily fought for in the past at City Hall. Many of my fellow councillors (in good fun) poked fun at me for my views on crime prevention, my fierce opposition to circuses and my pro animal rights opinions, and my views on recreation as a social service, not economic development tool (a battle I am still fighting). With that said, I would watch the nightly news and see Layton going against the grain and fighting for families so I kept trucking.
Side bar story – I have had 3 encounters with Mr. Layton, all three very positive. My first I was writing a paper for a course on labour education on how the Canadian Labour Congress joined with the CCF (Cooperative Commonwealth Federation) to form the NDP. I emailed the NDP with some questions on the background. I received a very detailed letter with links to research and history on the topic from Jack Layton. He even provided his perspective on the topic. Layton, being the former university professor, took the time to respond to a grad student and his direction for my paper helped me a great deal. I will never forget that and it meant so much to me.
My second encounter was at an initiative in Charlottetown about homelessness. I met him there and he signed 2 books for me that he wrote. We had a great discussion on proportional representation and poverty. He tried to get me to join the NDP as well. He was tremendous and I enjoyed talking with him for 20-30 minutes or so.
My third encounter with him was when I was elected to Summerside City Council. I was at the annual FCM (Federation of Canadian Municipalities) conference in Quebec City. After attending Layton’s speech, Basil Stewart (who is good friends with Layton) introduced me to Layton and Jack and I had a nice chat in which he said to me, “You know Cory, we could use a good young candidate like you in Egmont”. I was again impressed with his down to Earth approach and ability to connect with municipal politicians. Of all the Federal and Provincial politicians I have met since 2006, Layton understood more than any the challenges of municipalities in my opinion.

HomelessnessAs a grad student I took many courses in public policy and administration. One course called “Public Leadership”, I wrote my final paper which I called “Government Paradigm, Partnerships and Homelessness in Canada”, I used Jack Layton’s book he wrote on homelessness as a sort of inspiration on the topic. Here are a few quotes from his book I used in my 30 page final paper in this course:
“To complicate matters, Canadians are blessed (or cursed) with three levels of government: municipal, provincial, and federal. But which level has responsibility for housing? The answer to that question depends on whom you ask or how you phrase the question. However, in recent years, municipalities have been forced to deal with the issue, because the “higher” levels of government have, for the most part, washed their hands of the problem. And municipalities don’t have the money to create solutions.”
(Layton, 2000, p.130)
According to homelessness advocate, Federal NDP Leader and Member of Parliament Jack Layton; “The politics of homeless began with an attack on politics of denial. Denial had set it deeply. In response to deaths of homeless people, Ontario Premier Mike Harris offered this question: Isn’t it sad that these people just want to be homeless?” The subtext was clear: Homelessness is not political, it’s individual choice and completely immune from government policy. The public was implicitly urged not to look at the cutbacks to the funding of Ontario social programs like affordable housing construction.” (Layton, 2000)

Canadians lost a great fighter for social justice this week; truly an inspiration to all and in particular inspired me to get involved in community politics and activism, Jack Layton you will be missed.

Pro Basketball in Summerside

2011-08-12T10:04:00.000-07:00

Additional activity for Islanders to enjoy and a great rental for our Credit Union Place.

Family entertainment, community involvement focus of Island team

SUMMERSIDE - The idea of bringing professional basketball to P.E.I. is something businessmen Duncan Shaw and Darren MacKay have talked about and studied for a while.
The two Cornwall residents have now realized those dreams. They are the co-owners of the yet-to-be-named "Island" franchise in the fledgling National Basketball League of Canada. The team's home will be Credit Union Place.
"Darren and I are both Island guys, grew up here and it's fantastic to be bringing this new product into Summerside," said Shaw following a Summerside Chamber of Commerce business mixer at Empire Theatres on Thursday. "It's a very exciting thing to get to do.
"It's an opportunity to bring another form of entertainment, and it's going to do wonderful things for the community."
MacKay added the team will be very active performing community work, from one end of the province to the other.
"The team is very focused on that direction at the grassroots level," said MacKay. "We're looking forward to participating with a lot of different organizations to contribute to youth and charities."
Regular season
The seven-team league will begin regular-season play in early November.
"We just didn't want to put a team anywhere," said league president and CEO Andre Levingston, who owns the Halifax Rainmen. "We just didn't want any individual who is looking for a hobby to own a professional basketball team.
"We want the right individuals who are going to bring you the very best, because you deserve the very best. That is why we have these two gentlemen (Shaw and MacKay) here."
League co-founder Ian McCarthy, who is president and general manager of the Saint John Mill Rats, also attended the announcement.
Calibre of play
As for the calibre of play, Levingston said fans can expect to see an elite level.
"The majority of guys on our clubs are Division 1 (NCAA graduates), (former) NBA and professional guys," he added. "They are big, athletic, fast.
"I know a lot of people in the new markets don't know what to expect, but I can say you will be extremely pleased."
Shaw, who played basketball at Charlottetown Rural, UPEI and coached in different development divisions, added: "It's a very unique product we're bringing in. It's great athleticism. . . To see a six-foot-eight guy who can almost fly is amazing to watch."
"The majority of guys on our clubs are Division 1 (NCAA graduates), (former) NBA and professional guys. They are big, athletic, fast. I know a lot of people in the new markets don't know what to expect, but I can say you will be extremely pleased." - League president, CEO and Halifax Rainmen owner Andre Levingston
Affordable tickets
While details on tickets will be released soon, Shaw did stress fans can expect affordable prices.
"It's going to offer a good compliment to hockey, which is obviously P.E.I.'s love," said MacKay.
Fans can expect to experience a complete entertainment package, offered Shaw.
"We don't want a parent hearing the dreaded phrase, 'Mom, I'm bored,'" continued Shaw. "I always like to tell people that I took my son, who was six (at the time), to see the (NBA's Toronto) Raptors play the Phoenix Suns and Steve Nash, the greatest Canadian basketball player we've produced.
"I thought this would be one of the great experiences of his life, and he was more excited to watch the Raptor drive around the court and shoot T-shirts into the crowd.
"The point is it was phenomenal family entertainment for everybody - my six-year-old, the teenager we brought with us and my wife. . ."
jpsports@journalpioneer.com

Council size could be reviewed in 2014

2011-08-04T09:45:00.000-07:00

I would only support this move if it was recommended by an independent commission, such as how the electoral boundaries are determined. I believe any decisions on council honorariums, electoral boundaries, size of the council, etc should always be determined at arm’s length to leave the politics out of it. With that said, I also support the ward system of council, not council elected at large. For example, I live in Wilmot and the issues are different than downtown. What if 7 of 8 councillors are elected from downtown. Would dollars be allocated for ditch infilling? Going off topic a bit I know.

Council size could be reviewed in 2014

Journal Pioneer
Published on August 3, 2011
Published on August 3, 2011
Mike Carson
SUMMERSIDE – Is the city of Summerside over governed?
The recent trend in the Maritimes seems to be leaning towards smaller municipal councils.
The Nova Scotia Utility and Review Board recently issued a decision for two councils to shrink. The Halifax Regional Municipality's council is to be reduced from 23 to 16 members. Cape Breton Regional Municipal council could see a reduction of its elected officials from 16 to 12.
Charlottetown Mayor Clifford Lee said this week the possibility of trimming the capital city's council is a question that should be asked.
As the numbers now stand, a Charlottetown city councillor represents about 3,200 constituents while in Summerside it's half that, about 1,555 per councillor.
A review of council's size would happen via the electoral boundaries commission.
Under Summerside's Election Bylaw, the commission must be established every four years. This means the electoral commission will come into effect in 2014.
It's a three-member commission comprised of a judge or a retired judge of the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island, a former city councillor or mayor and a person who has never been elected as a councillor of mayor.
Summerside Mayor Basil Stewart said the topic of reducing the council size here has not been discussed by this city council.
"I know that every few years we have to look at the size of the wards to make sure that their populations are within so many per cent," he said.
Stewart said in essence the city has reduced the number of councillors representing the amalgamated area of Summerside by eliminating several council seats that were once held the communities of Wilmot St. Eleanors.
"When amalgamation took place here in 1995 there were six (councillors) in Wilmot, six in St. Eleanors and six in Summerside," he said. "So when they formed the new city, I think at that time they went from 18 (councillors) to eight, if you look at it that way."
Stewart said the issue has yet to make it to the council floor, but it could come if it's something council wants to discuss.
"It's an interesting subject, no doubt about that," the mayor said.
The electoral boundaries commission does come into play in 2014 and part of its mandate in reviewing wards and procedures is to hold public hearings for public input.
There is no provision as to the number of councillors that may represent the city.
The mayor sees Summerside as being on a par with other municipalities of similar size in the Maritimes.
"Off the top of my head, I think we're in the norm," Stewart said. "If you look at New Glasgow and Bathurst, I think Bathurst has eight (councillors). With municipalities of our size I think we're in the norm. It would make for some interesting discussions. I haven't heard any councillors discussing anything like whether we have too few or too many or those kinds of things."
The entire budget for mayor and council for 2011 is projected to be about $309,000, with the mayor and council honorarium at $183,933; conferences and memberships at $95,400; and administrative at $30,000.

Other Projects

2011-07-20T11:49:00.000-07:00

Summerside $13M infrastructure upgrades done
CBC News
Posted: Jul 20, 2011 12:58 PM AT
Last Updated: Jul 20, 2011 12:58 PM AT

The minister for the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency was on P.E.I. Wednesday to announce the completion of several Summerside projects funded by the agency.

Bernard Valcour announced $13 million from the Building Canada Fund — Communities Component, the Infrastructure Stimulus Fund, and Build PEI to improve infrastructure projects in the city.

The federal, provincial and municipal governments each gave $4.3 million to reconstruct the Marina seawall, complete the construction of the west end walkway portion of the Baywalk Trail System and upgrade trails at the Heather Moyse Heritage Park.

The seawall will prevent flooding and will protect the coastline from storm damage. About $500,000 was also contributed by the Summerside Regional Development Corporation.

Other improvements included fixing city streets, extension of sewer and water services, construction of sidewalks along major roadways and in school areas, the installation of underground piping for storm water control, and the installation of street furnishings, lighting and signage.

"We are pleased to partner with our provincial and municipal counterparts on projects that benefit the residents of Summerside," Valcour said in a release.

"These projects have improved trails and walkways, road infrastructure, parks, water and sewage services, and enhanced protection to their shorelines. They support the development of key business sectors like tourism and enhance the quality of life for all Islanders."

Also on hand at Wednesday's announcement were Minister of National Revenue Gail Shea, provincial Minister of Community Services Janice Sherry, ACOA Minister, Bernard Valcourt, Ron Barrett, President of the Summerside Regional Development Corporation, Summerside Mayor Basil Stewart, and Minister of Transportation and Infrastructure Renewal Ron MacKinley.

Jobs

2011-07-20T11:46:00.000-07:00

Good news announcement today for Summerside. Great to see incentives being offered to attract jobs to the City and the region.

More jobs, more money in Tube-Fab
CBC News
Posted: Jul 20, 2011 2:38 PM AT
Last Updated: Jul 20, 2011 2:38 PM AT
The P.E.I. government announced Wednesday there will be more jobs than expected in the consolidation of the aerospace company Tube-Fab, and also more provincial dollars.
Last November the province announced Tube-Fab would move its head office from Toronto and various U.S. sister companies to Summerside. A Cornwall, P.E.I. operation would be part of the consolidation. It said there would be 80 jobs in the new facility, as compared to 20 currently in Cornwall.
As the company held a job fair in Summerside Wednesday, the province said 100 people would be employed at the plant. It also announced the Summerside Regional Development Corporation would invest $1.4 million. Innovation P.E.I's contribution went up from $1.2 million to $1.4 million.
The ACOA contribution remains the same, at $227,500.
Tube-Fab provides machining and welding services, and specializes in tube-bending, shaping, and fabricating tubular and machine components for the aerospace, energy and medical products sectors.

Good News for Health Care in Summerside

2011-07-19T09:55:00.000-07:00

Great announcement and long needed in Prince County. Also construction of the new manor will be a nice addition to our area.

Construction of the new dialysis unit at Prince County Hosptial is underway.
Published on July 14, 2011
From the Journal Pioneer

SUMMERSIDE – Construction has begun on the new Prince County Hospital Dialysis Unit for the Islanders dealing with renal disease in the province’s western region.
Health and Wellness Minister Carolyn Bertram, said, “Many Islanders require dialysis services, and this new facility will provide modern and expanded coverage for those in need,” said Bertram.
“Over the past two years our government has committed over half a million dollars to allow more Islanders to receive dialysis treatment in our province. Funding has been dedicated to increase staffing and new treatment spaces.”
The new $2.7-million expansion to the Prince County Hospital will have the capacity to accommodate nine patients, including two private treatment rooms. In addition, the Province has committed to a new dialysis facility at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, which is already underway as part of the new Ambulatory Care Centre.
It is anticipated both facilities will be completed in 2012 and will increase dialysis capacity by over 125 per cent.
Hemodialysis is a life-sustaining treatment required by individuals whose kidneys can no longer function as a result of kidney disease.
Hemodialysis requires the use of a machine and direct access to the blood system. Treatments are usually performed three times per week, for four to six hours per treatment, by specially trained staff.
There are currently four dialysis sites in the province, located at in Alberton, Summerside, Charlottetown and Souris.

Business Attraction

2011-06-03T19:57:00.000-07:00

Remember Han Solo in the Empire Strikes Back when he says to Princess Lea, "Who's Scruffy Looking?"

In my humble opinion, this new council needs to sit down and discuss our business strategic priorities we want staff to work on. I love sports and recreation and business development, in particular in this region. Do we get our fair share, I don't think so however we need to spend our efforts on attracting more college and university business, aerospace and manufacturing jobs. What's the plan? We will be updating our strategic plan this year.

Building Codes

2011-06-01T05:53:00.001-07:00

Interesting perspective

Building codes must account for aging: alliance
CBC News
Posted: Jun 1, 2011 7:53 AM AT
Last Updated: Jun 1, 2011 7:53 AM AT
Atlantic Canadians need to stop living in "never, never land" when it comes to building homes, and building codes should reflect that, says the Atlantic Seniors Housing Research Alliance.
The group is lobbying for building code changes that could allow aging Canadians to stay in their homes longer. It has just completed a six-year study on what it would take for seniors to remain in their homes.
"We build homes, and we always have built homes as if we were Peter Pan, and we lived in Never, Never Land. We're never going to get sick and we're never going to get old," Don Shiner, principal investigator for the alliance, told CBC News Tuesday.
"As a result of that, our homes are not accessible."
Many Canadians building new homes don't think about whether their house will be practical when they get older, said Shiner. Things like larger elevator shafts or wider doors can make a huge difference.
Shiner is making a presentation to all the provincial housing ministers next week in Hamilton.

Maineiac

2011-06-01T05:41:00.000-07:00

There now the people who keep calling saying their sources tell them it is a done deal to bring here, etc, etc, etc, stop calling me as I said before to these people I think your sources are sitting around Tim’s dreaming.

Maineiacs fold, Sherbrooke gets team

Lewiston Maineiacs
Published on June 1, 2011
Published on June 1, 2011

Topics :
Quebec Major Junior Hockey League , League Members , Palais des Sports Léopold-Drolet , Sherbrooke , Lewiston
This press release was issued late last night from the QMJHL:

BOUCHERVILLE – The Commissioner of the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League, Gilles Courteau, announced that the Lewiston MAINEiacs franchise will be bought out by the League.
The decision was rendered this afternoon following a vote from League Members. The financial terms were not disclosed.
“Following a vote from League Members, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League is purchasing the Lewiston MAINEiacs franchise,” said the Commissioner. “Therefore, the franchise will be dissolved and the players submitted to a special draft. Details surrounding a special dispersal draft will be unveiled as soon as they become available.”
The Commissioner added: “I am disappointed for the fans in Lewiston. The MAINEiacs enjoyed some very good moments, including a President Cup championship in 2007. I know that Mark Just and his ownership group did all that they could to save the franchise, but the situation was no longer viable.”
“I am truly sad for MAINEiacs fans,” added majority owner Mark Just. “For those that supported the team over the past few years, I would like to thank you. Nonetheless, mounting financial losses became too much to bear for our ownership group.”
The Commissioner also announced that following the 2011-12 season an expansion team will be awarded to a group of investors which is led by former QMJHL and NHL All-Star Jocelyn Thibault. The team will begin play in the 2012-13 season and will play its games at the Palais des Sports Léopold-Drolet in the city of Sherbrooke.
“The QMJHL is very excited to welcome Sherbrooke back into its fold,” said the Commissioner. “With strong local ownership, I am convinced that major junior hockey will once again flourish in Sherbrooke.
In the next few days, the Quebec Major Junior Hockey League will work toward completing a seventeen team 2011-12 regular season schedule.

Caps Need New Coach

2011-05-17T17:23:00.000-07:00

Good luck to Gordie Dwyer in his new role. I would like to see the Viper's Wade Waddell get a well deserved shot to coach the Caps.

Lots of interest in Caps' head coaching position

SUMMERSIDE - Gordie Dwyer wasn't even officially announced as head coach of the P.E.I. Rocket, and interested individuals were expressing interest in the Summerside Western Capitals' head coaching position.

"Obviously, word has been out for a couple of days about Gordie taking the Rocket position," said Capitals director of hockey and business operations Pat McIver. "Honestly, we've had eight or nine quality names come forward wanting to coach the team. That's a positive."
And with the QMJHL finally addressing the Lewiston Maineiacs' rumoured move to Summerside last weekend, it appears the Capitals will indeed be back for their 31st season in the Prince County city.
No. 1 priority
"Obviously, the first thing on our agenda is to get our contract done with the city," said McIver, who confirmed talks have already started. "We're hoping to have that done sooner rather than later. Then we'll turn our attention towards hiring a coach."
McIver would prefer to have a coach in place before the MHL's annual draft in Dieppe, N.B., on June 18, but he added it's not a necessity.
"Obviously, word has been out for a couple of days about Gordie taking the Rocket position. Honestly, we've had eight or nine quality names come forward wanting to coach the team. That's a positive." - Capitals director of hockey and business operations Pat McIver
"We did a lot of homework over the winter, and we have a plan in place going into the draft," said McIver. "We've had some quality people put their names forward expressing an interest in the job, which is great.
"We'll definitely have some good names to go through, and will have a tough decision for sure."
Two seasons
In two seasons with the Capitals, who won this year's playoff championship, Dwyer compiled a regular-season record of 63-32-2-5 (won-lost-overtime losses-shootout losses). Dwyer's post-season record was 17-10.
jpsports@journalpioneer.com

Tourism

2011-05-17T07:51:00.001-07:00

We cannot keep working as splintered groups running to the provincial government looking for dollars. The City needs to do a better job, as does the groups such as Downtown Summerside, The Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Summerside, of working together to develop a comprehensive tourism strategy. What is Summerside Area’s position in regards to Tourism? What is the desired position? The path to reach this desired position is set out with the development of a tourism strategy. A sound strategy can only be developed with the aid of proper research. It must have involvement of all major stakeholders, and the definition of clear goals. The ultimate strategy leads to an improved business model and sustainable destination development.

Summerside needs 'common vision' for tourism
CBC News
Posted: May 17, 2011 7:42 AM AT
Last Updated: May 17, 2011 7:42 AM AT
Organizations with an interest in attracting tourist to Summerside, P.E.I. need to find better ways of working together, says Coun. Cory Thomas.
'Who is promoting Summerside as a tourism destination? I couldn't tell you.'— Coun. Cory Thomas
Thomas says there are about half a dozen different organizations that focus on bringing in tourists — the city community services department, culture and heritage, Tourism Summerside, downtown business association, the chamber of commerce, Summerside Regional Development Corporation, the College of Piping, Harbourfront Theatre — but all those efforts are diffused because they are not working together effectively.
"Who is promoting Summerside as a tourism destination? I couldn't tell you and I've been on council for five years," Thomas told CBC News Monday.
Thomas wants city hall to take the lead in bringing these groups together. He raised the idea of cooperation at Monday night's monthly public meeting of city council.
He is not promoting the idea of a merger, but said working together could be helpful in many ways, including when going to the province for money.
"I'm sure this would be music to the provincial government's ears to hear that all the groups are going to work together in Summerside and come up with a detailed tourism strategy where we're going to work together with a common vision," he said.
Old rivalries have likely prevented the groups from working together in the past, he said, but it's time to bury those grudges. People need to look at the big picture and realize they all have a common goal of bringing more tourists to Summerside.

Official Plan Review

2011-05-12T11:06:00.000-07:00

The Technical Services and Planning Board Committee will be conducting a comprehensive review of our Official Plan. Some of the areas in the plan that will need to be considered include:
•Sustainability (more mixed zoning)
•Climate change (plan for reuse of existing building stock, green roofs,
•Create standards designed to encourage workability and complete streets
•Senior housing development
•Economic development strategy results
•Land use- Zoning controls, development controls, area plans (Downtown)
•Sector analysis- Residential, commercial, agricultural, industrial, institutional
All citizens and developers will have an opportunity for input. Much needed exercise and looking forward to getting this rolling in the very near future.
City Hall to review official plan

Summerside City Hall
Published on May 11, 2011
Published on May 10, 2011
Mike Carson

SUMMERSIDE - The City must undertake a review of its official plan this year and a committee is being struck to help outline the direction the city will follow for the next five years
Legislation requires the plan be reviewed every five years.
"The city, under the Municipalities Act, has to review the Official Plan and what I'm proposing is a working group that will work with the council and the staff to review our Official Plan for zoning bylaws, development bylaws," said technical services committee chairman Councillor Cory Thomas. "I'm looking at a committee comprised of developers, people from the business community, one citizen at large, planning staff, the technical services committee members. We would be reviewing and having discussions reviewing what other municipalities are doing - how we can make our city more open to development. We will also be consulting with the general public through surveys that will be sent out and surveys that will be sent out to businesses and developers as well."
Thomas said there is a consultation process that the city is required to follow which is a series of public meetings if any changes in the official plan are to be made.
Thomas said the specific topics of the survey have not been developed, but he did say it could address issues like mixed zoning, green space and the development of the downtown.
The city has a series of other reviews going on or being planned that will complement the official plan review. One of those would be a traffic management plan, a topic that Thomas has raised in the past. Another is the economic development review along with a study of the community services department.
"I'm hoping traffic management would be involved looking at the reviewing of the engineering of our streets and how those can be improved," he said. "We'd be looking at Pope Road Extension, which is a nightmare (in its present form) and there's other streets as well. The economic development study would complement the group when we get that strategy back as to where are we going with economic development which might suggest mixed zoning, the downtown and those areas. The master plan for community services is very relevant - where are we going with parks, green space, and recreational facilities. All those studies will intertwine and complement this."
Thomas said this new committee would consist of a maximum of 10 members and he would like to get it up and running within the next two to three weeks.

Vipers

2011-04-28T19:09:00.001-07:00

Go Vipers. Special place in my heart for the Vipers as I played for this team in their inaugural season back in the day except they were in Borden and they were called the Borden Junior Ramparts. I wore number 32 like Steve "Stumper" Thomas.
Wade Waddell is a great coach and a former Western Cap. Could score but throw the biscuits as well. Big Habs fan to boot. I still tell the boys at pick up hockey when Wade was one of my coaches he gave me the ultimate compliment in Wellington one night during the second intermission. He said along the lines of, " What the Hell is the matter with you fellas out there? The only guy working out there is Cory Thomas- hitting, blocking shots- he looks like Brian Skrudland going out there" . I think we ended up winning the game after that. Ultimate compliment as Skrudland was one of my favourite Habs.

Vipers clinch semi-final berth

Jason Simmonds/Journal Pioneer

MONTAGUE - The Kensington Moase Plumbing and Heating Vipers have secured a semifinal berth in the 2011 Don Johnson Cup.
The Vipers, who received strong contributions from their special teams, defeated the Tri-County River Cats from New Brunswick 4-1 on Thursday afternoon to improve to 2-1 (won-lost) in the five-team Atlantic junior B hockey championship tournament. The Vipers will close out the round robin against Nova Scotia's Bay Ducks (2-0) at noon today.
The top four teams advance to Saturday’s semifinals, with the final Sunday at 2 p.m.
"Our goal at the start of the week was to get to the weekend, and I think we have that," said Vipers head coach Wade Waddell.

Two points
At the Cavendish Farms Montague Wellness Centre, Jeremy Jollimore had a goal and an assist while Allan Clow earned a pair of helpers to lead Kensington's offence. Nick Reilly, Mitch Gallant and Thomas McSweeney also scored while other assists went to Mike Ramsay, John Ryan Francis, Colin Webster and Kendall Costello.
Andrew Robichaud was the only River Cat to beat Vipers goaltender Robin Stewart, who finished with 31 saves and made a point-blank save with 7:45 remaining in the third period to preserve a 2-1 lead.
Mike MacLean made 30 stops for Tri-County, and both goaltenders were named their team's player of the game.

Special teams
The Vipers scored twice with the man advantage and killed off seven of eight Tri-County power plays, including four straight at one point. One key special teams player for the Vipers was forward Alex Noonan, noted Waddell.
"I was really impressed with Alex Noonan's game," said Waddell. "He killed pretty much all the penalties defensively, we gave him an assignment to do, and he carried it out to a T. I was very proud of Alex's play."
"Our goal at the start of the week was to get to the weekend, and I think we have that." - Vipers head coach Wade Waddell

Tight game
Reilly's power-play goal at 6:06 of the first period opened the scoring, and the Vipers maintained that 1-0 lead until early in the final frame. Jollimore scored at 2:19 to give the Vipers a 2-0 lead.
"Mike Ramsay was behind the net, and I was wide open on my wing," said Jollimore, explaining how the goal developed. "He (Ramsay) passed it to me, Mitch Gallant was with their winger and it left me with the centre of the ice wide open.
"I just skated down and when I got in over their blue-line, their D wasn't really pressuring me so I just wound up with a slapshot and I think it went off the post and off the goalie and in."
A power-play tally by Robichaud brought the River Cats to within one, and looked to set the stage for a nail-biting finish. But a great effort by Gallant, who carried the puck down the left wing, cut to the goal and banged in his own rebound at 15:20, gave the Vipers a little breathing room.
McSweeney then closed out the scoring with the man advantage at 19:08.
Referee Jeff Affleck called nine minors against the Vipers. The River Cats received five minors and one checking-to-the-head 10-minute misconduct.

Suzie Q

2011-04-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

Q Team
Everywhere I go, people are asking me my opinion on the possibility of a Q Team in Summerside and where I stand on the issue. My family went out for supper tonight and I was asked by a patron and the bartender so now that the Capitals are done for the season I will state how I feel on the City's pursuit of a Q Team.

I am not opposed to private sector development and business attraction; I actually feel quite the opposite. I feel we do not do enough to attract private sector development in Summerside. I think City Council and administration should pursue private sector opportunities for Summerside all the time. We do not have enough well paying jobs in Summerside and we need to do everything we can to attract and keep young families in Summerside (that is why I am on council). With that said, opportunities to me involve the pursuit of higher education programs and adult education for the region, well paying jobs in aerospace and manufacturing, tourism development and government expansion such as the lobby that I was involved with in my first term to move a government department to Summerside (thank you Premier Ghiz and Summerside area MLAs).

With that said, is a Q team a real opportunity for the City? Only if the following variables are in place:

1. No tax payer subsidization- if we subsidize a Q team, we should subsidize all private businesses. No gate guarantees. We do not guarantee Empire Theaters they will sell so many tickets to the movies or guarantee Wendys they will sell so many hamburgers. I will not support the City subsidizing a hockey team with gate guarantees or any subsidies (same goes for the Caps).

2. I would not support a Q team having exclusivity to the main arena or the facility. It is sad enough to see some of our minor sports in Bedeque and I would not want to see more of this. This facility was built by the taxpayers for the taxpayers. My first battle at council and I fought like heck for this was to have a free walking track at the CUP for residents and I do not want to compromise that or see our minor sports shoved out the door.

3. The other variable for me would be to ensure we do not see the demise of our Junior A Team, the Western Capitals. I assure you I am not biased towards the Caps as I do not have a lot of time to attend their games (only went to 3 this year) however, they draw well and provide a place for Islanders to play (I could only make the feeder league Junior B back in the day, their minor leagues as such so maybe I am still bitter) and they have 30 years of tradition in which as a community I am not willing to throw under the bus.

If these three variables are in place and can be assured well I could be convinced -I am all for private business. Then again, I was born, but it wasn't last night! I also do not believe in the Mothman, Bigfoot, Killer Clowns from Outer Space or Alien Abductions either. Highly unlikely a team would be willing to come here without some sort of subsidization and I am opposed to that.

Lock Your Doors and Hope They Don't Have Blasters "Han Solo from Star Wars"

2011-04-06T16:58:00.000-07:00

Major problem I hear about quite frequently. Good story by a balanced and fair reporter Mr. Carson.

Police urge public to help stop thefts from vehicles

Mike Carson/Journal Pioneer
Summerside police are advising motorists to help them curb the rising number of theft from vehicles occurring throughout the city. Cst. Brett Murphy checks out a van that could be targeted by thieves. A quick look through the side window tells the...
Published on April 6, 2011
Published on April 6, 2011
Mike Carson

Topics :
SUMMERSIDE
SUMMERSIDE – Theft from vehicles may be classified as a petty crime by the justice system, but for Summerside police it is a time consuming and costly exercise that could be curtailed if the public followed a few safety guidelines.
Sgt. Sinclair Walker, head of the city police services’ Major Crime Unit, said the department spends large amounts of tax dollars and manpower hours chasing down these thieves. With the cooperation of the public many of these thefts could be avoided.
These thieves easily gain access to a vehicle either because it is unlocked or by breaking out a window. And while many people do place valuables in their trunk, once a thief is in the vehicle they can usually access the trunk via a trunk release button located on the dashboard or in the glove compartment.
“Theft from vehicles is considered petty crime,” he said. “It is petty crime and it isn’t because this is costing a lot of time and a lot of energy for the police department and the public is suffering. They’re losing windows out of their vehicle. They’re losing valuables, like GPS systems, lap tops, pretty well anything that they can sell.”
Drugs are the motivating causes in these thefts.
“We know that the individuals involved are drug addicts and they’re just trying to get a fix,” Walker said. “About three years ago it really became a problem. What we found from time to time was we had certain individuals involved. We end up catching them, charge them and then it would stop for a while. But I found within the last year or so, we had a real run of them.”
Walker said members of the public needs to take on some responsibility in protecting themselves from these thefts.
“Yesterday, we went to some of the parking lots in Summerside and we checked roughly 200 vehicles and we found about 70 of those vehicles were what we consider vulnerable, which means there were items in those vehicles, in plain view that a would-be thief would want,” Walker said. “One of the biggest problems we see is people leaving change in the centre console, ladies leaving their purses in vehicles. GPS (units) are big things. We lost a lot of GPS (units) in the city.”
Walker said people may remove the GPS from view but leave the bracket, tipping off the would-be thief that there is a device in the vehicle.
“In some cases, they’re smashing in the windows and it’s just the window that get damaged,” Walker said. “If they use a rock or something like that it damages the interior, the seats and centre consoles and all of those interior parts on vehicles are very expensive.”
Walker said many of these thieves hang out in parking lots looking for a victim. Sometimes thieves look for drivers putting items in the trunk. When the person leaves, the vehicle is robbed.
Walker advised people to put items in trunks right after they purchase them and do not transfer things in full view of anyone. Before leaving home, Walker said valuables should either be removed from the vehicle or placed in the trunk.

Writing skills= 10/10, References= 2/10

2011-04-06T14:59:00.001-07:00

I encourage the writers of such pieces to become informed on the issues before writing about them. Before commenting on a topic, first step I teach in developing a paper as an adult educator is to become informed on the topic. Read the article or report you are going to write about would be the first step. I also like references. For example, I did an interview last year with a reporter from a national news organization on our crime prevention safety audit. It was evident to me and the reporter admitted after the interview, they did not even read the report. So you are commenting and grilling me, and questioning the merit of a report you did not even read? The writer of this editorial should read the by-law first, then ask to read the report by Carew, then provide commentary based on what they read. Being able to reference your material is important as well. The by-law is available on the City web-site. Just my thoughts on what would be logical. Then again, I have also read editorials on city issues in the past that seemed like they were written by someone just shooting their mouth off down at one of the coffee shops without becoming informed on what they were talking about.

Thanks, but no thanks
Published on April 6, 2011
Published on April 6, 2011
Staff ~ The Guardian
Topics :
Summerside
An independent report recommending significant hikes in the honorariums for the mayor and council of Summerside may be well-founded. But no matter how justified, they're still whopping increases, and it would hard to fault residents of the town if they're amazed at the hikes.
A consultant's report has recommended that the honorarium for mayor increase to $38,192 this year, up from $22,968 in 2010; for the deputy mayor, to $19,892 from $14,393; and for councillors, to $17,505, from $11,818.
The honorariums themselves are hardly extravagant, given the time municipal officials devote to council and committee meetings, not to mention the many other events and meetings that require their presence. It's the increases that are jarring, since it would be a fair bet that many citizens would never expect to see such a sudden jump in their own income.
Can council simply refuse the raises, since they've been recommended by an independent consultant? If council gets the message from residents that they disapprove of the hikes, it would be wise to find a way to say thanks, but no thanks.
This editorial first appeared in The Guardian on April 6.

Disturbing Story

2011-04-06T09:53:00.001-07:00

Heard this story on the National last night and could not believe what I was hearing. I was also in shock that something like this would happen in Canada! How could anyone allow dogs be used for people’s entertainment then when the event is over, have 100 good dogs euthanized? I was absolutely sickened this could happen. What else can one say after reading this?

Sled dog slaughter leads to tougher B.C. laws
CBC News
Posted: Apr 5, 2011 7:43 AM PT
Last Updated: Apr 5, 2011 7:19 PM PT
B.C. will bring in tough new animal cruelty laws — including $75,000 fines and two-year jail terms — following the alleged slaughter of 100 dogs by a Whistler company last spring, Premier Christy Clark announced Tuesday morning.
Clark made the announcement based on the recommendations of a special task force set up to investigate the recreational industry after news broke that the dogs were slaughtered by an employee at a Whistler tour company after the Olympics.
B.C.'s existing laws limit fines for animal cruelty to $10,000 and six months in jail.
Recommendations adopted
Premier Christy Clark said British Columbia is adopting all of the Sled Dog Task Force's recommendations. Among other things, the task force urged the province to:
• Create a new regulatory authority that would define new mandatory standards of animal care.
• Recommend the federal government strengthen criminal laws governing animal cruelty.
• Require veterinarians to report animal abuse to the B.C. SPCA.
• Establish standards of care for the feeding, housing and euthanization of sled dogs.
• Enhance the capacity of the B.C. SPCA to conduct animal cruelty investigations with a $100,000 donation.
• Appoint a Crown counsellor with expertise in animal cruelty to pursue more cases.
• Require sled dog companies on Crown land to submit to annual inspections.
• Encourage the establishment of a sled dog industry association to develop certification and auditing programs.
• Improve public awareness and ways to report suspected cases of animal cruelty.
"British Columbians have said clearly that cruel or inhumane treatment of sled dogs or any other animal is simply not acceptable," Clark said Tuesday morning at the Vancouver headquarters of the B.C. SPCA.
"That's why we are acting on all of the recommendations of the Sled Dog Task Force and sending a strong message that those who engage in that type of behaviour will be punished under tough new laws."
The task force was led by Liberal MLA Terry Lake, who is a veterinarian, and included representation from the BC SPCA and the Union of B.C. Municipalities.
"I can confidently say the recommendations include what I believe, as a veterinarian and animal lover, will help animals be well cared for," Lake said.
"Through our work the task force identified the need for the development of best practice guidelines for sled dog operations and improved animal cruelty laws overall."
Separate criminal investigation underway
Lori Chortyk of the SPCA said the report's findings focus on the industry. The animal protection group is handling a separate criminal investigation into the slaughter allegations.
The killing of the dogs came to light after an employee at the company filed a successful compensation claim for post-traumatic stress from the incident.
The company has denied reports the animals were shot because bookings dried up after the 2010 Olympic Games, leaving it with more dogs than it could afford to keep. The owner issued a statement saying he was told by the employee that the dogs were old and sick and needed to be put down.
Chortyk says the focus of the criminal investigation is now on recovering the dead animals from a mass grave outside Whistler.
"It's like a murder investigation, and we've got 100 bodies here," she said. "We need to exhume them and examine them for any forensic links, to find out exactly what happened, who might have handled these dogs."
Chortyk says the SPCA has a team of international experts standing by, waiting to analyze the dogs' bodies, and she hopes the ground will be soft enough to start digging in the next few weeks.
"We've just been waiting for the ground to thaw in the Whistler area so that we can do that because we need the forensic evidence. … It's really up to Mother Nature at this point when the ground will be soft enough to dig."
When the criminal investigation is completed, it will be up to Crown counsel to decide if charges will be laid, Chortyk says.

Well Written Editorial

2011-04-02T08:52:00.001-07:00

I like policy related editorials not tabloid news stuff. This is actually a good editorial.

Satisfying statement

Published on April 1, 2011
Topics :
Credit Union Place.That , Summerside , Water Street , Canada
It wasn’t the kind of budget you would expect to see during some tough economic times. The City of Summerside released its 2011 budget earlier this week, which was full of good news.
Rather than a set of austerity measures and belt-tightening, this council delivered a balanced budget, with a reduction of the commercial tax rate and holding the line on user fees, non-commercial property tax rates and water and sewer charges.
Council also made good on the mayor’s promise to drop electric rates as well as finish some infrastructure projects like Water Street revitalization and the BMX park.
You know a council is happy with its budget when the deputy mayor leads off his address with a quote from the 1980s TV show “The A-Team.”
“I love it when a plan comes together,” Bruce MacDougall said. “That says it all when we look at what was accomplished last year, especially the successful operations at our new wind farm.”
It’s that wind farm power that helped the city generate the means to present such a favourable budget.
In the wake of a national magazine story that listed Summerside at near the bottom of a list of the best places to live in Canada, the budget provides good fodder for rebuttal.
It’s one thing to argue Summerside’s merits based on emotion, but it’s another to be able to show the books aren’t only balanced, but include incentives for business.
The city also set aside funds to commission studies, two of which could help future budgets. A consultant will work with residents to plot a path for Summerside’s economic future and another study will look at how losses can be mitigated at Credit Union Place.
That said, the city’s debt load is still a concern. Hopefully this budget will lay a path to increased prosperity and thereby an enhanced ability to tackle the debt.
To borrow from Colonel Hannibal Smith again, that’s another plan we’d like to see come together

Hello Police

2011-04-01T19:18:00.001-07:00

Right on Councillor Peter! I supported Councillor Ron Dowling the last term with this and voted in favour the last time. Sorry Ron, was just the two of us! This time I was very supportive again. I feel the Crime Prevention Committee, Management (Chief) and the Police Union should be involved in developing the terms of reference. Long overdue and nice to see a policy story in the paper instead of tabloid stuff like councillors now making 5.00 an hour instead of 2.50.

Police service to undergo review
Summerside Police
Published on April 1, 2011
Published on April 1, 2011
Mike Carson
SUMMERSIDE - The long-awaited review of the city's police service will get under this year after city council voted to approve $60,000 in the 2011 municipal budget for an independent study.
The department has not undergone a review since amalgamation 16 years ago and previous efforts by former city council police committee chairmen were scuttled by council because it was felt the costs were too high.
With the election of new councillors last November, that attitude changed and the money allotted is seen as an investment in the department and in the safety for residents and police officers, rather than an expense.
Councillor Peter Holman said the review is long overdue.
"I think it is critical that it be done for the department," Holman said. "I've a meeting with the head of the union for the police services as well as a couple of the officers on the board and they're very much in favour of this review being done."
The committee chairman said all aspects of the department will be under review.
"We're going to be looking at the total operation of the department," Holman said. "Manpower right down to equipment, training, morale issues, working shifts, that type of thing. We're doing a total review."
Holman said this will be an independent review of the department from top to bottom.
"I've been speaking with a company in Calgary in regards to getting information as to the costs associated with doing the review," he said.
A time frame for the when the review will be completed has not be set.
"But we do want to get it done as quickly as possible. I expect we would probably see it within the next three months get started."

Kensington Burger

2011-04-01T18:28:00.000-07:00

As a councillor in Summerside I should not promote another community but you know what, other than Summerside, I am going to talk about my second favourite community (Sorry Borden, I grew up there- you are my 3rd though) and it is the Town of Kensington.
I like the Island Stone Pub and I thought it was a great idea when my buddy Councillor Mack "is back" MacLean told me they had a restaurant lined up to go in the Kensington Train Station. I will admit I have never had their burger there but my wife and I really love the atmosphere and the food there. I really love that little Town as I worked there from 2001-2004 and met a lot of great people out there. Miss coffee with Ralph and the boys at the Town shop, hanging out with former Chief Paul and I will always be loyal to former Mayor Ivan Gallant who was my boss. Ivan was good to me and supportive when I was the Recreation Director there. Miss also the volunteers out there. I miss my Monday coffee meetings at the rink with Woody and eating lunch at the Lotus Garden. I think the world of the Kensington Vet Clinic Vets and Staff as our little Nicki was a patient there up until her passing. Dr. Barb is an amazing and caring Vet and we are forever grateful, and Pam and Kim at the front desk for putting up with me. They are awesome.
Good luck in your burger competition. I will admit though, I like the Heritage Burger from the Heritage Pub in Summerside best.

A big bite of 'burger love'

Stephen Brun/Journal Pioneer
The Cola Burger at Kensington’s Island Stone Pub is in the running to be crowned the best hamburger on P.E.I.
Published on April 1, 2011
Published on April 1, 2011
Stephen Brun
Competition asks Islanders to choose their favourite hamburger creation
Topics :
Island Stone Pub , P.E.I. Cattle Producers , Department of Agriculture , Iceland , KENSINGTON , Charlottetown
KENSINGTON - In the battle for the Island's most beloved hamburger, the Cola Burger stands alone in Prince County.
"P.E.I. Burger Love" is an online contest among 14 restaurants in the province which are all vying to have their burger creations crowned as the Island's most appreciated patty.
Only one of the competition's 14 restaurants sits west of Charlottetown - Kensington's Island Stone Pub and its Cola Burger.
When staff there found out about Burger Love, it inspired somewhat of an internal competition.
"We had our own cook-off between a couple of the staff members, and we basically each had elements of our own burgers that we liked, and we combined and made it an even better burger," said Chef Megan Beairsto of the pub's finished product.
The promotion is a partnership between the P.E.I. Cattle Producers, Department of Agriculture, P.E.I. Flavours and Fresh Media, aimed at promoting Island beef.
Diners are encouraged to visit the participating restaurants, try the burgers, and then vote online to determine the Island's most beloved beefy creation. Voters are also eligible to win restaurant gift cards, cookbooks and other merchandise.
The contest also includes 12 restaurants in Charlottetown, along with Sir Isaac's Restaurant in Montague.
Island Stone's Cola Burger is an impressive 100-per-cent Island beef patty, seasoned simply with salt and pepper.
The cooks added a cola reduction glaze, caramelized onions and, to offset the sweetness, a mound of tangy blue cheese, all between a toasted cornmeal Kaiser bun.
The cola glaze that gives the burger its name came about through experimenting, explained Beairsto.
"It was almost a fluke, you know, when you're playing around," she said. "Things are supposed to enhance the meat not cover it up. People go crazy with it, and you lose sight of it being a burger - it (becomes) just a mass of food."
Pub owner Karen Murphy agrees, saying she thinks the friendly competition is "just a lot of fun."
"We're trying to bring the P.E.I. beef out instead of camouflaging it," she said. "All in all, we kept it simple and we kept it fresh, and that's the main thing compared to a lot of the other ones that have so much on them."
Visit www.peiburgerlove.ca for more on how to participate. The contest closes May 1.
sbrun@journalpioneer.com

Burger battle
The Island Stone Pub in Kensington is one of 14 restaurants on the Island - and the only one in Prince County - in the running for an online contest to determine P.E.I.'s most loved hamburger.
The entries are:
Kensington:
"The Cola Burger" - Island Stone Pub
Montague:
"Lord of Montague" - Sir Isaac's Restaurant
Charlottetown:
"The Islander" - The Selkirk
"The Island Fling" - Urban Eatery
"P.B. & Burger" - Rum Runners
"The Dub-Fibrillator" - Olde Dublin Pub
"East-West Burger" - Merchantman Pub
"PJ's Sharp & Sweet" - Papa Joe's
"The Matterhorn" - The Pilot House
"The Pizazz Burger" - The Alibi
"The Casanova" - Casa Mia
"The Holy Cow Burger" - The Gahan House
"Great Canadian Lover" - Globe World Flavours
"3-D Burger" - Hunter's Ale House

New Artist in Residence Program

2011-03-29T09:32:00.000-07:00

Great job Lori and staff at Wyatt Heritage and P.E.I. Council of the Arts. The staff at Wyatt Heritage do a great job in creating innovative cultural programming; all on a shoe string budget I might add.

Summerside creates artist-in-residence program
CBC News
Posted: Mar 29, 2011 8:03 AM AT
Last Updated: Mar 29, 2011 8:03 AM AT
The City of Summerside, P.E.I. is hoping to attract artists from across the country to a new artist-in-residence program.
The city has bought a house for the program on Notre Dame Street, just north of the downtown.
"I think it's exciting," Lori Ellis, manager of cultural and heritage properties for Summerside, told CBC News Monday.
"What we're doing is providing opportunities that didn't exist before."
The city is partnering with the P.E.I. Council of the Arts for the program. Artists will be invited to live and work in the house for several weeks at a time. In addition to a place to live, they'll get $400 a week to cover expenses.
In return, the artist will invite the public in to watch them work. Artists will also be expected to go out and do things in the community, such as give workshops.
"I am almost unspeakably excited about this," said council executive director Darrin White.
"The sharing of information, that's really important to understand the role that artists have in our society and our culture."
The arts council used to run a program in the basement of The Guild in Charlottetown, that provided artists with space to work and then a venue to show it. It will throw its resources behind the Summerside program now.
White hopes to create an exchange program that would see artists travelling and living across the country. He is currently in discussions with people in northern Canada about setting up such an exchange.

2011 Budget

2011-03-29T05:48:00.000-07:00

2011 City Budget Thoughts

This year’s budget I was really proud of from an overall City perspective. From a Ward perspective, I was not happy with the lack of infrastructure spending although I am getting a 20,000 overhead crosswalk sign with flashing lights on the corner of Small Avenue and Water Street East. This is the first budget process I have been involved in where I found Council really took the bull by the horns and invested in planning which will set a new course of where we are going as a community.

Highlights

-14 per cent reduction in electrical rates
- no increase in water and sewer fees
- no increase in recreational facilities rates
-no increase in non-commercial tax rates
-two cent reduction in commercial rates
-over $2 million for Water Street redevelopment
-$225,000 for sidewalk reconstruction
-$159,000 for new equipment for police and fire department
- $271,000 for grandstand replacement at Queen Elizabeth Park
- $250,000 for Phase 2 of the BMX bike park
- $820,000 to complete west end trail development project.
-$426,000 to various organizations within the city

Strategic Planning
One item I lobbied the last council for was a Master Plan/Operational review of our Community Services Department. What are the goals and objectives of the department? What is the vision for the department? What should we be focusing on? I could not tell you and this is my 5th municipal budget. Finally, council approved a plan for this department and I am quite happy with that. This plan will involve extensive consultation. Council is also investing 50,000 to review and develop our arts, culture and heritage products. There will also be a review of our Police Services Department. I voted for this the last council when Councillor Dowling brought this forward and I was pleased to support this again. We are also updating the strategic plan and continuing with phase 2 of our economic development strategy. Total cost for all these plans will be 155,000. It is important for a new council to make its mark and these plans will do just that. All these plans will involve public consultation.

Animal Control
When I went into this budget process, I knew my best friend/pet Nicki was going to die from terminal cancer. I wanted to do something in this budget for pets and pet owners in the City and also to honor my friend Nicki who passed away on March 19th. I was proud to support the elimination of dog and cat license fees. By doing so, hopefully it will encourage people to register their pets with the City. The other item I was proud to lobby for in the budget was a 1500 grant for Spay PEI, which assists low income residents helping them to spay their pets.
These are just some of the highlights. I will add more comments on various aspects in the coming days.

Good news budget for city

Journal Pioneer
Summerside City Hall
Published on March 28, 2011

Mike Carson
Summerside’s new look city council has made its mark on the budget by reducing the commercial tax rate by two cents per $100 of assessment from $1.92 to $1.90 and holding the line on non-commercial property tax rates and water and sewer charges.
Council has also dropped electric rates by 14 per cent to match Maritime Electric’s reduction.
Deputy Mayor Bruce MacDougall delivered the good news budget Monday night at the annual meeting to a packed city hall.
“I am very pleased that we were able to maintain the tax rate, hold the line on taxes,” MacDougall said. “And I was very pleased with the incentive we put in there to reduce the commercial rates. The commercial tax reduction is a small move, but it’s a move that helps everyone. There are a lot of good things in this budget.”
MacDougall pointed to the city’s decision not to increase user fees at any of the recreational facilities including Credit Union Place.
While many may see the power rate reduction this year as move generated by Maritime Electric, the city was able to match that reduction because of the success of its wind generation capacity. Without that wind power, city residents would have had to wait until 2012 to see any power rate reduction. It allowed the city to reduce its reliance on imported electricity by about 50 per cent over the past few years.
MacDougall said the city is bound to honour the terms of its power purchase agreement with Maritime Electric until 2012 and because of that has budgeted a deficit in the electric utility of $896,000 for 2011.
“We anticipate that this will be offset in the later years of a new contract expected to be in place in the near future,” he said.
The amount of infrastructure dollars are less in this year’s budget than in previous years.
“That’s because the stimulus dollars have been pretty well allocated,” he said. “It’s back to what we can afford right now. It’s nice having one-third dollars (the other two thirds coming from the federal and provincial governments) but 100 per cent dollars, it makes a difference.”
Despite that, the city intends to complete the Water Street redevelopment project which will include replacing aging water and sewer lines as well as resurfacing the street, installing new sidewalks and lighting to enhance the city’s downtown core. The budget includes $512,000 to complete the rebuilding of Water Street between the Summerside Rotary Library and the intersection and the intersection at Harbour Drive and $1,539,000 to complete the rebuilding of downtown Water Street by doing the section from Granville Street to Summer Street of which $850,000 will be paid for in 2012. This planned work includes about $800,000 for ditch infilling.

Rest in Peace My Friend

2011-03-19T12:00:00.000-07:00

My best friend and loyal pet passed away today at the age of 12. Don Cherry had Blue, well I had Nicki. She was my campaign manager for two successful municipal elections. Today is really hard but I found this poem about Rainbow Bridge. Cheers to you Nicki! I will have one for you in Nicki's Tavern (my bar in the basement) in honour of you my loyal pet and friend. We love you so much.

Rainbow Bridge
Just this side of heaven is a place called Rainbow Bridge.

When an animal dies that has been especially close to someone here, that pet goes to Rainbow Bridge.
There are meadows and hills for all of our special friends so they can run and play together.
There is plenty of food, water and sunshine, and our friends are warm and comfortable.

All the animals who had been ill and old are restored to health and vigor; those who were hurt or maimed are made whole and strong again, just as we remember them in our dreams of days and times gone by.
The animals are happy and content, except for one small thing; they each miss someone very special to them, who had to be left behind.

They all run and play together, but the day comes when one suddenly stops and looks into the distance. Her bright eyes are intent; Her eager body quivers. Suddenly she begins to run from the group, flying over the green grass, her legs carrying her faster and faster.

You have been spotted, and when you and your special friend finally meet, you cling together in joyous reunion, never to be parted again. The happy kisses rain upon your face; your hands again caress the beloved head, and you look once more into the trusting eyes of your pet, so long gone from your life but never absent from your heart.

Then you cross Rainbow Bridge together....

In memory of Nicki Tran - We love you Babe

January 4th, 1999- March 19th, 2011

Silver Fox

2011-03-09T05:56:00.000-08:00

This is a great announcement for a great organization here in Summerside. The Silver Fox has the nicest deck in all Prince Edward Island in my view. The Silver Fox operates an important business in the City and being a former employee there, I am a little bias, however I do feel sometimes people do not realize the economic impact this organization has towards the community. This is a million dollar operation that brings a lot of people to town for curling, weddings, political and business dinners and meetings, yachters in the summer. They also run some great youth curling and boating programs. Not to mention their restaurant and bar operations. Great place to go for a cold pop. Congratulations to staff and board of directors on a job well done.

Upgrades for curling, yacht club

Amber Nicholson/Journal Pioneer
Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club CEO Marlene Boily thanks the provincial government for a $129,000 investment to be used for upgrades to the facility.
Published on March 8, 2011
Amber Nicholson

SUMMERSIDE - Summerside's Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club is receiving $129,000 to put towards energy efficient upgrades to the recreational facility. P.E.I. Fisheries, Aquaculture and Rural Development Minister Neil LeClair made the funding announcement on Tuesday at the Silver Fox.
"In order to control costs and improve energy efficiency the Silver Fox approached the provincial Office of Energy Efficiency to identify options for their heating and electrical systems. As a result of that audit a proposal to undertake upgrades to those systems was made to the Department of Fisheries, Aquaculture and Rural Development through the Island Community Fund," announced LeClair. "Today I'm pleased to announce that the Island Community Fund is contributing a total of close to $91,000 towards this $129,000 project."
The remainder of the funding will come from the Office of Energy Efficiency and the Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club.
Silver Fox Chief Executive Officer Marlene Boily said upgrades to make the facility a greener space are already underway as a result of the funding.
"As we speak the project is ongoing here with new windows, new lighting and as of April when the curling season is finished we will be installing all the new energy efficient lighting out on the ice surface," Boily said. "All these changes will enable us here at the Silver Fox to maintain our top-notch recreational facility, serving the citizens of Prince County and Prince Edward Island."
The Silver Fox Curling and Yacht Club is a not-for-profit community complex owned by its members and operated by Boily under direction of a board of directors. The facility has been host to several national events in both curling and sailing.
"The Silver Fox makes a great contribution to the quality of life in this area of the province," said LeClair. "This (funding) is certainly a great thing for the community and for all the people that use this facility."
The Island Community Fund was launched in 2008 as a provincial investment of $27.5 million towards infrastructure needs in Island communities.

Downtown is a community’s heart

2011-02-28T08:35:00.000-08:00

Downtown is a community’s heart

We need to offer incentives for downtown development as well as more cultural activities. We need to utilize our waterfront. We also need to entice more people to move downtown. Hopefully as a new council we can look at incentive programs and develop a strategy for more downtown development. A key challenge is to get everyone working together. My first term I have noticed everyone works in silos and that will be a difficult challenge to overcome.
From the Journal Pioneer
Downtown plans need co-operation
Published on February 25, 2011

Can downtown Summerside be saved? Some city councillors seem to think it can and have offered ideas as to how it can be done.
Other than a street redevelopment project – was has taken more than eight years and is still not completed – and the redevelopment of the Holman Building, little has been done to attract business or even create an environment that would entice business to locate there.
Recently three city councillors, Tina Mundy, Cory Thomas and Frank Costa said Summerside needs a vibrant downtown and that a key component to any successful redevelopment has to include the waterfront.
This is not a new pronouncement by elected officials, but the interesting aspect about these most recent comments is that they were made independently of each other.
Councillors Frank Costa and Tina Mundy see investment as the key and offered ways to stimulate that confidence in the downtown. Costa said it’s important to support development throughout the city and particularly in the downtown because downtowns are “vital to how people view towns and cities. The have always been an economic generator for investment and they always will be.”
Mundy sees the need for the city to invest in its downtown to help increase the residential population there.
“This will strengthen the economy, make the streets safer and reduce the urban sprawl which is occurring uptown,” she said.
Mundy said encouraging investment in residential development will also increase the city’s tax base.
Thomas is calling for a master plan that would marry arts, culture and heritage along with recreation under one umbrella as an economic development tool. He wants the city to get away from events promotion and concentrate on programs and activities that would benefit, youth, seniors and people with disabilities.
More programs for more people will keep people here. Thomas said more cultural activities along the waterfront would bring more people to the area.
While these proposals are encouraging there are three other groups that should be included in any plans for downtown – Downtown Summerside Inc., Summerside Sustainable Tourism and Tourism Summerside.
Tourism can play a vital role in the overall success of any plan to resurrect the downtown and these groups need to be involved.
The one daunting task facing council is coordinating all of these players into one cohesive unit with a single goal in mind.

Nicki

2011-02-18T05:41:00.000-08:00

Our 12 year old poodle mix has developed cancer along with another serious illness. Since the cancer is a tumor on the bile duct of the liver, we are afraid it has spread to the liver. If this is the case, there is little we can do. Certainly it puts life in perspective for me and I realize what are the most important things in life. Here is a nice prayer I found and I think only a dog owner and pet lover would understand. She is a big part of our family and our life and to say our hearts are crushed would be an understatement:

A Dog's Prayer
by Beth Norman Harris
Treat me kindly, my beloved master, for no heart in all the world is more grateful for kindness than the loving heart of mine.
Do not break my spirit with a stick, for though I should lick your hand between the blows, your patience and understanding will more quickly teach me the things you would have me do.
Speak to me often, for your voice is the world's sweetest music, as you must know by the fierce wagging of my tail when your footstep falls upon my waiting ear.
When it is cold and wet, please take me inside, for I am now a domesticated animal, no longer used to bitter elements. And I ask no greater glory than the privilege of sitting at your feet beside the hearth. Though you had no home, I would rather follow you through ice and snow than rest upon the softest pillow in the warmest home in all the land, for you are my god and I am your devoted worshipper.
Keep my pan filled with fresh water, for although I should not reproach you were it dry, I cannot tell you when I suffer thirst. Feed me clean food, that I may stay well, to romp and play and do your bidding, to walk by your side, and stand ready, willing and able to protect you with my life should your life be in danger.
And, beloved master, should the great Master see fit to deprive me of my health or sight, do not turn me away from you. Rather hold me gently in your arms as skilled hands grant me the merciful boon of eternal rest -- and I will leave you knowing with the last breath I drew, my fate was ever safest in your hands.

New Stroke Unit

2010-11-26T05:10:00.000-08:00

Good news announcement for health care in Prince County!

Stroke unit opens in Summerside
Last Updated: Friday, November 26, 2010 | 8:39 AM AT Comments0Recommend0CBC News
A secondary stroke prevention clinic is now serving patients at Prince County Hospital in Summerside, P.E.I.

The clinic will help stroke patients in Prince County to tackle the risk factors that led to the stroke, such as high blood pressure, smoking, lack of exercise, obesity and high cholesterol.

If the clinic is successful these services will be expanded to other parts of P.E.I.

The secondary stroke prevention clinic is part one of a three-part stroke care model being launched on the Island.

Stroke is the leading cause of disability and the third highest cause of death on P.E.I.

Read more: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2010/11/26/pei-stroke-unit-summerside-584.html#ixzz16OT1OhjO

2010-11-10T09:52:00.001-08:00

New city council to be sworn in Wednesday night

Published on November 9th, 2010
Mike Carson
Topics : Summerside city council , SUMMERSIDE

SUMMERSIDE – It’s a new look Summerside city council that will be taking the oath of office Wednesday as the official swearing in ceremony takes place in council chambers at city hall at 7 p.m.

Five new councillors will take their seats, the largest makeover of the city’s municipal body since amalgamation in 1995.

Returning councillors include Bruce MacDougall, Ron Dowling and Cory Thomas. Joining them will be five first time councillors Frank Costa, Peter Holman, Jim Steele, Jeff Sullivan and Tina Mundy.

Basil Stewart will be sworn in for an unprecedented ninth consecutive term as mayor of of Summerside, a position he has held for a quarter of a century.

One of the tasks before Stewart prior to tonight’s swearing in ceremony is deciding the appointment of committee chairman for the municipal departments and the naming of the deputy mayor.

Stewart has decided who will chair each committee and who the deputy mayor will be for the next four years, but he’s keeping that to himself until the ceremony.

“I’ve been working on that for the last week or so,” Stewart said. “I think all of them should be happy with their appointments. We have eight departments and everybody will be a chair and a co-chair (of another committee). And there will be liaison appointments to different organizations. It will be a nice evening for the councillors. One for them to remember and then it’s on with business.”

Unlike in previous years, there is little lead-time for this new council. Five days after being sworn in they will be involved in their inaugural city council meeting on Nov. 15.

In the past the new council took over in January, but under new legislation the councils take over in November.

“The swearing in will be effective for Nov. 15,” Stewart said. “That’s the new law in the City of Summerside Act. They take over on the third Monday in November which is, this year, Nov. 15.”

Stewart campaigned on the promise of lowering taxes and power rates and that he would bring this up before the new council but he wasn’t definite if it would come before council next Monday night.

“There could be a number of things on the agenda,” Stewart said. “We’ll work on that stuff this week. The packages are being prepared to make sure that they all have copies of the bylaws, the regulations, the policies. We’ll get the swearing in ceremonies process on Wednesday and then we’ll move on from there.”

SUMMERSIDE CITY COUNCIL 2010-2014

Mayor Basil Stewart

Ward 1 Bruce MacDougall

Ward 2 Frank Costa

Ward 3 Peter Holman

Ward 4 Jim Steele

Ward 5 Ron Dowling

Ward 6 Jeff Sullivan

Ward 7 Tina Mundy

Ward 8 Cory Thomas

Need to Ask Youth What They Want To Do?

2010-11-05T10:08:00.001-07:00

Summerside group aims to work with teen vandals
Last Updated: Thursday, November 4, 2010 | 10:15 AM AT
A Summerside neighbourhood plans to tackle crime by working with teenagers who are vandalizing the area near a local church. Residents living near Trinity United Church are facing increasing vandalism and property damage by groups of teenagers. They want to work with the youths, rather than push them away.
Teenagers have taken over the church's back steps in the past six months, said Andrew Richardson, a minister at the church. "The most egregious vandalism was that they had spray painted along the back of the church 'We love Satan,'" said Richardson.
The teens have also burned holes in the side of the church and damaged the handrails.
'One of the key trends is to ask kids what they want to do and not chase them around from neighbourhood to neighbourhood.'—Cory Thomas, Summerside police committee chair
Richardson said police are well aware of the problem and they've responded every time. But as soon as police show up, the teens run, only to come back the next day.
Richardson doesn't think video surveillance is the answer. Instead, residents are meeting to come up with solutions. "I spent all day today at a crime prevention and community development workshop," said Cory Thomas, chair of the city's police committee. "And one of the key trends there is to ask kids what they want to do and not chase them around from neighbourhood to neighbourhood."
Thomas said he'll address the problem with the newly elected city council. "What I want to see is the city move away from the community services department being a special events department and get more into the trenches and seeing what kids want to do," said Thomas. "You need to have that focus."
Richardson said he'd love to see the teens inside the church doing something productive, rather than outside being

New Jobs Coming to Summerside

2010-11-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

100 aerospace jobs coming to Summerside

Published on November 5th, 2010

The precision machining operations of TFL Technologies of Cornwall, P.E.I. and sister company Tube-Fab Limited of Toronto will consolidate their operations in a new and expanded facility in Summerside with support provided by the federal and provincial government.

The Government of Prince Edward Island through the Department of Innovation and Advanced Learning is supporting the project with a five-year, $1.2 million repayable demand loan secured by assets of the Company. The Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency has invested $227,500.

TFL Technologies has been an employer in P.E.I.'s aerospace sector for 30 years.

The Provincial loan will be used in conjunction with a commercial lender to support the expansion of the business in Prince Edward Island, and ACOA’s investment will help TFL Technologies (2010) Ltd expand their product offering to include Non-Destructive Testing (NDT).

TFL Technologies currently employs 20 staff in Cornwall. Over the next year, they will be transitioned to the expanded operation in Summerside, where the new operation will grow to approximately 100 employees.

Letter to the Editor Sent to Journal Pioneer

2010-10-28T08:15:00.000-07:00

Dear Editor,

I generally do not respond to public criticism of the City of Summerside but after reading council candidate Jeannie Cameron state in your paper on October 26th, “It seems council does not want to address how serious the crime issue is in our city”, I felt a need to remind her that the City initiated a strategic approach, not an ad-hoc approach, to crime prevention. The approach taken was a volunteer committee was appointed comprised of representatives from anti-poverty groups, justice and corrections, education, addictions and youth service organizations. These volunteers consulted with stakeholders and the general public. With assistance of researchers from the Attorney General’s office, this citizen centered committee developed a comprehensive report, based on actual facts and research, on how best to address growing concerns about crime and public safety. As research into crime prevention and healthy communities suggests it is of the utmost importance to take a multi-faceted approach to community safety (policing, recreation, social services, housing, education, etc)

Following this response to Candidate Cameron is an excerpt from the 2010 Summerside Community Safety Audit and Planning Report which was provided to City Council on January 25th 2010 and has been available on the home page of the City website since February of this year.

The report, which was put together by an Advisory Committee comprised of Rev. Andrew Richardson (Chair), Police Chief Dave Poirer, East Prince Women’s Information Centre Manager Andy Lou Somers and several community leaders addressed a wide range of community safety and crime prevention concerns and established Summerside as the first Island community to undertake such a thorough review and plan.

This plan is currently being executed and has already addressed many of the concerns that Candidate Cameron raises.

Specifically:
•Cameron notes that ‘It seems council does not want to address how serious the crime issue is in our city.’
a.By gathering community leaders, stakeholders and inviting public input, and establishing the Summerside Community Safety Committee it is obvious that the City of Summerside does take crime seriously. The Community Safety Committee has held sessions with stakeholders and groups regarding concerns and those are included in our report. The committee continues to develop initiatives and workshops related to crime prevention and community safety and Council supports them in their efforts
b. We will continue to lobby other levels of government for tougher laws to better enable our police to protect you and your families
c.As Chair of Police, I have lobbied and will continue to lobby the Province for Safer Communities Legislation which will provide for Police more tools for enforcement in keeping our community safer
d.By establishing and carrying out a number of initiatives to prevent and deal with crime, it is apparent that Community Safety is a priority for the City of Summerside. Neighbourhood Watches are currently being organized as well as an engraving your valuables program has been initiated
e.Council continues to support City youth by investing in Boys and Girls Club and Generation XX to provide valuable programming for children.
f.Reviews of allocation of user fees at Credit Union Place- Fees are frozen and there is currently a review of our fee structure being undertaken. I will be bringing to the floor of the new council a leisure service review which if approved, will provide us more details in what exact programs and services are missing in Summerside for our youth and children.
g.A City employee has been appointed to coordinate crime prevention within the community and the various City Departments
h.Council has continued to approve investment in equipment and vehicles to better enable our police to do their jobs.
i.Council and community volunteers continue to lobby for better access to addictions services in Summerside
j.We will continue to work closely with all community groups and the PEI Homelessness Initiative to ensure we are taking a holistic approach to crime prevention.

Is there more we can do? Absolutely there is but I think this is a start. It is important to have strategies as band-aids only stop the bleeding temporarily. We will continue to work with the stakeholders, community and government partners in a strategic manner.

Cory Thomas
Chair, City of Summerside Police Services
Councillor, Ward 8 Wilmot

Election

2010-10-27T05:23:00.000-07:00

For Immediate Release

October 18, 2010

With the municipal election just two weeks away, Councillor Cory Thomas would like to take this opportunity to thank the residents of Summerside, in particular those in Ward 8, for their show of confidence in his work by acclaiming him for a second term, uncontested.

Thomas said he was humbled by this recognition of his hard work the past four years as Councillor for Ward 8 in Summerside and is gratified that no other candidates had chosen to run against him. He added that while he had already canvassed many of the homes in his Ward before being acclaimed, he continues to be available for residents that would like to share their concerns.

Councillor Thomas has promised to build on his foundation of working with the community as he has done as the Chair of the Police Committee by forming the Crime Prevention Committee which consulted with stakeholders, residents and colleagues.

In addition to thanking the community, Thomas also thanks the many volunteers who have aided him and his family, particularly his wife, My-Linh who whole-heartedly supports his community vision.

Thomas urges everyone to take the opportunity to vote on November 1.

Chamber Questions For the Election

2010-10-22T06:08:00.000-07:00

These are questions sent to me by the Summerside Chamber of Commerce in regards to the recent election. My answers are listed below:
Cory Thomas
Councillor, Ward 8 Wilmot
Responses

1.HOW WOULD YOU ADDRESS ELECTRICAL RATES TO ENSURE BUSINESS IN THE GREATER SUMMERSIDE AREA HAVE COMPETITIVE RATES WITH BUSINESSES IN OTHER LOCATIONS?

•Currently our rates are competitive with the rest of the Province of Province Edward Island as the City follows Maritime Electric rates.
•I believe owning our own utility can be an economic development tool and I will lobby council to examine the possibility of lower rates to assist in the attraction and retention of business.

2.WHAT IS YOUR LONG TERM (5 TO 10 YEARS) VISION FOR SUMMERSIDE THAT WILL ENHANCE AND CREATE SUSTAINABILITY FOR BUSINESS IN THE COMMUNITY?

Governments alone cannot create sustainability for local business but it is imperative we work and partner with business to make our community attractive to do business with. City needs to provide competitive tax and electrical rates, modern infrastructure and services that make Summerside an attractive place to live and do business. The City Corporation must work with key stakeholders when developing policies.

The Following Points I believe if addressed, will help our community prosper:

•Arts, Cultural and Heritage Strategy- Arts, culture and heritage are a valuable entity in any community that wishes to grow and prosper. My concern is that the development and planning in this area has not been strategic in nature but rather “Ad-Hoc”. I will not be supporting any new initiatives in these areas until the City has a strategic plan that will guide us into the future. This plan must incorporate best practices and involve extensive consultation with stakeholders. Council has recently approved for this to take place.
•Tourism Strategy- The groups and City administration need to stop working in silos and each separately going to the Province and ACOA looking for funding for tourism. I will be making a motion that the City work with stakeholders and develop a common tourism strategy for the area. This plan must incorporate best practices and involve extensive consultation with stakeholders.
•Economic Development Advisory Committee- My vision is that the business community will assist the City of Summerside Economic Development Department in developing City business policies. I will be proposing an advisory committee of business leaders assist the City.

•Adult education- We need to work closely with our adult education partners in the PEI such as Holland College and UPEI to provide training to area residents. By investing in human capital and innovation, we can grow our community and help develop tomorrow’s entrepreneurs. While the concept of having our own university is a nice “pipe dream”, reality is we need to work our adult education partners that currently exist within Summerside and Prince Edward Island. If we do not, we will be left behind.

•Slemon Park – My vision is to work closely with Slemon Park Corporation and industries housed at Slemon Park (adult education, aerospace) and continue to develop innovative concepts and partnerships that are beneficial to the region and the Province. I am tired of the “old politics” and “old wounds” I hear between the City and Slemon Park, it is time to work together for the common good.
•Community Safety – We need a safe community to live, do business and raise our families. I will continue to support investment in recreation and crime prevention opportunities, as well as investment in police and fire protection.

3.WHAT IS THE LARGEST UNTAPPED RESOURCE POTENTIAL FOR SUMMERSIDE?

Tourism

“Insanity: Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results.”
Albert Einstein 1879-1955

•You cannot make Summerside a tourist destination if you follow the above quote by Albert Einstein which seems to have been the norm in the last number of years in regards to tourism in Summerside. We cannot keep working as splintered groups running to the provincial government looking for dollars. The City needs to do a better job, as does the groups such as Downtown Summerside, The Chamber of Commerce and Tourism Summerside, of working together to develop a comprehensive tourism strategy. What is Summerside Area’s position in regards to Tourism? What is the desired position? The path to reach this desired position is set out with the development of a tourism strategy. A sound strategy can only be developed with the aid of proper research. It must have involvement of all major stakeholders, and the definition of clear goals. The ultimate strategy leads to an improved business model and sustainable destination development.
•Adult education- My view for successful community economic development, is an educated workforce. We need to work closer with UPEI and Holland College. Investment in adult education is the key for the City to grow and prosper.
•City Waterfront- We have the nicest view in the world, we need to continue to invest and promote our waterfront.
•Arts, Culture and Heritage- We have much to be proud of in our heritage. We need a strategy.

4.WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON THE COMPETIVENESS OF PROPERTY TAX RATES FOR THE CITY?

•I would support lowering taxes however before that can take place, the City will need to conduct an operational review to see where we can cut costs and make our operations more efficient.

5. DO YOU FEEL THERE IS A TRAFFIC FLOW PROBLEM WITHIN THE CITY - IN PATICULAR AT THE INTERSECTION OF CENTRAL STREET, POPE ROAD AND POPE ROAD EXTENSION? WHAT STEPS WOULD YOU TAKE TO RESOLVE THESE ISSUES?
•Traffic Management Plan- The city needs a traffic management plan which would involve experts looking at the design of our streets and crosswalks, and develop ways to alleviate traffic congestion and make them safer. It needs to be strategic in nature, not ad hoc planning. I currently have a proposal with council to move in this area. We have the qualified staff within the City Technical Services Department to carry out such a study.
•East-West Connector Plan- There is a plan before council to have a connector plan in the Eastern end of the City which would alleviate traffic congestion off Small Avenue. This needs to be explored further.

6. IN YOUR OPINION WHAT TYPE OF POLICIES (i.e. INCENTIVES etc.) WOULD YOU WANT TO HAVE IMPLEMENTED BY THE CITY TO FOSTER INCREASED ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT?

•Electrical rates- We have our own utility; we should be using it as an incentive to attract business
•Communication- City needs to communicate better with business community. Incentive packages should be reviewed with key stakeholders before adoption at council. I believe we need to review and build on our current “Summerside Economic Development Incentive Policy”

7. WHAT ARE YOUR VIEWS ON THE CITY’S?
a) DEBT LOAD

•From my knowledge of working in municipal government in the past as a manager and teaching public sector management of recreation and leisure services at the college level, all municipalities have debt unless they do not invest in modern water and sewer systems, or other assets of significance such as parks, green space and recreation facilities (which academic research shows investment in parks and recreation facilities can lead to business relocation and expansion), public safety assets such as modern policing and fire facilities/equipment/ and culture and heritage facilities. I view investment in these areas and ditch infilling, road repaving and sidewalk enhancements, as good debt for a community. An example of bad debt, that I would never support, would be if money were borrowed on a long term basis to cover operating losses of the City sewer operations or other City operations. In this case, fees would need to be increased or services cut within the City operating structure. I do believe, however, as a City Corporation we need to ask ourselves, “What business are we in?” and we need to plan in a strategic manner any future large capital expenditures.

b) ACCOUNTABILITY TO COMMUNITY STAKEHOLDERS

•Consultation- Council needs to ensure bureaucrats are consulting with the various stakeholders with a vested interest when developing economic development policies.
•Any portfolio I am given will involve extensive community consultation. For example, as Chair of Police, I appointed a Community Safety Committee to consult and provide advice to Council. As a result, we are the only community in PEI to have conducted a thorough Community Safety Audit to guide us in our future decisions regarding public safety. This was developed through a committee of stakeholders and volunteers and partnership with the Attorney General’s Office. The Community Safety Committee consulted with the community and stakeholders to come to their findings for the Community Safety Audit. This committee will continue to develop programs and work with the community.
•Chamber Board- We have a senior manager with the City on the Chamber Board of Directors Executive so I would hope that the Chamber’s concerns are coming back to the City through this avenue.

Clearly, the System Needs Improvement

2010-10-08T09:32:00.001-07:00

Animals need our protection
The Guardian
Published on October 8th, 2010

The Wheatley court case points to the need for a review of the province's animal protection laws
Topics :
Department of Agriculture , Humane Society , Covehead , Prince Edward Island , Charlottetown
The name Lloyd (Bud) Wheatley has been persona non grata among Prince Edward Island animal lovers for several years. The proceedings in a Charlottetown courtroom this week confirmed all their worst fears.
Mr. Wheatley pleaded guilty to five charges under the Canadian Criminal Code and two charges under the P.E.I. Companion Animal Protection Act.
The charges arise from the seizure of over 80 companion animals by the P.E.I. Department of Agriculture. The animals were on a property in Covehead where Mr. Wheatley had been operating the online pet retail company Puppies Across Canada.
Provincial court Judge Nancy Orr sentenced Mr. Wheatley to five months in jail for causing unnecessary pain, suffering or injury to animals. In addition, she ordered him to pay a $200 fine and cover $68,000 in expenses incurred by the Agriculture Department during the seizure of the animals.
By all accounts the scene in Covehead wasn’t a pretty one. P.E.I. Humane Society shelter veterinarian Dr. Danielle Dunn-MacLean said the sickest animals were some of the worst cases of dehydration and emaciation she had ever seen.
Some of the animals seized had to be put down. And at least one died before medical attention could be provided. But thanks to the quick reaction of the Humane Society, most of the animals recovered and were adopted into new homes.
As important as Mr. Wheatley’s conviction and sentence are, in terms of sending a strong message out against animal cruelty, so too are some of the questions asked by Judge Orr.
She questioned how Mr. Wheatley, the former owner of Snookums pet store, was allowed to carry on his business for 15 months without a licence. She also asked how he was allowed to let the health of his animals deteriorate to the point where some of them had to be euthanized.
According to what the court was told, apparently Mr. Wheatley did so by simply ignoring recommendations made to him after a number of animal health inspections were carried out. But the threats and recommendations didn’t work and an unbearable situation was allowed to fester far too long. Which means the department needs to be armed with more powers and the ability to move more quickly in the future.
Reacting to the court sentence, the Humane Society said it sends a clear message that animal cruelty will not be tolerated on P.E.I. Executive director Kelly Mullally said the society looks forward to working with the Department of Agriculture to review and revise its current legislation.
Mr. Wheatley’s defence counsel said he didn’t intend to allow things to get so out of hand but he had difficulty getting and keeping staff, and in the end the problem overwhelmed him. If that was the case, and he truly believed in animal rights and their welfare, he should have put up a white flag and asked for help.
The case has shown a weakness in the province’s animal protection laws. For the sake of the animals who have suffered, a positive outcome would be a review of the laws and improvements where necessary.

Election Issues

2010-10-04T07:07:00.000-07:00

I have been out going door to door for the last three weeks. I have approximately 320 homes canvassed thus far. I have tried to spread it around the ward so I have a good feeling for the issues. I have been all along Water Street East, the Blue Shank Road, Meadow Heights Sub-division (missed 7 homes), a few streets in Woodridge Place, and two large streets in Lefurgey sub-division (Crozier and Hillside), Small Avenue, Flamingo and Robin Street. Tonight I will head over to Perry Sub-division. The main concerns I am hearing are as follows:
•Ditch Infilling- While some progress has been made the last 3 years; we need to move quicker on this issue.
•Electricity Rates- Too high, we should be going our own path with our own utility. I agree we need to review this.
•Paving- Perry Subdivision, Small Avenue, Meadow Heights, Osborne and Wildon all need repaving.
•Taxes- Too high
•Crosswalk on Water Street East needs improvement and needs to be marked better
•Speeding on Read Drive and in subdivisions
•Enhancement to parks in the Ward

These are the issues I am hearing throughout Wilmot. As I said, hitting the doors again tonight.

Soaring Pride at 200 Wing

2010-09-24T06:19:00.000-07:00

Great news here for the Wing! They are a great community organization and if you haven’t been to the Wing for the friendly atmosphere and great conversation, you should check it out. They are great ambassadors for Summerside. Congratulations to my pal Ron Hatton and all the members for a job well done.

Soaring pride at 200 Wing
Mike Carson/Journal Pioneer
Published on September 23rd, 2010
Mike Carson

SUMMERSIDE – For the second time the Air Force Association of Canada has named the 200 Summerside Wing as National Wing of the Year and one of its members as Member of the Year.
The first award came in 2005.
Barry Rowan, president of the Air Force Association of Canada 200 Summerside Wing said past president Ron Hatton has received the individual award for his tireless work in seeing through a massive renovation project at the local facility.
"There's an annual award called the Len Baldock Memorial Award," Rowan said. "That's put out by our national association in Ottawa and awarded to a member every year."
The wing purchased a new building on North Market Street in 2005, the former Kinsmen building, and undertook extensive renovations.
"Ron, has just about single-handily been responsible for getting our mortgage paid off and he's interfaced with all the contractors and just made sure that the whole program ran smoothly and came to a completion," Rowan said. "He's just been the go getter, right from day one."
Rowan said the award is in recognition of Hatton's service to the wing.
"We're very pleased with him," the president said.
The wing itself because of its involvement with the community has also been recognized for its efforts.
"With all the work the wing itself has done the wing has become the national wing of the year as well." Rowan said. "This includes all of the stuff we have done locally. This year we've put out four $1,000 scholarships. We made a rather large contribution to the Veteran's Convention Centre as well as having several of our members responsible for getting that up and running."
Rowan said the wing has made a large contribution to the Aircraft Heritage Society that is being put together at Slemon Park.
"A lot of our members are on that committee and got it going," he said. "We still contribute to the Prince County Hospital Foundation. We're a going concern."
Rowan said all the money contributed to the community endeavours is earned at the wing through the associate members dues, the bar sales and VLT's.
The wing has 163 regular members and approximately 260 associate members.
"The regular members are those that were ex-military," he said. "We also work closely with the legion. We join them for Colour Parties for general parades. We will be with them Saturday when we have the dedication for the veteran's Convention Centre."
Aims and objectives of the Air Force Association of Canada:
• Advocacy – to advocate for a proficient, well-equipped air force in Canada
• Traditions – to preserve and perpetuate the glorious traditions established in Canada’s air forces since its inception.
• Air Cadets- to support the Royal Canadian Air Cadets, and work closely with the Air Cadet League of Canada.
• Community – to participate in local civic and community programs identified by Wings and to undertake charitable and other projects of both a national and local character
• Civil/Military Air- to recognize achievements in civil and military aviation through the annual awards.

Thomas seeks re-election to Summerside City Council

2010-08-30T05:16:00.000-07:00

Thomas seeks re-election to Summerside City Council

Four years ago after going door to door for the first time and promising he would be a hard working councillor, Councillor Cory Thomas, Chair of Summerside Police Services, is promising to take that hard working promise one step further, and is going to seek re-election this fall in the City's municipal election, as the councillor for Ward 8 Wilmot. If re-elected, Thomas says he will lobby council to continue to invest in ditch-infilling for Wilmot, to repave many side streets in the subdivisions in Wilmot, and get more playground equipment in Meadow Heights and Lefurgey Parks, and lobby the province to have a turning lane on Read Drive for the residents of Perry subdivision. He would also like to make the crosswalks more noticeable throughout Ward 8, in particular the cross walk on Water Street and Small Avenue.
From a City perspective, he wants to get all stakeholders and the city to develop a tourism strategy, wants the City to get the business community involved in developing economic development policies, develop a leisure service delivery review involving input from the citizens, and continue working with the City’s Crime Prevention Committee.
Thomas believes in citizen centered government where policies are developed with effective consultation techniques that involve input from the citizens and groups the policies are meant to serve.
"If re-elected, I will continue to lobby council to develop policies involving the key stakeholders. I feel true community development takes place through working side by side with residents and the community. I believe City Hall can make some improvements in that regard."
Thomas points to the City's Crime Prevention Committee which is comprised of community volunteers and staff from the Attorney General's Office as the appropriate approach to solving issues in the community. Thomas developed the mandate and committee structure, appointed the volunteers and supported the committee engaging the public. The committee developed a community safety audit, the first municipality on Prince Edward Island to do so. As a result many recommendations have come to council and are in the process of being implemented.
Thomas is also proud of other projects during his first term; his hard work in achieving ditch infilling, free use of the walking track at Credit Union Place for residents, repaving of Water Street East and lobbying council to hire a crossing guard for Athena School.
In addition to being Chair of the City Police Services Committee, Thomas is also Co-Chair of Community Services Committee and a member of the Policy Review Committee. He is a college instructor and lives in Meadow Heights with his wife My Linh and their daughter Kayla.

Cities’ top cops back gun registry

2010-08-25T08:56:00.000-07:00

From my previous conversations with police officers they feel eliminating the National Gun Registry would be a huge mistake as for the reasons mentioned in these stories. I think any program in place that provides police additional information to prevent a situation from escalating is worth the investment.

Cities’ top cops back gun registry
Mike Carson
Topics :
Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police , Canadian Police Boards , SUMMERSIDE , Canada , Charlottetown

SUMMERSIDE – The police chiefs of the Island’s two main municipalities are supporting the need for a long gun registry in Canada.
Summerside Police Chief David Poirier and Charlottetown Police Chief Paul Smith agree mandated registration of long guns is not only a valuable crime fighting tool, but also protects the safety of police officers when encountering volatile situations.
“It’s a great help to any police officer that responds to calls,” Poirier said. “At this stage we can punch in the address if we’re going to a domestic or something in the city or anywhere, we can punch in the address in the system we have which is Canada wide and if there are guns registered to that person or person’s in that household, the information will pop up on the screen.”
Poirier said checking the long gun registry is automatic for police today whenever they are called to the scene of a domestic disturbance, disputes or assaults.
“Our biggest tool right now is when we respond to a call our dispatchers immediately punch in the address of a domestic of some sort and we are notified if there are weapons registered in the household,” he said.
“Domestic (disturbances) are a call that members hate to go on, but you have to. They are very unpredictable. If one or both persons involved are on alcohol or taking drugs it makes it even more serious.”
Poirier aid police have encountered cases where participants “are stone cold sober.”
“They are very unpredictable because the levels of anxiety are way up and our members are always on their guard when we respond to these,” the police chief said.
Charlottetown Police Chief Paul Smith said the Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police was to present a resolution on a national firearms policy that includes a recommendation calling for police leaders and officers to explain to politicians and the public the value of the long-gun registry. That resolution was adopted unanimously at the association’s meeting in Edmonton.
“The last page (of the resolution) basically is if the legislation were to change in the fall The Canadian Association of Chiefs of Police and the association of Canadian Police Boards would get together and work from there,” Smith said. “At the end of the day there has been discussion, there have been positions on long-gun registry and in most instances most people are in favour of maintaining the registry.”
Smith agreed that it was an expensive policy to bring in, running at an annual cost of about $4 million.
“It’s not just (for the protection) of officers, we get situations where you can go in and query the registry on a domestic violence incident and find out there’s guns there and pull the guns out of the residence,” he said. “Can you honestly say that because of the registry or because of getting that prohibition in place and seizing those firearms for a period of time has saved a life? You can’t with any certainty that it has but in all likelihood it has.”
He said queries on the registry today are up over 11,000 daily nationwide.
“Information is power and the more information you’ve got when you’re going to different calls the better off you are,” he said

Ditch Infilling

2010-08-24T09:21:00.000-07:00

A costly but fair resolution
From the Guardian
Summerside , Charlottetown
It’s been a divisive issue for the City of Summerside, but council’s recent decision to pay out rebates to residents who had helped to pay for their own ditch infilling was the right one. It’ll be costly, but fairness dictates that it’s an expense the city has to absorb.
Council has been grappling for months with the question of paying back the portion of the costs residents in outlying areas of the community have paid for ditch infilling. That issue arose after councillors voted a year ago to stop collecting the co-pay in response to residents’ protest over the issue.
For years, Summerside charged a 10 per cent co-pay to provide ditch infilling, and last year a group of residents in the city who were scheduled for the work challenged this policy. They insisted that their tax dollars should cover that cost, and pointed to Charlottetown and other communities where that happens to be the case.
Councillors discussed the issue, and after a split vote requiring Mayor Basil Stewart to cast the deciding vote, council dropped the co-pay policy.
That, of course, raised the question of how to deal with those residents over the years who had paid, and last week that created an equally heated and divisive debate that ended up requiring the mayor to again cast the deciding vote in favour of paying back residents who had paid for ditch infilling. Specifically the city will pay back $71,234 a year for four years in rebates to property owners in the outlying areas.
This is a significant financial commitment for the city, but it’s unavoidable. The previous policy was simply unfair. Most residents expect certain services to be a given. Few would expect, for instance, to pay for sidewalk work or road repair in front of their properties. Why would they expect to cough up for ditch infilling?
Council did the right thing last year in acknowledging the inherent unfairness of the policy, and discontinuing it. But that did not address those who previously had been subjected to the policy. To ignore them would not have been acceptable. As costly as the rebates to the city will be over the next four years, the city is acting responsibly.

Building Homes for People

2010-08-16T05:56:00.000-07:00

Had a great day and what a great cause. Habitat for Humanity is a great organization, especially the PEI branch.

Habitat for Humanity puts politicians to work
Stephen Brun, Journal Pioneer
SUMMERSIDE - Politicians often talk about building communities, and Friday they picked up hammers, saws and drills to do just that.
MLAs, city councillors and staff joined local business representatives at Summerside's latest Habitat for Humanity build site.
The organization's first President's Build Day on P.E.I. is aimed at giving leaders first hand experience of what the project is all about.
"It gets them out from behind their desks and gives them an opportunity to see truly what it is we do at Habitat and it gets them on-site doing the work," said Jim Carragher, board chair of Habitat for Humanity P.E.I. "You don't need a whole lot of experience to make a difference."
Among those participating Friday included MLAs Wes Sheridan, Janice Sherry and Gerard Greenan, police chief Dave Poirier, city councillor Cory Thomas and employees from BMO.
Habitat home recipient Krista Schurman-Marr and her two young sons would be happy to know their new house is in good hands with the province's finance minister.
Sheridan was running his own team of three, including a Summerside high school student and a Katimavik volunteer.
"My wife and I have built a number of homes and we both enjoy that type of thing. It's one of those passions that I have in my off time to pick away at carpentry," Sheridan said. "A lot of people would laugh at my skill level, but I get a lot done."
The walls of the home were raised only one week ago. Siding and drywall have been installed, putting the project ahead of schedule.
While Sheridan seemed to be a natural leader for President's Build Day, others had the chance to learn some new skills.
"I've had a little bit of experience in my lifetime with renovations, but I can't honestly say I've ever built a house," said Community Services Minister Janice Sherry. "I'm basically helping the Gyprocking crew get some sheets up, do some measuring. We did a bit of hauling cement this morning - a little bit of everything."
Carragher said the organization plans to dedicate the home around the beginning of September. Another wall raising is tentatively scheduled for Habitat's first build in Kensington on Sept. 18.
"This project is going like lightening, it's amazing how fast this home's going up," he said. "That's indicative of the people of Summerside - they're phenomenal when it comes to building Habitat homes. Summerside is the model of what Habitat P.E.I. would like to be."

sbrun@journalpioneer.com

Air Show Coming to Summerside

2010-08-11T09:50:00.000-07:00

Air show coming to Summerside in 2011 Canadian Forces
From the Journal Pioneer
Planning is now underway for the 2011 Atlantic International Air Show, to be held Aug. 20-21 in Summerside.

Originally known as the Shearwater International Air Show, the event dates back to 1948. In 1997, the Nova Scotia International Air Show Association assumed control over the activities, as a not-for-profit society, and renamed the event.

In recent years, organizers have made the decision to rotate the air show throughout the Maritime provinces. Shows have been hosted in Moncton and Yarmouth and now the group is poised to bring the popular showcase to Prince Edward Island.

P.E.I. Sen. Mike Duffy, Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning Allan Campbell and Summerside Mayor Basil Stewart joined Colin Stephenson and Tony Goode with the Nova Scotia International Air Show Association for the announcement today.

“Atlantic Canada is home to over 200 innovative aerospace and defence companies employing over 10,000 skilled and specialized workers,” said Duffy. “The Atlantic International Air Show represents a great opportunity to showcase the strengths of our national and regional aerospace industry as well as serving as a wonderful tourism draw for the province.”

The air show will feature a range of modern performance aircraft, both military and civilian, and will thrill fans with displays on the ground and in the air, say organizers.

The large air displays will include the Canadian Forces Snowbirds, Skyhawks, and CF-18 Hornet. Canada’s Aurora, Hercules, Griffon and Sea King will also be featured.

ACOA is supporting the air show with $35,000 through its business development program. The Government of Prince Edward Island will contribute $35,000 through Innovation P.E.I., and Summerside will contribute $10,000 towards the 2011 event.

"As our event moves around to new communities in the Maritimes we are promoting aviation and displaying the professionalism, dedication and skill of the Canadian Forces and all of our performers; creating new fans who will travel to our subsequent venues makes for great economic impact within the host province," said Stephenson. "We anticipate filling your hotels, restaurants and other businesses for an exciting week next August."

The 2010 Air Show is being held at the 12 Wing Shearwater Airport in Halifax.

Census change could have local impact

2010-08-03T06:16:00.000-07:00

This could have a negative impact on a community’s ability to conduct research for various segments of our population. We will see what happens here. Could also impact local businesses as they would use Statisics Canada research for business and marketing plans.

Census change could have local impact
Colin MacLean
Summerside - It's the little issue that just won't go away.

Changes to the Canadian National Census coming up in 2011, announced in late June by Statistics Canada, are continuing to make waves across the country - including here in Summerside.
Island organizations depend on census data for numerous reasons, such as developing policy and deciding what kinds of projects to implement. Many are concerned the changes being made by the federal government will result in less accurate data thus impacting the effectiveness of services locally.
"We have 30 priority programs running across the Island right now. I met with them all last week and everyone was talking about it. We all use that information," said David Hennessey, executive director of the United Way of Prince Edward Island.
"There's 583 registered charities across P.E.I., how else in the name of God would we ever know what our demographics are, who needs help, what are the situations?" he asked.
He has been working with charitable organizations for more than 20 years, he said, nearly all of which have used Statistics Canada data compiled from both the long and short forms of the census.
The bone of contention with these changes continues to be the decision to switch the mandatory long form questionnaire, which asks in-depth questions, to a voluntary form. This part of the census is normally distributed to 20 per cent of homes nationally, but will now be sent to one in three dwellings to make up for the expected drop in returns now that the long form is optional.
The short form will remain largely unchanged. It asks basic questions like how many people live in the home, what are their ages, mother language, marital status and so on. It will continue to be mandatory and will be distributed to all Canadian households.
Canadians also now have the option of insuring their census data is never released publicly, something that was previously done automatically after 92 years.
Industry Minister Tony Clement has stated on numerous occasions that the census will continue to be accurate despite these changes. He's also explained the reasoning behind these changes is many Canadians believe census questions violate their privacy.
"This reasoned and responsible approach is about finding a better balance between collecting the necessary data and protecting the privacy of Canadians," Clement told the Canadian Press.
But that idea doesn't sit well with Trinity United Church Minister Andrew Richardson.
"Anything that's voluntary ... its participation is not as high as if it were mandatory," said Richardson.
"I've seen evidence that show people who are the most likely to fill out a form voluntarily are of a certain income and education level. So you're missing a whole group of people who wouldn't be filling out the forms and they are the people who might be reporting information that's important," he said.
The United Church of Canada has a contract with Environics Analytics. If a United Church group wants to start a program in its community that company would do the preliminary research and would almost certainly use census data, he added.
Richardson is also chair of Summerside's Crime Prevention Committee. It recently completed a safety audit of the community and used census data to do it.
"One of the pieces of information we used was a demographic breakdown of Summerside, what kind of people live here, what are their income levels, what are the education levels ... all those kinds of things are predictors of crime. So if we don't have access to some of that data then we aren't able to make evidence based decisions," he said.
This issue has snowballed in recent weeks with dozens of organizations, municipalities and churches speaking out against the changes. Four provincial governments, including P.E.I., have also spoken out against the changes.
Adding fuel to the flames are outcries from within the StatsCan family. Retired organization chief Ivan Fellegi, who held the job for 22 years, started speaking out against the changes early on. And just last week, StatsCan Chief Munir Sheikh resigned over the issue. StatsCan has also denied claims by Clement that it had recommended these changes to the government.
Clement has indicated in recent announcements that he is willing to negotiate on some points in this issue, however optional long form census is not one of them.

Breath Strokes more than doubles fundraising goal

2010-07-26T09:59:00.000-07:00

Summerside –Organizer Barb McNeill says an event held on Saturday to raise money for the P.E.I. Lung Association was a huge success.
“It was phenomenal,” described McNeill. “It feels really good to give something back to the community.”
McNeill organized Breath Strokes for Healthy Lungs in honour of her dear friend Arlene Lefurgey who passed away due to a lung disease in 2009.
McNeill had a personal goal of raising $5,000 for the P.E.I.L.A. She was overwhelmed when her total raised reached more than $11,000.
Sixteen teams, consisting of about 100 swimmers, participated in the swim held at Credit Union Place.
“Each team spent 30 minutes in the water. Four teams swam at a time,” McNeill explained. “When people weren’t in the water they were cheering on the other teams.”
"It feels really good to give something back to the community." - Barb McNeill
She said she was thrilled with the age range of participants that showed their support.
“We had people there as young as five to well past 75 years of age,” said McNeill.
McNeill said with the success of Saturday’s swim, she is already hoping to make it an annual event.

New concert site pleases organizers

2010-06-30T05:11:00.000-07:00

Great job to the organizers of this event, in particular to Katy Baker.

SUMMERSIDE
AMBER NICHOLSON
The Journal Pioneer

Concert organizers say Saturday's opening night of the Summerside Outdoor Concert Series was an overall success.
More than 1,000 people attended the Joel Plaskett concert, opened by P.E.I.'s John Connolly.
"It was fabulous," said event co-ordinator Katy Baker. "The concert was everything I hoped for."
Baker said the challenge of turning the Canada Games sports grounds into a rock concert setting over the past couple of weeks was a significant infrastructure transformation.
"It really turned into a concert site," she said. "We have six-foot walls, licensed and unlicensed areas, a great light show, lots of security. It all worked out perfect."
Baker said holding Summerside's first major outdoor rock concert was a team effort that included the generosity of the star performer.
"Joel Plaskett signed a 90-minute contract for him and one other band mate, but he was so excited about his first time playing in Summerside that he brought his whole band and they played for two and a half hours," Baker said.
The concert series will continue Saturday, July 3 with Islander Megan Blanchard opening for Matt Anderson. Other concert dates include July 21 and Aug. 7 and 14. All concerts begin at 8 p.m. at the Canada Games complex located on the grounds of Credit Union Place.
To purchase tickets for the Summerside Outdoor Concert Series phone 432-1234 or purchase online at cupevents.ca.

IT Firm Leaving

2010-06-30T05:05:00.000-07:00

Just when you think we you are getting ahead in the downtown this happens. I feel terrible for the families. These people who work there are really well trained and I know they will land on their feet. I know there is a team working really hard to find IT companies to go into the Holmans Building so we will see what other opportunities will come to Summerside.

IT firm pulls out of city
About 40 high-paying jobs moving to Israel
SUMMERSIDE
COLIN MACLEAN AND STEPHEN BRUN
The Journal Pioneer

Summerside is losing more than 40 jobs based out of the Holman Building in the city's downtown.
Carestream Health Inc., which is owned by the Onex Corporation, develops a range of health-related information technology services. The company branch has been located in Summerside for 10 years and is a high paying employer in the community.
But yesterday the company's head office announced they would be relocating its Summerside branch to the Middle East at the end of December.
"We're moving forward with plans to consolidate development of one of our key software platforms to one group, operating out of our facility in Ra'anana, Israel," said Robert Salmon, director of corporate communications, from the company’s head office in Rochester, New York.
"We've been very, very happy in Prince Edward Island. This is simply a business decision based on the fact that we're going to be able to produce a product that will satisfy more customers if we do more of the work under one roof."
Salmon stated that some – he wasn't sure how many – local employees would be offered the chance to transfer with the company to Israel or another location within the corporation.
The Journal Pioneer was in contact with an employee who wished to remain anonymous in hopes of retaining some form of employment with the company.
"What's done is done. People are mad, very mad," the employee said. "This isn't the first time this office has been on the chopping block. In the 10 years the office has been on existence on P.E.I., this is the third time we've been on the chopping block, and I guess the third times the charm.
"Nobody wants to go to Israel, there's very few people who want to go to Rochester, New York,” the worker said. “These people are from here and they want to stay. Why would they want to go to Israel?"
Summerside Mayor Basil Stewart had heard rumours on Tuesday that Carestream here was closing, but didn't receive confirmation until late in the evening.
"Very, very disappointed. There's no question about that, but we get hit with these things and we have to deal with them. We'll deal with it the best way we can," the mayor said. "We feel bad for the employees, but we will certainly do whatever we can to get other employment in here for the employees."

Brochure

2010-06-24T18:19:00.000-07:00

I will be going around the ward the next 2-3 weeks placing a brochure in mailboxes encouraging residents to get involved in the City's Neighbourhood Watch Program. I will also be looking for residents input into various aspects of the City's operations. Looking forward to getting out and chatting with people and hope to get some uptake into the Neighbourhood Watch.

Traffic Management

2010-05-13T10:09:00.001-07:00

City needs to create traffic plan
MIKE CARSON
The Journal Pioneer
Safety on city streets will be the focus of next month’s police committee meeting.Councillor Cory Thomas, chairman of the committee, said the city needs an overall traffic management plan to make municipal streets and roadways safer for motorists and pedestrians alike.The issue took on more urgency following an accident Tuesday on Water Street by the mini-mall at the intersection of MacEwen Road. Travelling west, the street is single lane until it approaches the intersection of MacEwen Road. It then expands into a three-lane route with a right turn onto MacEwen Road; a left turn onto Glovers Shore Road; and a lane for through traffic. Motorists have complained the roadway is not well marked and is a prime area for an accident.Thomas said he contacted Police Chief David Poirier about the matter who in turn was in touch with municipal works to deal with the problem.Thomas said this is the type of situation he wants to see avoided in the future and he will be looking to set up a citywide traffic management plan.“Right now, we’re doing ad hoc management,” he said. “We’re waiting for something to happen and then address it. I want to see a consolidated strategy to respond to public concerns about traffic in residential neighbourhoods and our main streets.”The traffic management plan would involve city engineers, the city planner, police and municipal works staff to develop a strategy and outline where the city needs to go, Thomas said.Areas that would be addressed include better street markings, the inclusion of a police traffic unit and park development.“We have a park in the west end, Notre Dame Street Park, and there’s no four-way-stop near it,” Thomas said. “Yet there is a four-way-stop up the road. Is it safe for the kids to be crossing the street to have access to that park? Those are the sorts of things we need to look at.”Other options open to discussion are the need for additional speed display boards, signage including ‘caution children at play’ signs, others designating turning restrictions, flashing school zone signs, and markings on the pavement.“If people don’t see a turn marking on the pavement they may not know it’s a turning lane,” he said. “The one on Read Drive is confusing. Some people think it is a turning lane going into Meadow Heights and some people think it’s a slow lane. It’s actually a slow lane.”Speeding is always a problem within the city and Thomas said a traffic management plan would help address that issue. He suggested rumble strips across crosswalks to slow traffic down in those areas, speed bumps in subdivisions and better pavement marking.“We can keep waiting until something happens and then address it,” he said. “There are all kinds of things that a plan could help with and we don’t have one. You want to try the best you can to minimize accidents. As councillors we can throw our arms up and the air and wait for something to happen or we can be progressive. I prefer the progressive approach.”

Central Street

2010-05-06T10:50:00.000-07:00

The City also needs a Neighbourhood Traffic Plan, which will help reduce vehicle speeds and will minimize conflicts. We need to invest in more Speed Display Boards, Road Watch Programs (reporting unsafe drivers), and More Watch for Children Signs Playing signs and cross walk improvements.

Summerside may lower Central Street speed limit
MIKE CARSON
The Journal Pioneer
SUMMERSIDE — Motorists are being advised to prepare for a major change in the speed limit on north Central Street.The city’s police committee has recommended that council approve replacing the 70 km/h speed limit to 50 km/h on the stretch of Central Street leading from Route 2 to the Pope Road intersection.Councillor Cory Thomas, chairman of the police committee, said the committee received a petition from residents in the area calling for the speed reduction and the installation of sidewalks along that stretch or roadway.Thomas said this change will bring Central Street in line with the city’s other northern entrance, Granville Street.“It’s 50 km/h currently on Granville Street which is the next street over and for some reason Central Street is 70 km/h and the police department is recommending that we reduce the speed limit there to 50 km/h,” Thomas said.Thomas said councillors at the committee meeting seemed to be in favour of the plan.“The police committee comprised of the mayor (Basil Stewart) and Coun. (Garth) Lyle seemed to be in favour of that as well. That’s the first step in making that street safer. If it goes through, the signs will be changed the next day.”He’ll bring the speed reduction motion to councillors at their May 17 meeting.The issue of sidewalks along Central Street didn’t come up before the police committee, Tuesday night. Thomas said that issue will go before the technical services committee for review and response.Thomas said the police have stepped up patrols in the area to help reduce the amount of speeding along the street.While the city does have speed dollies - flashing signs telling motorists how fast they are going - Thomas wants permanent electronic speed signs at all of the entrances to the city.“A lot of times people who are speeding are just not paying attention,” he said. “It’s a good reminder to slow down. The RCMP brought it to my attention that those (electronic signs) do work. I would eventually like to see permanent ones on Read Drive, at the entrance to the city, Water Street East, South Drive, Central Street, all the main entrances. If we’re going to reduce speeding we have to come up with some creative ways to do that. We can’t keep doing what we always did because we’re just going to get the same results.”Thomas said there is also a need to look at neighbourhood traffic plans to reduce speeding within the city and make streets safer for everyone. Along with controlling speed this would also involve better crosswalk markings.“This is going to take some time to do, but I really think this needs to be done,” Thomas said. “We just can’t be planning ad hoc. I think we need to take a progressive approach to this.”

Homelessness 'hidden problem' in Prince Edward Island

2010-05-04T09:12:00.000-07:00

Homelessness continues to grow at vast rates across Canada, not just in large urban centres, but in the rural areas of the country. Many attempts from the voluntary and municipal levels have been made to address this complex issue, but what is needed to tackle this issue is for all sectors (voluntary and public) to stop “passing the buck”, develop partnerships, and work with private industry to develop affordable housing strategies and job creation programs across the country. There is a massive misconception in the public regarding homelessness.

Great job by this committee in their research!

Homelessness 'hidden problem' in Prince Edward Island Community advisory committee's report card finds demand for services is increasing
WAYNE THIBODEAU
The Guardian

It was the constant feeling of fear that bothered Paul the most.He was a young man in his early 20s who left the pastoral landscapes of Prince Edward Island for the excitement of one of Canada’s largest cities.But Vancouver did not hold the promise Paul, who asked that we not use his real name, had hoped for.Within weeks, he was on the streets.He started using drugs. For weeks the only place he had to lay his head was a jail cell, then he was back out on the streets.“I remember it was cold, it didn’t matter if it was sunny and warm or what the weather was it was always cold,” said Paul, who is now back in Prince Edward Island and living at a group home.“I was always hungry too.”But what Paul remembers most is always living in fear.“It was always a very fearful thing. I was always afraid or paranoid. It’s certainly not a sane or a safe way to live. It certainly isn’t.”A group called the P.E.I. Community Advisory Committee on Homelessness released its first P.E.I. Report Card on Homelessness.The report card documents the current state of homelessness in Prince Edward Island.The report card says in 2009 nearly 5,500 shelter beds were used, a number that surprised some front-line service workers.Women tend to seek shelter more than men.Ian Scott of the Salvation Army said homelessness is a problem in Prince Edward Island. He said the report indicates the problem is wider spread than even he thought. “It’s a hidden problem,” said Scott.“Charlottetown is one of those cities that hides issues like this really easily. The people we have coming in on a day-to-day basis would indicate that the problem is larger than it looks.”Scott said the problems are getting worse. He said demand for their services is increasing substantially.“The need for us here in Charlottetown since Christmas has just grown dramatically.”The report is calling for all three levels of government to come together to end homelessness.At the federal level, the report is calling for a National Housing Strategy; significant increase to programs including Canada Pension Plan, Old Age Security, Guaranteed Income Supplement and Employment Insurance, as well as increased supports for the Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation.The report card calls on the provincial government to implement a poverty reduction strategy, something that has been in the works for years.Municipal governments need to commit resources to support community non-profit housing projects while individuals are being asked to welcome all types of housing in their neighbourhood including low-income housing.Sharon Cameron, deputy minister of Community Services, Seniors and Labour, said any society is judged on the merits of how well it takes care of its most vulnerable people.Cameron was in attendance for the release of the report card. That happened at a noon news conference at the Salvation Army’s Charlottetown headquarters.“This is a very complicated issue,” said Cameron, adding the issue of homelessness cannot be tackled on its own without also looking at employment, disabilities, addiction and other contributing factors. “It’s sad and it’s unfortunate that in 2010 that any province has these kinds of issues that they have to deal with.”The report card’s authors hope to update it annually to hopefully measure the progress on the road to end homelessness in P.E.I.Paul’s long and winding road has turned around. He’s in treatment for both his addiction and his mental health issues. He’s living in a group home in Charlottetown. He believes that life on the street has made him a stronger person.“What had been a liability in them days, has become an asset for me today.”
By the numbers:
5,428: number of times shelter beds were used;242: number of individuals who stayed in a shelter;117: number of women;46: number of men;17: number of youth;68: number of individuals “turned away” from shelters;6: number of food banks in P.E.I.2: number of soup kitchens.SOURCE: P.E.I. Report Card on HomelessnessShelters:
In P.E.I. there are four emergency shelters in operation including:- Anderson House in Charlottetown, 20 beds;- Bedford MacDonald House in Charlottetown, 6 beds;- Grandmother’s House in Charlottetown, 6 beds;- Chief Mary Bernard Memorial Shelter in Lennox Island, 12 beds.- There are no emergency shelters in operation in Summerside, an issue raised as an area of concern by the report.SOURCE: P.E.I. Report Card on Homelessness

City Pleased With Advantage

2010-05-04T09:11:00.000-07:00

Mayor Stewart Pleased with Advantage Communications Expansion

Summerside Mayor Basil Stewart is pleased with the recent announcement of Advantage Communications Inc. expanding to Summerside. “The creation of up to 100 jobs in Summerside by an established Island based contact centre is welcome news to our city. With the closure of the Davis and Henderson (formerly Resolve) contact centre in Summerside, there are employees in our area who did not transfer with the company and it is our hope that these experienced employees will find employment with Advantage Communications”, said Mayor Stewart.

Advantage Communications Inc. provides outsourced customer relationship management solutions to clients across North America and has developed core expertise in technical support and customer care application. They have a strong client portfolio in the customer service, internet service provider, application service provider, hardware, and software industries.
Mayor Stewart stated, “On behalf of City Council, I would like to thank the Provincial Government and the Hon. Allan Campbell, Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning and his department for their work and assistance on attracting this new business to our city and to Advantage Communications Inc. President and CEO, Kent MacPhee for his investment in our community. We look forward to this new Summerside business opening soon”

New Jobs for Summerside

2010-04-28T09:43:00.000-07:00

Good news announcement today. Summerside received a major blow a while ago with the announcement by the former Resolve. This should help the city with replacing those lost jobs. I am really happy at this announcement.

Advantage Communications Expanding to Summerside
Summerside, PEI, April 28, 2010 -- An Island based contact centre is expanding to Summerside with plans to create up to 100 new jobs, says Hon. Allan Campbell, Minister of Innovation and Advanced Learning.
"The Government of Prince Edward Island is pleased to see new jobs being created as a result of growth at a well established Island business," said Minister Campbell. "This opportunity will create an immediate impact in the area by providing stable employment for experienced workers in the contact centre industry."
Advantage Communications Inc. provides Customer Relationship Management solutions to clients across North America. Advantage has developed core expertise in Technical Support and Customer Care applications. The company is based in Charlottetown and has operations Souris, PEI, and Dieppe, New Brunswick. Advantage is now looking to Prince County for its next stage of growth.
"Our company is pleased to be establishing strong presence in the Summerside area," said Kent MacPhee, president and CEO of Advantage Communications. "We decided to expand in this area because of a well trained, experienced workforce. Employees available to us are second to none in terms of skill and work ethic. Advantage Communications is looking forward to becoming a member of the Summerside business community."
Advantage Communications is eligible to apply for labour rebate programs delivered by the Department of Innovation and Advanced Learning and Innovation PEI. The company will receive funding based on the number of jobs it creates.
"This expansion is a direct result of our Governments commitment to growing the Information Technology sector across our province," said Minister Campbell. "We look forward to continued growth with this company in the years ahead. This is fantastic news for the Summerside area and the entire province."
Advantage Communications has developed a strong client portfolio in the Customer Service, Internet Service Provider, Application Service Provider, Hardware, and Software industries. Recruiting is about to begin for the new office in Summerside.
Fore more information, please visit www.advantagecall.com.

Neighbourhood Safety Watch

2010-04-23T04:47:00.001-07:00

PRESS RELEASE
CITY OF SUMMERSIDE
In response to initiative proposed by the Community Safety and Crime Prevention Advisory Committee recently approved by City Council, The City of Summerside is launching 2 crime prevention programs aimed at involving residents in protecting their homes, valuables, and neighbourhoods.
The goal of Neighbourhood Watch and Operation Identification is to reduce crime by encouraging neighbours to take an active role in the prevention and reporting of suspicious activity by keeping their eyes and ears open to what is happening in their community – watching out for themselves as well as their neighbours – reporting suspicious activity, keeping garage doors closed and doors locked, and by being aware.
Brochures explain how to protect homes and property as well as how to organize a Neighbourhood Watch. Communities with these programs are communities where thieves are not welcome and where property crime rates drop. Neighbours looking out for neighbours enjoy the benefits of safer friendlier communities. Put simply, good neighbours have good neighbours.
Rev. Dr. Andrew Richardson, chair of the Community Safety and Crime Prevention Advisory Committee stated; “the key to prevention is at the neighbourhood level, where communities come together”.
Neighbourhood Watch and Operation Identification information brochures will be coming to residents in their utility bills this spring. In addition, they can be picked up at the Summerside Showcase 2010 Trade Fair April 23-25, the City of Summerside Police Services, City Hall, and at sponsor locations – Summerside Canadian Tire and Colours locations.
Marked valuables have less appeal to thieves as they are easily identified and cannot be pawned. The Summerside Canadian Tire is generously donating engravers to Summerside Police Services. When they arrive Summerside residents will be able to borrow these in order to engrave their valuables with their own unique mark. Once valuables are marked, Police Services will provide window decals to place on homes, sheds and vehicles identifying that Operation Identification is in force.
Working together, we can prevent crime.

Farmers Market

2010-04-21T04:24:00.000-07:00

This market is so important to the downtown and there is great potential to continue to develop this product. Creative promotions and partnerships will certainly help create awareness. I try to go every Saturday to buy my beef, cheese, eggs, vegtables. Great pork from Randal McFarlane as well but of course we also have great political debates when I get my pork. It is also a great spot to have breakfast and a coffee and listen to stories from the regulars.

Farmers market celebrates second year
SUMMERSIDE
STEPHEN BRUN
The Journal Pioneer
Summerside's farmers market is all grown up.This June, the market will be two years old, and it's already established a devoted following. But Arthur Davies, who was elected the market's new chair last weekend, said some area residents still don't know what it has to offer."We believe we have a good thing here. For so many things, we have to go to Charlottetown and it's like we're not grown up enough to have our own things," Davies said. "Now we have our own market and it's as good as Charlottetown's and, I would say, better because it's ours. We don't play second fiddle at all."Better advertising will be the board's priority for the coming summer. It wants everyone to be aware of the market and what it offers, Davies said. "The market is a dream come true, but it's a lot of work. It's like a marriage. You get out of it what you put into it," he said "We just have to change the mentality of some people in Summerside to let them know, 'This is yours.'"The board recently simplified the market's name, changing it from the Spring Street to the Summerside Farmers Market. The idea of opening an extra day during summer has also been considered, but Davies said it's difficult for vendors who work to get the time off. There is, however, a waiting list of booths to fill the market this summer."It seems like ages ago that we were struggling in the Shipyard Market. The idea of a farmers market just wasn't there - Summerside had lost its farmers market culture," Davies said. "You need people to be able to get up on a Saturday morning and not even think about where they're going, it's just what they do."Even on "slow" weekends this past winter, the market still draws a good crowd of regulars who come to socialize and buy locally produced food and crafts.Davies said the market isn't trying to compete with large chain grocery stores like Sobey's and the Atlantic Superstore.He feels it's the other way around. "We have nothing to compete with because they can't provide what we have. We have something unique so it would be more that they're trying to compete with us in trying to stay local," he said. "We've started to develop a culture, we really have. You only have to come here and stand (in the market) on a Saturday morning. There are some people that are sitting in the same place every weekend."

Important to Pick Up After Your Pets

2010-03-26T09:19:00.000-07:00

We walk our dog everyday and we always pick up her mess, while not a pleasant chore, we recognize the importance to the health and safety of other animals. I really get annoyed when I come across dog feces around the city as it can spread disease to other dogs.

Parvovirus infecting Island dogs
AMBER NICHOLSON
The Journal Pioneer
SUMMERSIDE — P.E.I. Veterinary Medical Association is advising Island dog owners that there has been a noticeable increase of dogs infected with the canine parvovirus.Dog owner Dean Kent of Summerside is all too familiar with the virus. His medical service dog named “One” is a parvovirus survivor.“He got the virus last summer and had to take pills for 10 days before he got better,” said Kent, about his obedient black lab.Parvovirus, commonly referred to “parvo”, is spread by dog-to-dog contact and contact with the virus in infected feces. The virus causes lethargy, loss of appetite, fever, vomiting and diarrhea in dogs. PEIVMA advises that even with intensive treatment, severely affected dogs may not survive.“The virus is extremely resistant to disinfectants. It can survive in the environment for a long period of time,” said PEIVMA public relations co-ordinator Carrie Lavers.Unvaccinated dogs and puppies are especially prone to the disease. Puppies should be vaccinated at eight, 12 and 16 weeks and adult dogs’ vaccinations should be kept current.Many Island clinics are seeing more cases of parvovirus than normal but there have been no confirmed cases at Kensington Veterinary Clinic, Summerside Animal Hospital or Gillis Veterinary Clinic in Summerside. Dr. Janice Gillis of Gillis Veterinary Clinic encourages pet owners with dogs having severe diarrhea to bring their dog to the vet immediately.“We haven’t had anything yet that we are worried is parvo,” said Gillis. “We do vaccinate all dogs here against the parvo disease.”P.E.I. Humane Society has not been as fortunate.“We had to humanely euthanize an infected dog here where the virus was just too far along,” said Humane Society development co-ordinator Lisa Hashie.Hashie reminds all Island dog owners to ensure their pets are properly vaccinated and to contact their veterinarian if they have any concerns.

Possible Solar Panel Plant for Summerside

2010-03-12T06:17:00.000-08:00

What a perfect fit for Slemon Park and would create green jobs for PEI. Perfect fit with the City Wind Farm in St. Eleanors and our other environmental initiatives.

Solar panel plant eyed for Summerside
Last Updated: Thursday, March 11, 2010 10:25 PM AT
CBC News

P.E.I. may soon become the home of a large solar-panel factory with a proposal from an Ontario firm and an India-based company.
Solar Source Corp. has teamed up a company from India called HHV on a plan to build a $65-million plant at Slemon Park in Summerside.
Jamie Ballem, the province's former Progressive Conservative energy minister, is now the director of Solar Source, which is part of the SolarBancorp Group of Companies based in Ontario.
He said HHV has been in the solar-panel business for almost 50 years.
"They are a legitimate company," Ballem told CBC News. "Their panels are certified for North America, which is critical. With the expansion of solar energy production across the world, they want to move to North America."
Ballem would not comment on financing details, but said HHV is putting its own money into the plan.
"The equipment is close to $40 million by itself," he said.
No site chosen
While HHV has not yet chosen a location for the plant, Ballem said P.E.I. has "a great shot" at being picked.
"When you look at the market around the world, it's one of the fastest-growing energy markets ... solar production. It's very passive and it's expensive. So we're not looking to generate electricity in P.E.I., we're looking to make the panels and export them," he said.
Ballem said if a plant is constructed, it would create 120 jobs in Summerside. He said there is a verbal commitment from the federal and provincial governments and they will be expected to provide some funding.
P.E.I. Energy Minister Richard Brown would not say how much money the province would contribute, but said he supports the plan.
"I think it's a great project for Prince Edward Island. Also, it fits in with our energy plan and our prosperity plan," he said. "I hope the company will choose Prince Edward Island and come here."
Ballem said the first phase of a four-phase development would see solar panels manufactured by the fall of 2011.

Scam

2010-02-25T09:27:00.001-08:00

Summerside police advise of telemarketing scam
STAFF
The Journal Pioneer
SUMMERSIDE - The city's police service is advising the general public of a telemarketing scam where solicitation is made purportedly in the name of mobility companies.
The scammers offer a free cell phone and say they do not have sufficient information besides the customer’s telephone number.
The caller then asks for the customer’s name, address, date of birth, social insurance number, and credit card numbers.
The public should never provide personal information over the phone. Summerside Police Services advises hanging up and contacting your local police or Phone Busters (the Canadian anti-fraud Call Centre).

Champion

2010-02-25T04:34:00.001-08:00

Moyse golden
STEPHEN BRUN
The Journal Pioneer
WHISTLER, B.C. – Summerside’s unofficial delegation to the Vancouver Olympics was in full celebration mode. About 20 of Heather Moyse’s family and friends tried to soak in the 31-year-old’s historic gold medal win in the women’s two-person bobsled competition yesterday. Speaking just moments after his sister and her driving partner Kaillie Humphries took to the top of the podium, Walter Moyse was still trying to absorb the meaning of the win. “In Torino four years ago (where Moyse and Helen Upperton narrowly missed the podium), she was a first-time Olympian, then this year she was a two-time Olympian and now my sister’s an Olympic champion,” he said from the Whistler Sliding Centre. “It’s crazy.”Moyse and Humphries, in the Canada 1 sled, became the first Canadian gold-medal winners in women’s bobsled history. They enjoyed a comfortable 0.57 of a second lead coming into the final heat, and posted a total time of 3:32:28 over their four runs to take the top spot. But they weren’t the only reason fans had to cheer for their country. Canada 2’s Upperton and brakeman Shelley-Ann Brown blazed down the track in a total time of 3:33:13 to claim a silver medal. Garth Turtle, who coached Moyse over 13 years ago at Three Oaks Senior High School, was also in attendance Wednesday night in Whistler.He said the sensational run by Upperton nearly overshadowed Moyse and Humphries’ moment. “Upperton had done so well and the place went absolutely nuts so no one was really paying attention when Heather and Kaillie started. All of a sudden someone said, ‘Oh my God, they’re gone,’” Turtle said. “I’ve seen a lot of things, but this was the experience of a lifetime. It was absolutely unbelieveable.” Moyse’s supporters barely had time to speak with Heather, who was doing interviews with a slew of media outlets after the race, but Walter said the family would get a chance to see the Island's Olympic hero at Canada House later that night. “I just got a chance to hug her and tell her she had a great race,” said Walter. But did anyone get much sleep last night after the big win? “Probably not,” laughed Walter. “There’s a lot of excitement here and it's still sinking in. We're ready to celebrate.”

Go Heather!

2010-02-24T04:42:00.000-08:00

Record run Moyse, Humphries gold-medal favourites in women’s bobsled
MARC WEBER Canwest Olympic Team
WHISTLER, B.C. – While most Canadians had their eyes on the men’s hockey team Tuesday night, Kaillie Humphries and Heather Moyse scored a hat trick at the Whistler Sliding Centre.The Canada 1 crew established themselves as favourites for Wednesday night’s women’s bobsled final, leading the field through two of four runs.Humphries and Moyse set a track start record (5.11 seconds), track speed record (146.9 km/h) and track time record (53.01 seconds) on the night.Their combined time of one minute 46.2 seconds was 13/100ths better than the unheralded Erin Pac in USA 2. Then it’s a logjam for third.Germany 2, driven by Cathleen Martini, clocked in at 1:46.60, followed by Helen Upperton and Shelley-Ann Brown in Canada 2 (1:46.62) and Germany 1 driven by Sandra Kiriasis (1:46.64).Kiriasis, 35, is attempting to defend her Olympic gold medal from Turin, and while she topped the overall World Cup standings this season, she did so without a single victory.It was her countrywoman, Martini, 27, who paced the pack with five World Cup wins.Humphries, a 24-year-old from Calgary, and Moyse, a 31-year-old from Summerside, P.E.I., have an interesting history.It was Moyse, one of the world’s best female rugby players, who parachuted in before the Turin Games and beat out Humphries - then a brakeman - for the right to push Upperton.Humphries missed out on her Olympic dream, while Moyse and Upperton missed out on the podium by 5/100ths of a second.They’ve developed an impressive chemistry. In eight World Cup races this season, the pair broke six start records and tied two others. They hit the podium four times, including a win in Altenberg, Germany.Upperton, 30, had only one podium finish this season - a second-place in Altenberg, Germany, and that was with Jenny Ciochetti on brakes.Brown, a 29-year-old from Scarborough, Ont., beat out Ciochetti for the Olympic spot and both she and Upperton flashed wrist bands with a message of support for Ciochetti to TV cameras while briefly holding down the leader’s spot in the finish area.The North American sleds are looking to put a dent in Germany’s dominance at the Whistler Sliding Centre, where they’ve won nine of 18 medals across luge, skeleton and bobsled.Track officials made what drivers called minor changes to the track over the last two days, chipping away ice through corners 11, 12 and 13 - the latter known as “50-50” - to make it safer.Two four-man sleds crashed in training Sunday, which prompted a re-evaluation of the chute.

Job Loss in Summerside

2010-02-19T04:29:00.000-08:00

This is a major blow to a community such as ours. 177 jobs moved out of a community of 14,000 will be felt by our shops and services. I was sick to my stomach as I know what it is like to have someone in your family have a major decision to make such as this. We will need to work really hard to replace some of the job loss this community has seen in the last while. It will take a joint effort with the City, Province, SRDC, and Chamber of Commerce working together to develop a strategy to encourage new business development.

Call centre jobs leave Summerside for Charlottetown
Last Updated: Thursday, February 18, 2010 10:02 PM AT
CBC News
Trina Gordon, who owns a restaurant in the same building as the call centre, described the Summerside office as chaotic and sad Thursday. (CBC)
A major call centre on P.E.I. is closing its Summerside office and consolidating all its services in Charlottetown.
All 177 employees in Summerside are being given the option of working in Charlottetown.
The two call centres were established by Watts Communications in 1996 and 1998, but were more recently operated under the name Resolve. In July of last year, they were taken over by Davis + Henderson.
Tom Band, vice-president of call centre operations for the company, said the decision to consolidate was made because the firm doesn't need all the space in the two buildings.
"When we looked at our short-term growth needs and our long-term growth needs and the capacity available to us in our two sites, it was an easy choice for us to select Charlottetown," said Band.
'To say I'm disappointed would be an understatement.'— Bruce MacDougall, deputy mayor, Summerside
"Our technology, our infrastructure and capacity for future growth can be accommodated in Charlottetown itself. It would just not be possible, unfortunately, in Summerside."
The news came as a shock to the Summerside employees, who found out Thursday. Davis + Henderson is one of the biggest employers in the city.
"It's pretty chaotic in there right now," said Trina Gordon, who owns a restaurant in the same building as the call centre.
"I'm just standing back watching people, and there's people, you know, fighting over the phones, there's people calling schools to see if they can get into schools, there's people calling their families to tell their families before they hear it on the news, and there's a lot of people crying, you know. It's chaotic and it's sad."
Band said the company is doing what it can to ease the transition. Summerside employees are being given a retention bonus if they stay on and a relocation allowance.
But that does nothing to soften the blow for the city of Summerside, where there are suddenly 177 fewer jobs.
"To say I'm disappointed would be an understatement. We weren't expecting this one," said deputy mayor Bruce MacDougall.
"News like this for any community is devastating, and especially for Summerside."
Still, Summerside city council hasn't given up on the company or the jobs, said MacDougall.
"I think the first thing we have to do is to contact the company, see if there's an opportunity we can sit down with ourselves and the province, maybe come up with some incentives for them to stay in Summerside," he said.
The employees in Summerside who decide to transfer will be brought into the Charlottetown centre in three phases beginning in April. The facility in Summerside will close by the end of May, when Davis + Henderson plans to have all 470 of its P.E.I. workers in Charlottetown.
Once the consolidation is complete the Charlottetown centre will employ 470 people.
Davis + Henderson, founded in 1875, employs 4,700 people in Canada, including 888 in the Maritimes.

Resolution at City Council- Crime Prevention

2010-02-18T07:06:00.000-08:00

Here is the resolution I put forward at City Council on Tuesday:

Whereas the City of Summerside saw the need to address crime and community safety and formed the Community Safety and Crime Prevention Advisory Committee;

And Whereas the Committee after many months of consultations, meetings, etc. have presented their findings and recommendations to City Council;

Be It Resolved that the City of Summerside adopts the Community Safety Audit and Planning Report presented by the Community Safety and Crime Prevention Advisory Committee,

And Be It Further Resolved that in 2010 the City of Summerside commence on the implementation of some of the recommendations contained within the report. Those recommendations that we start implementing immediately include:

1. Increase citizen engagement in crime prevention and community safety by implementing Neighborhood Safety Teams in each of the eight City Wards.
2. Provide a focal point for leadership- by appointing a staff person to coordinate and work with city departments and community groups to assess gaps in crime prevention activities within the city and send monthly reports to city council through the Chair of Summerside Police Services
3. Increase access to facilities and programs by having staff in Community Services conduct an internal audit of all programs within the department and develop a strategy to enhance access to programs and facilities for low income children and youth within our city which would include developing a policy framework on fee structures to present to council for consideration. This would also include partnering with schools and not for profit organizations to see what gaps exist in terms of recreation programming for children and youth within the City.
4. Explore and assess the potential for city by-laws to address crime prevention and community safety.
5. Council sending a letter to the Attorney General for the Province of Prince Edward Island requesting the Province assess the impacts of Safer Communities and Neighbourhoods legislation in other jurisdictions.

This bears the recommendation of the Police Services Meeting of February 1, 2010

Senseless Act

2010-02-05T04:25:00.000-08:00

Says a lot about someone to hit a dog and not try to find the owners. As a dog owner, I really feel for this family.

Senseless act Family devastated after pet killed by snowmobiler
STEPHEN BRUN The Journal Pioneer
KENSINGTON – Sandy would lie in bed with Justine Pierce until the seven-year-old drifted off to sleep at night. But Sandy’s not there now and Justine, her sister Corie, and their mother Rebecca can barely slept at all. Shortly after 8 p.m. Wednesday, the amiable miniature golden retriever was struck by a snowmobile on the Confederation Trail, mere yards behind the Pierces’ Kensington home.
"The pitch of the motor in one of the skidoos changed and I had this gut-wrenching, horrible feeling," said Rebecca. "There were five seconds where it just didn't sound right. I went to the door and I called her and called her and called her. She's never out for more than five minutes at nighttime."Rebecca's boyfriend Pat went out to investigate when Sandy didn't come to the door. He found her lying dead on the trail. Snowmobile tracks veered off to the side of the trail near the point of impact and appeared to come dangerously close to a nearby tree before continuing on toward Summerside. The driver never stopped.That incident is upsetting for Kensington Police Chief Lewis Sutherland. An officer went to investigate Wednesday night, but found little evidence of the snowmobile. "There were a number of sleds on the trail at that time, but this person didn't have the common courtesy to stop," said Sutherland. "We have no leads at this time, but hopefully someone in that group will come forward with some information. I don't think someone would run the dog down on purpose, but I don't know."Although there is no speed limit for snowmobiles along the Confederation Trail, it is policed by wardens through the P.E.I. Snowmobile Association.Pierce said she'd like to see more enforcement and lower posted speed limits through residential areas. "That could've been my seven-year-old daughter out there on the trail, or my 17-year-old coming home from a friend's house. It could've been a neighbour walking their dog or a skier," she said."If they want to open it up to 130 in a field somewhere, go ahead. Don't do it in my backyard and have a little more respect for whatever else might be on the trail."Sandy was a quiet dog who played with the family's cats and always greeted visitors or the kids at the door when they came home. For the Pierce family, she'll never be replaced. "I'd just like the person who did it to understand what they've done," said Rebecca. "I know a lot of people are not animal people and to them it's just a dog. But to us, she was a very important part of our family. Because of their carelessness, we don't have her anymore."

Summerside's business community weathered recession well

2010-01-21T07:41:00.000-08:00

Lots of projects this past summer that kept people working and dollars being spent around the community. Just in Wilmot, Crozier Drive had all the ditches filled in, Water Street East completely repaved, Weschester Street repaved, walking bridge at Reads Corner removed (filled in and repaved) and some side walk repairs.

Summerside's business community weathered recession well
STEPHEN BRUN The Journal Pioneer
SUMMERSIDE - The financial crisis may not be over yet, but the Summerside Chamber of Commerce says local businesses are doing well. The chamber held their annual meeting Wednesday at the Silver Fox Curling Club. Outgoing president Rudy Smith said, despite some lingering challenges with the economy, the city's businesses are in good shape."The three levels of government did a fabulous job of working together to get the stimulus packages out there and the money back into the economy right away," said Smith. "They (the governments) want alignment of goals as opposed to friction and conflict. Our businesses in the Summerside area are doing a very good job of co-ordinating our goals, but there's always room for improvement in that area." Executive director John J. MacDonald said the chamber is focusing on member retention in 2010. The chamber's membership grew last year despite the recession, and MacDonald said the Canada Games played a big part in keeping the city's economy afloat. "The Canada Games allowed people to at least reach their budget goals, whether it was the accommodations or the service sector," he said. "We don't have a lot of manufacturing so that eliminates (business) closures. As long as you don't have closures and people are employed, the economy will usually do fine."Incoming chamber president Blair Dunn pointed to new tenants in the Holman building over the past year, including e-health company MDDx, as positive signs. Smith said he'd like to see that trend continue in 2010. "It's been a little bit slow and a challenging time for the powers that be to get new tenants in the Holman building, so we want to see that refocused in 2010 and assist the people at Summerside Regional Development Corporation in moving that forward."

Ditch Infilling Vote

2010-01-19T04:14:00.000-08:00

Summerside council rescinds ditch infilling co-pay policy after mayor breaks tie vote
MIKE CARSON Transcontinental Media
SUMMERSIDE — Who pays for ditch infilling remained a divisive issue right up until the end but when the votes were counted, city council had rescinded its 10 per cent co-pay policy and will now assume 100 per cent of the ditch infilling costs.The vote brings to an end one of the most contentious and divisive issues to go before city council in years.As expected, the vote was tied 4-4 with the deciding ballot in the hands of Summerside Mayor Basil Stewart.The mayor said publicly last week that if it came to his vote, he would vote to eliminate the tax.A crowd of about 50 residents applauded the final vote.“I’m very pleased that this has finally been put to bed and this ditch infilling issue has gone away,” said St. Eleanors resident Ray Howatt.Howatt was one of several residents who has fought long and hard to have the 10 per cent charge to property owners for ditch infilling eliminated.“It has been a dividing factor between the old city core and the amalgamated regions since day one,” he said. “It’s been nothing but a thorn in everybody’s side, including the councillors.”There was some confusion on the part of councillors over the wording of the vote. The initial motion said the elimination of the 10 per cent policy would become effective on Jan. 18, 2010. Councillors supporting the elimination of the tax quickly suggested the intent of the motion was to set the effective date as of Jan. 2009 so those residents opposing the tax would not have to pay.That raised the ire of Coun. Brent Gallant, who has strongly supported keeping the tax. He said altering the effective date for the bylaw was never discussed at the committee or the council level.“It may have been discussed outside by the four people who were contrary to it (the tax),” he said. “Coun. (Ron) Dowling had a motion out there and you saw his reaction as well as I did when it was suggested this should go back retroactive. All of a sudden there was a parley of the minds to follow through with that and put it on. It wasn’t discussed.”Gallant said residents of the old town paid a 50 per cent abutment charge which was lowered to 10 per cent following amalgamation in 1995. All residents have paid the fee — until now.Gallant said with this vote by council all city residents, not just those getting their ditches infilled, will have to shoulder the cost.“It’s not an issue of the city affording it, it’s an issue of fairness and being fair to all taxpayers,” he said.

The vote:
Coun. Ron Dowling: eliminate the tax;
Coun. Cory Thomas: eliminate the tax;
Coun. Garth Lyle: eliminate the tax;
Deputy Mayor Bruce MacDougall: eliminate the tax;
Coun. Brent Gallant: maintain the tax;
Coun. Vance Bridges: maintain the tax;
Coun. Norma McColeman: maintain the tax;
Coun. Barry Chappell: maintain the tax;
Mayor Basil Stewart: eliminate the tax.

Ditch Infilling Vote Tonight

2010-01-18T07:43:00.000-08:00

Spare residents the cost of ditch infilling
Other communities provide this service out of tax revenue, and so should Summerside.
The Guardian
Summerside residents who object to paying for ditch infilling have put up a valiant fight in arguing their case. City council's technical services committee may not agree with them, but residents could still win the day when the matter goes before council tonight and is finally decided.Since municipal amalgamation in 1995, Summerside has been operating the ditch infilling program for those areas brought into the boundaries of the expanded city of Summerside - Wilmot, Sherbrooke and St. Eleanors. Right now, the policy calls for residents to pay for 10 per cent of the cost of ditch infilling, and some residents have mounted a campaign to persuade the city to pay the full cost. The city gets funding from the federal and provincial governments for the work, they say, and so ditch infilling should simply be a service paid for through existing tax revenue.But the councillors who defend the policy say dropping the charge would cost the city $200,000 - revenue that would have to be recouped through property tax increases or through a reduction of other municipal services.The matter was debated at last week's technical services committee meeting, and with two of the three committee members favouring the status quo, the committee is recommending to council that it keep the 10 per cent co-pay in place. Council is scheduled to vote on this tonight. Four council members have already said they'll vote to remove the charge and three are on record as supporting it. That leaves one other councillor to determine the vote. If there's a tie, Mayor Basil Stewart will have to break it.In arguing their case, residents have pointed to Charlottetown and other municipalities where ditch infilling is a service paid for through general taxes. It's a compelling argument and it's one council shouldn't ignore. If taxes must go up to allow for full payment by the city, then so be it. At least all residents, and not just a select group, would bear the burden.

Ditch Infilling

2010-01-12T04:16:00.001-08:00

We will see on January 18th but looks like the 10% charge will be eliminated.

Ditch infilling charge should stay: Summerside committee
MIKE CARSON Transcontinental Media
SUMMERSIDE — Over the protests of nearly 80 Summerside residents, city council’s technical services committee is recommending a 10 per cent co-pay charge for ditch infilling be maintained.Committee members Couns. Brent Gallant and Vance Bridges voted to keep the charge while committee chairman Coun. Ron Dowling voted to eliminate the fee.The protest raised by residents hadn’t changed from previous debates with city councillors nor had the reasons elected officials offered to support their stands either in favour of the levy or against it.Several residents complained that the former town of Summerside has benefited from increased taxes charged to property owners since St. Eleanors, Wilmot and Sherbrooke were amalgamated in 1995.St. Eleanors resident Ray Howatt said his property taxes went from $700 a year to $2,500 a year since amalgamation but the services he receives haven’t really changed. He said with the extra money the city has collected from all the amalgamated communities since 1995 the city can certainly afford to undertake the entire cost of ditch infilling and not burden those from the former communities with an additional tax.Others raised issues of safety surrounding unfilled ditches and the dangers these pose to children in the area. They claimed public safety is a city responsibility and not one that should be forced on a few property owners.Complaints were also lodged over the amount of time the city is taking in getting the job done. Barry Copeland, also of St. Eleanors, said 16 years have passed since amalgamation and his ditch is still there. Copeland, a real estate agent, didn’t buy the claim by some councillors that property values will increase by thousands of dollars when ditches are infilled.Coun. Vance Bridges said without the additional 10 per cent income it will be difficult to get the job done.“My problem is if we vote this 10 per cent down we’re going to have a long, long time of uncertainty and the youngest person in here will probably not see any ditch infilling for a long, long time,” he said. “What we have to go through in order to be fair to those who have paid under the present system is to refund them and charge you nothing. And so I think in most cases what you are going to see is nothing.”Coun. Brent Gallant continued his contention that the city coffers will suffer if the $200,000 anticipated to be received through the remaining ditch infilling program projects is collected. He said that money will have to be made up in other ways through either cuts in services, no new services or property tax rate increases.Gallant reiterated his claim that in the old town of Summerside, property owners paid 50 per cent of the cost and that policy was changed to 10 per cent ten years ago. He said he saw no reason to change it now.City council will finally decide the issue on Monday, Jan. 18, at the January council meeting. The meeting begins at 6:30 p.m.
Council's stand:
Coun. Ron Dowling: eliminate the tax;Coun. Cory Thomas: eliminate the tax;Coun. Garth Lyle: eliminate the tax;Deputy Mayor Bruce MacDougall: eliminate the tax;Coun. Brent Gallant: maintain the tax;Coun. Vance Bridges: maintain the tax;Coun. Norma McColeman: maintain the tax;Coun. Barry Chappell: didn't commit;Mayor Basil Stewart: eliminate the tax.

Items for 2010- Only a Few- There are Many More!

2009-12-31T17:51:00.000-08:00

This year will be a busy year for me at council. Some of the items I will be working really hard to achieve this year include:

1. Paving for Perry and Meadow Heights Sub-divisions. Hopefully I will have support at council for this. I lobbied to have Water Street East repaved last year and we achieved that project.

2. Ditch-infilling- This has been ignored for years; finally we are seeing some progress. Last year, Crozier was completed in Lefurgey and hopefully I have council's support in investing more into this program. Also this program needs reviewed as I do not support the 10% charge to residents. I view this as another form of taxation. Should have been a more progressive plan to have ditches complete by now and I will continue to lobby. Interesting Technical Services meeting coming up on January 11th at 6pm to debate at council.

3. Crime Prevention Committee- This committee that we put together will be making some recommendations to council. These recommendations are based on consultations with the community at large, seniors groups, youth workers, police officers, not for profit groups, social workers, educators and professionals from justice. In my view, council needs to support their recommendations and I will be fighting hard to ensure that they get adopted.

4. Master Plan for Community Services- A master plan would involve consulting with the community through focus groups and surveys to find out the recreational and social needs of residents and then we would have to implement community priorities within an overall plan for the department. The department, in my view, has leaned towards an events component more so than a programming priority. We will continue to lobby for this at council. Stay tuned through the media for this.

5. City Utility- With our wind farm up and running, my hope is that residents not on the City Utility will one day be on the City Utility. I have lobbied, lobbied and lobbied and still this is not achieved. We will continue to work at this.

6. Anti-Poverty- As I have quietly done, I will still continue to lobby provincially, municipally and federally for the most vulnerable in our society. I have an open line of communication with our community groups and will continue to serve on the PEI Homelessness Initiative.

These are just some of the items I will continue to lobby for in 2010. Happy New Year!

Public Meeting- Crime Prevention

2009-10-23T16:44:00.000-07:00

Community Safety and Crime Prevention Committee will hold a public meeting and present their findings on Tuesday October 27th at 7pm- Three Oaks Senior High School. There will be an opportunity for public input. All welcome to attend.

Missing a Dog in Summerside

2009-10-04T07:06:00.000-07:00

Last night I was out in my garage BBQ'ing a steak before the hockey game when I noticed a dog walking down the street all by himself dragging a leash behind him. I went to get him and he came with me no problem. He was well kept and had a colar but no identification. I then phoned around the neighbourhood talking to various pet owners but nobody owned this dog. Obviously it is someones pet and not a stray as he was very well kept and friendly. I called police dispatch and nobody had called there to report a missing dog. I kept him here for a few hours, fed him and gave him some water. He watched the first two periods of the game with me but my poodle was getting jealous. Phoned dispatch again and nobody called. With no identification it is difficult for me to do anything- tried calling the radio stations and it is impossible to reach a live voice and getting the run around from their voice messages. I had dispatch send the dog cather down and they will keep him the the kennel for 5 days.

Many people do not know to call police dispatch if your dog is missing so hopefully the owner finds out to call City Police and they can bring their dog home. Hope they also get an identification for his collar. I will keep checking to see if someone claims him.

Community Safety and Crime Prevention Public Meeting

2009-09-29T18:00:00.000-07:00

The Community Safety and Crime Prevention Committee will be presenting their findings on crime within Summerside on October 27th, 7PM at Three Oaks. I believe in order to solve community problems, the community needs to become empowered to come up with solutions. When I took a graduate course on community development, I soon found a common theme in many of the articles and books I read that true community development happens from the bottom up and this committee and its start were a direct result of the community wanting solutions. Looking back through my old assignments, here is a few paragraphs I wrote about empowerment:

"Empowerment is a psychological feeling that individuals have when they believe they can accomplish specific goals. It can also be a group effort in which people are able to collectively work together to challenge political or organizational forces. This process results when ordinary citizens realize that they have power to collectively to confront, control how they proceed, and have final say in decision making." (Rubin et al, 2001)

"Empowerment is used when ordinary people collectively work together to challenge the mobilization of bias. This bias originates from the set of structures, norms, beliefs, rituals, policies, and procedures that operate to benefit certain groups and individuals at the expense of others. An example of these sets of structures would be an employee who speaks openly about mistreatment by their employer. This worker would be perceived by management and by different companies as a “trouble maker” when all he or she is doing is standing up for a certain right or privilege. Empowerment involves community members confronting the rules that favor the rich, the owners of large companies and of government agencies. Empowerment is believed to provide a sense of confidence to build organizations to change cultural rules that have provided individuals with a sense of disempowerment." (Rubin et al, 2001)

I truly believe that we are onto something important with this committee and I look forward to the process and the findings that come out of this. I will be endorsing their report.

Linda A Saves The Day

2009-09-04T18:30:00.000-07:00

Not so fast. The Terry Fox Run will take place this year thanks to Linda A. Linda is very passionate about our community and thankfully she was willing to step up to the plate and organize this years Terry Fox Run. I organized the Run four years in a row when I worked for the Town of Kensington. Great cause and I will be participating in this years run with my family. We will most likely walk not run as our 20 month old daughter will be with us.

Here is the Link:
http://www.terryfox.org/cgi/page.cgi/Run/Find_Run_site.html?prov=PE&evt=36245

Thanks Linda A

It’s Fox on the run again; organizational meeting called for Sunday COLIN MACLEAN The Journal Pioneer
Summerside – Only a day after announcing the city’s annual Terry Fox Run was cancelled, the Terry Fox Foundation says the event is back on. Regional organizers had been unable to secure someone to take charge of the event locally, however, someone has now come forward to fill that void. Linda A, a local artist, contacted the Terry Fox Foundation after seeing the cancellation story in the Journal Pioneer Friday. She is now working towards having a run in Summerside on Sept. 13. “I’m very happy that Linda A has taken it on and hopefully there will be others who will also step up to help her,” said Onne de Boer, provincial director of the Terry Fox Foundation. The local organizer is calling for anyone interested in volunteering for the run to attend a meeting tomorrow (Sunday), at Waterfront Mall at 2 p.m. They can also contact the foundation at 1-506-458-2618 or e-mail de Boer at nbpei@terryfoxrun.org.Everyone is welcome to volunteer, but organizers are hoping at least one person with first aid training will come forward. More information, such as where the run will start and at what time, should be appearing online next week at www.terryfox.org.

Public Power

2009-09-04T18:24:00.000-07:00

Something wrong when a municipal power plant is not on a level playing field with the private sector. One of the smartest things previous councils in Summerside has done is maintain our own power plant. Fundamentally, I could never support private enterprise managing our power, water or septic systems.

City to make a case for cheaper power at IRAC hearing SUMMERSIDEMIKE CARSON Transcontinental Media
City officials will be going before the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission next month to fight for better electric rates for residents.Summerside chief administrative officer Terry Murphy said the city is being treated unfairly when it comes to energy charges to its citizens.“We presently pay about $100 per citizen, per user of electricity on the Island in Summerside to transmit the energy we receive from Bedeque, here, into Summerside,” Murphy said. He noted wind developers on P.E.I. can ship their wind off-Island for approximately $20 per customer in Summerside and the wind shipped into Summerside from the West Cape area is about $30 per customer.“So, we have some issues with the rates that are set out in the open Access Transmission Tariff proposal and this is part of that process to try to get better rates for citizens here in Summerside,” he said.The purpose of the Maritime Electric Open Access Transmission Tariff (OATT) is to provide non-discriminatory open-access transmission service over the Maritime Electric transmission system under the terms and conditions of the Maritime Electric OATT.Power is transmitted via two 200-megawatt underwater cables located in the Richmond Cove area by Bedeque that take the power.The lines lead from the power substation in Bedeque and travel to the shoreline through the Fernwood area and then go underground across the Northumberland Strait to Murray Corner in New Brunswick.Murphy said the city is not looking for a break on its rate. It just wants to be put on the same playing field as other users.“We’re looking to be treated fairly,” he said. “Here on the Island when energy contracts and the cables were put in, they were put in for the use of all Islanders. That included at that time Maritime Electric was going out and purchasing the energy in particular energy quotas from both Dalhousie and Lepreau, which would be for the use of all Islanders. “Since Maritime Electric terminated our contract back in 2002 we have not had any access to that specific energy and we purchase our energy directly from the portfolio of energies provided by New Brunswick Power,” he explained. “And thus, to a degree one would argue that we’re presently subsidizing the electrical users here in P.E.I. because they are getting full use of that lower rated energy coming from both those sources.”The city will go before the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission on Oct. 28 to argue its position.

The serious side to parking

2009-08-11T09:56:00.000-07:00

Nothing annoys me more than seeing people abuse this.

The serious side to parking
The Journal Pioneer
The use – and abuse – of accessible or disabled parking spot privileges is a matter that most right-thinking people take very seriously.The concept should be simple enough. These designated zones are provided for people who need them most. For some, it is a question of restricted mobility. For others, their disability might not be so apparent, but that doesn’t mean because someone appears to have full mobility, they shouldn’t be allowed to use the designated disabled parking spots.The abusers seem oblivious to the whole concept. They have no sense of the hardship they might be causing others who should rightfully be permitted to use these spaces. They use the space, jump back in their car and don’t look in the rear-view mirror.Excuses are many: “Well, it was raining, what was I supped to do?” But let’s remember, it rains on everyone. “I was only going to be a minute...” Then take two and park a few rows over.There is another side to the abuse of accessible/disabled parking. It is by the privileged themselves.These are people with the proper vehicle certification to use accessible parking but the problem is with the occasions. A card might be issued to a family for a member’s benefit, but the rest of the family takes advantage, even when they are on their own. Sure, you’ll get away with it but it’s simply being selfish and potentially creating hardship for others.In other cases, a partner might stay in the vehicle while the person for whom the certification was issued goes shopping. An accessible parking spot is taken up when the person in the vehicle could just as easily park back farther, and pull up when their partner emerges from the store.We’re not calling for all-out vigilantiism. An icy stare could do wonders. Perhaps the store operators themselves could keep an eye on things and have staff politely ask perpetrators to move along when they are abusing the service. A handbill under the windshield wiper might be enough to shame people into complying. If police could step up surveillance, even for an abbreviated period, word would quickly get around.Accessible/disabled parking spots are an important factor in working toward a barrier-free community. Abuse of the process simply sets us back.

MP says city’s crime committee should be model for rest of Canada

2009-07-21T11:18:00.000-07:00

Nice to hear our ideas are considered as a great model. Some great work is being done by our committee and I look forward to their report.

MP says city’s crime committee should be model for rest of Canada
MIKE CARSON Transcontinental Media
SUMMERSIDE – Summerside’s Safety and Crime Prevention Committee should serve as a model for communities across Canada in dealing with crime, says Mark Holland, Opposition critic for public safety and national security.“One of the main things I’m hearing as I take a tour across the country dealing with public safety issues is how important it is to have solutions driven at the community level,” said Holland, MP for Ajax-Pickering in Ontario. “I was particularly impressed with this group both because of their experience but also with the approach they’re taking which was to really look at what was going to make a difference for their home community — what were the actions they could take.”Holland said the next step in the process, once they have developed a strategy, is to approach the federal and provincial governments to fund the solutions they need.“One of the things they are expressing frustration with is there is some funding out there but they have to go chasing it in different directions and many times it is inappropriate to what is needed on the ground,” he said. One of the issues raised was funding that has been lost for intervention and crime prevention programs.“While enforcement is still important but if you’re not doing those things to stop the crime from happening and reaching out and helping those agencies that are really reaching out to youth, then you’re going to be facing more problems as a community,” Holland said.He said when communities come with solutions on how to deal with crime in their area the federal government has to be a part of that.“Really use what’s happening in Summerside as a model,” he said. “This is what we should be doing. We should have the community get together with local experience and expertise, ideally with the character of the group there.”While sentencing in the judicial system was not a major concern, Holland said there was an issue with the lack of treatment criminals receive while incarcerated to deal with their addictions or specific problem areas.“You want to make sure the people are getting the help to stop re-offending,” he said.Holland said Summerside is not alone in this effort and communities across the country are experiencing similar problems. He did say one big difference is the approach the city of Summerside has taken to dealing with the issue of crime and its prevention.“The community has gotten together in a very constructive way and are saying ‘Let’s be the drivers of solutions here,’” he said. “What is unique here is this community-led approach.”

Habs tough guy joins fight for better treatment of animals

2009-05-25T08:18:00.000-07:00

Habs tough guy joins fight for better treatment of animals

"He's targeted June 1 as Day One of his vegetarian life."

By MIKE BOONE, The GazetteMay 25, 2009

I don't want to blow his cred as a National Hockey League tough guy, but there's a sensitive side to Georges Laraque.
Generally recognized as the heavyweight champion of the NHL - in 700 regular season and playoff games, he has scored 56 goals and served 1,166 minutes in penalties - the Canadiens' forward has joined the fight for more humane treatment of animals. Laraque was among the protesters when the North American Fur & Fashion Exposition was held here early this month.
I did not attend the demo and would not have known about its celebrity participant except for a photo that surfaced on the Internet. Pictured are Laraque, wearing a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals T-shirt, and a woman holding a placard on which a photo of a butchered baby seal bears the caption "Your Fur Had a Face."
The woman is my daughter. She is active in the animal rights' movement, a political commitment of which I am immensely proud.
"Georges Laraque is a great guy," my daughter reported. "He's becoming a vegetarian. You should talk to him about it."
I reached Laraque on his cellphone last week and asked what was up.
"I saw a video called Earthlings," Laraque said. "It shows the way animals are mistreated by humans."
Narrated by Joaquin Phoenix with an original musical score by Moby, Earthlings is, as Laraque says, a powerful indictment of human cruelty toward the species that share this planet (thus the title).
"(Earthlings) shows slaughterhouses where animals suffer," Laraque said. "They're not even killed in a way that would prevent them from feeling pain."
There's an old joke in the parliamentary press gallery that anyone who enjoys sausages and respects the law shouldn't watch either being made. Earthlings shows what happens several stages before sausages are prepared.
Hidden cameras were used to capture stomach-turning footage. You don't have to be sentimental about animals to be horrified by what happens to them before they end up on our dinner plates.
And it's not just the food industry.
"The movie shows how they use 60 animals to make a fur coat," Laraque said. "And then they're thrown in the garbage.
"There's so many cruelties to animals. The DVD really opens your eyes."
You can watch Earthlings on Google Videos. DVDs can also be ordered from www.earthlings.com, which is how Laraque got his copy.
Earthlings is not easy viewing. But it's a well-crafted and very provocative documentary that, at minimum, will give you pause to consider what you put in your mouth or on your back during winter.
One of the most shocking segments, for Laraque, was Earthlings' exposé of how circus animals are trained.
"Starving them, whipping them," Laraque said. "You never think about what they must do to an elephant to make it sit on a stool.
"We take our kids to the circus to see animals who have gone through so much pain to become entertainment. Children love animals and have no idea they're mistreated this badly."
Children, at least those who follow hockey, love Georges Laraque. He has been immensely popular during an NHL odyssey that has taken him from Edmonton to Phoenix to Pittsburgh before signing a three-year contract with the Canadiens last summer.
Everywhere he has played, Laraque has been active in the community. Yesterday, he was playing indoor soccer in Brossard. Today, it's wheelchair hockey at Joseph Charbonneau high school in Villeray.
For a guy who makes his living pounding on opponents, Laraque is a big, kid-friendly teddy bear away from the rink. The key adjective is big: Laraque carries about 250 pounds on his 6-foot, 3-inch frame.
It will be interesting to see whether the champ can remain a heavyweight on a diet of tofu. Laraque had an appointment with a diet consultant last week. He has targeted June 1 as Day One of his vegetarian life.
I asked whether he'd be able to do his job if vegetarianism got him down to 220 pounds.
"The last time I was 220," Laraque said, "I was 17 years old. I'll just be healthier and happier."
On the web: www.earthlings.com, www.georgeslaraque.com
mboone@thegazette.canwest.com
© Copyright (c) The Montreal Gazette

Big Announcement

2009-05-20T07:42:00.001-07:00

Summerside wind farm project gets funding
The Guardian
SUMMERSIDE — The federal and provincial governments plan to invest up to $9 million in phase two of Summerside's wind turbines project.
Phase two of the wind energy project will see the purchase and installation of two wind turbines at the north St. Eleanor’s site. Combined with phase one, the wind farm has the potential to meet more than 25 per cent of the energy needs of the community of Summerside.
The total estimated cost of phase two of the project is $13.5 million. The City of Summerside is contributing one-third of these costs. The total project cost of both phase one and phase two is $30 million.Egmont MP Gail Shea, P.E.I.'s representative in the federal cabinet, says the government of Canada’s Economic Action Plan is accelerating and expanding the existing federal investment of $33 billion in infrastructure with almost $12 billion in new infrastructure stimulus funding over two years.
"The wind farm project is an example of what we are doing to keep Canadians working, our economy growing and our communities green," Shea said.
“As minister responsible for Infrastructure and municipal affairs, I recognize that modern infrastructure plays a critical role in the development of healthy, sustainable and vibrant communities,” said Carolyn Bertram, P.E.I.'s minister of community and cultural affairs.
Summerside Mayor Basil Stewart thanked the federal and provincial governments "for their contribution and commitment to our city and this project that will improve the environment while supplying green energy to our customers."

Master Plan

2009-05-19T16:40:00.000-07:00

I believe we need a master plan for our Community Services Department. A master plan, based on citizen and the community group’s input would provide council with valuable input and direction.
Master Plans are developed to guide the ultimate development of the park and recreation system within a community
A plan must consider the future to ensure the immediate and long range decisions made in regard to parks and recreation services are sound, satisfy a broad range of needs and benefit those who are clients of the organization
Reasons to Develop a Master Plan
Services infrastructure- programs, services, partnerships, and alternatives that provide for recreation services as uniquely required in each community
Administrative infrastructure- Provides support for the provision of park and recreation services in the form of organization, legal framework, funding for improvements, and policy direction as uniquely required in each community

Policing of Read Drive and Route 2

2009-05-19T15:15:00.000-07:00

Policing in the city is covered by our own municipal police force, however, the policing of Route 2 and Read Drive is policed by the RCMP. The RCMP do what they can but I would prefer to see the policing within city boundaries be conducted by our own police force. It was discussed tonight by council so it seems there is a willingness to start this discussion with the province.

Fill in Those Ditches

2009-03-24T07:25:00.000-07:00

Important program for residents in my ward.

Ditch program is back The Journal Pioneer
SUMMERSIDE — With $4 million in requests on the books, money set aside in the city’s budget for ditch infilling won’t make much of a dent the long list of work still to be done, says Summerside’s CAO. The city set aside $372,000 to fill ditches this year. With that, a section of Crozier Drive, in the Lefurgey Subdivision, will have its ditches filled.“Basically, we are continuing to follow the list down,” said Terry Murphy. “There was a commitment made some time ago and there’s a list in here of a lot of ditches to be done and only so much money to go around.” After a year’s hiatus, the ditch infilling program is back. Murphy said there were few complaints about the program’s absence last year, just more residents adding their name to the waiting list. Here’s how the program works. The city receives a petition from an area or street wanting ditches filled. That petition is analyzed by the engineering staff. Safety issues — including ditch depth and water flow — help determine what ditches should top the list. Also, the percentage of residents on that street who’ve asked for ditches to be filled and who’s willing to contribute to the cost, help in determining what ditches top the list. “It’s a 10 per cent cost to the property owner,” said Murphy. On average, residents have to spend $1,000 to have their ditch filled, said finance director Malcolm Millar. Millar said the city did have a program in place at one time where residents could fill ditches at their own expense and be reimbursed up to 50 per cent by the city. “There was very little uptake on that program,” he added. “If you have a very difficult ditch to fill init becomes more dollars per street frontage than an easier ditch.”Murphy admitted it would take years and millions to fill Summerside’s ditches.“We have a long way to go. It’s not something that is going to be done tomorrow,” said Murphy. “The issue is we have to find ways of finding more revenues. There’s only so much revenue to go around and do we put it into this or do we put it into streets? This deals with an individual’s property and streets deal with city travellers as a whole.”

2009-03-12T06:01:00.000-07:00

Great new program and I was very excited to read about this in the paper today; we need to invest heavily into prevention programs in the schools and of course, invest in affordable recreation programs (more on that latter)

NEW SCHOOL-BASED PROGRAM PREVENTS YOUTH SUBSTANCE AND GAMBLING ADDICTION
CHARLOTTETOWN, PEILeaps and Bounds is a new learning resource for students in grades 4-6 which allows children to explore healthy lifestyle choices and make informed decisions about substance use and gambling. It is part of a new Island health curriculum that emphasizes the value of a healthy life style.
“This is a well-researched, age-appropriate program that helps students acquire valuable life skills while emphasizing the importance of healthy life style choices,” says Education and Early Childhood Development Minister Gerard Greenan.
“The beautiful new classroom resource which fulfills specific health curriculum outcomes encourages Island youth to make their own well-informed decisions based on accurate, current information,” he said.
Leaps and Bounds consists of eight lesson plans which cover alcohol and other drug use, gambling and addictive behaviour. Students examine media and peer influence, stress management, refusal strategies, and the significance of supportive relationships, positive role models and healthy self esteem.
Health Minister Doug Currie applauds the introduction of the addiction prevention program in Island schools.
“Education and prevention strategies are as important and effective as substance-abuse treatment,” says Minister Currie. “Research among addiction experts shows that the earlier addiction awareness occurs and the later abuse occurs, the less chance addiction will occur.”
This project is one of many partnership activities associated with the PEI Youth Substance Use and Addiction Strategy. Through community consultation and research initiatives, one of the goals is to build consistent substance use and gambling awareness programming in Island schools.
Both Minister Greenan and Minister Currie encourage parents and care providers to support Island children in this valuable learning exercise. By participating with students in take-home assignments and initiating discussion about the concepts in each unit, parents will increase the effectiveness of the Leaps and Bounds program.

Police Editorial

2009-03-11T17:59:00.000-07:00

Nice editorial in the Journal recently about the Summerside Police Force. Certainly no organization is perfect. People expect quality government and services in exchange for their hard earned tax dollars and it is imperative that elected officials and public servants strive to always review and improve departments. Improved services are critical for any government to win the publics support and trust. Government and staff need to take a people first approach. Public needs to be seen as customers and clients.
I also believe in citizen centered government which is when the public is involved in decision making. To not have citizen committees and involve the public in key strategies and plans is truly “old school” public administration and I would suggest regressive.

To serve and protect
The Journal Pioneer
They are there to serve and protect. But what happens when the public loses faith in their police force?Apparently, that’s quickly happening in the City of Charlottetown. This week, the capital police service received a harsh and critical review in the form of a 29-page report commissioned by the city. The report, prepared by Verheul and Associates, pointed to several shortcomings within the department in almost every area of service. But, the most shocking conclusion was that residents of Charlottetown are quickly losing faith in its police force. Its citizens losing faith in their service should serve as a troubling wake-up call not only to the department but also to the city and the public. The report also found morale among staff is low and that the city’s police committee doesn’t have an effective relationship with the department.The capital police department, it was concluded, is often reactive rather, isolated from the community it serves and more concerned with internal administration. With low morale among its officers and employees and lack of faith from the public it services, how can the Charlottetown police department adequately function let alone function to its fullest capabilities?It’s rare to see Charlottetown officers on the street outside their cruisers. People are more apt to see officers, off duty, in uniform outside pubs and bars, which the report noted could pose significant risk in terms of liability and impartiality. Although its force isn’t perfect and has its issues to work on, the capital police department could take a lesson from Summerside. It’s common to walk downtown and bump into an officer walking the street. In the summer, one or two officers patrol the city on bicycle, chatting with youngsters. Summerside police are visible in the schools, teaching youngsters about the perils of drugs and alcohol through the DARE program; are at public events in street or dress uniform; and have a decent working relationship with the media. There’s also a good working relationship between the police committee and the force, apparent with the new crime safety and crime prevention advisory committee, which includes stakeholders, law enforcement and judicial representatives from the area. And, through that committee, the public has the opportunity to voice its concerns and become involved in the process. That’s something that the capital police department may have forgotten, that the people it serves have a big part in fighting and curbing crime.Building that relationship should be the first step in repairing the department’s tarnished image.

Great Cause

2009-02-12T18:07:00.000-08:00

This happens too frequently and we need to support groups that deal with this issue. We also need to invest more into programs to help victims of abuse.

Eliminating violence is everyone’s business
NANCY MACPHEE
The Journal Pioneer-SUMMERSIDE
Family violence is everyone’s business. It’s a message police Chief Dave Poirier wanted those attending Wednesday’s annual Family Violence Prevention Week luncheon to take with them. “We cannot, and must not, shut the door on the home and say it’s not our business.” Poirier, a 31-year veteran of Summerside’s police force, was guest speaker at the luncheon, held by East Prince Family Violence Prevention Services. He said several strides have been made in protecting victims of family violence, notably the introduction in 1996 of P.E.I.’s Family Violence Protection Act. The act does what the Criminal Code can’t, immediately securing safety of the victim by allowing emergency protection orders to be put in place with the victim’s consent. This can be done when police are called to a home, long before the alleged abuser goes to court. The short-term order can give a victim temporary custody of children and possession of the family home. It can also ensure the abuser hands over things like car keys and medical cards and keeps paying household bills. “That has greatly impacted victims of family violence,” said Poirier.Since the act’s introduction, more than 500 of these orders have been issued.And, in the coming weeks, further changes will be made to the act to include same-sex couples. Of assault and threat charges laid by Summerside police in 2008, 25 per cent were related to family violence. “We do know that family violence is all too common. Reported numbers reflect only a small fraction of the real picture,” said Poirier, adding most incidences of family violence go unreported.The impact of family violence is far reaching.“It’s a complex issue much like a spider’s web. It spins outward and engulfs every sector of our society, snaring victims.”Children of family violence are among those who suffer the most, said Poirier. “Sadly the research suggests that boys that grow up in a home with domestic violence are more likely themselves to become abusers as adults.”But, added Poirier, everyone can do their part to end family violence by providing non-judgmental support to someone being abused, encouraging them to report the abuse to police and by simply letting them know they are not alone. “Every human being on this earth has the right to live his or her own life without fear.”

Shea Stadium: Minister Shea Delivers

2009-01-23T13:41:00.000-08:00

Summerside Raceway gets promised federal cash
Another $11.4 million announced for aquaculture research, other projects
Last Updated: Friday, January 23, 2009
Gail Shea, the federal cabinet minister responsible for Prince Edward Island, says the province will get $12.9 million funding for various projects. (Adrian Wyld/Canadian press)
The federal government has chipped in more than $1.5 million to help turn the Summerside Raceway into a modern multi-use venue with new stables that can accommodate 80 horses.
Gail Shea, the federal cabinet minister who holds responsibility for Prince Edward Island, made the announcement Friday as she distributed $12.9 million worth of good news for the province.
"The historic Summerside Raceway has been a gathering point for Islanders for 120 years," she pointed out.
Shea hailed the jobs that will be created as the existing horse buildings at the Summerside track are torn down and the new ones –— including tack and feed rooms as well as washrooms and wash, bath and test stalls — are constructed.
The money will come from the Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency's Innovative Communities Fund and Service Canada.
Canada Games venue
Running as a Conservative candidate for the Egmont riding in the fall federal election, Shea had promised to secure funding for the project in time for the 2009 Canada Summer Games, which Summerside will host.
The Raceway has been slated to host the kickoff of the national athletic event, leading to deep local concerns over its condition.
"The opening venue as it stands right now will be that dilapidated, leaking building that's falling into the ground," Coun. Brent Gallant told CBC News in August 2008.
"Prince Edward Island will be the laughingstocks of the Canada Games to have hosted such an event with a facility such as that."

Atlantic Lottery to run operations
Other support will come from the Atlantic Lottery Corporation, which is providing more than $2 million toward the project, and the City of Summerside.
Work on the project should start almost immediately, since officials hope the completed facility will be ready for action by July.
The lottery corporation will lease and manage the harness racing and other operations at the complex.
Other projects funded as well
Shea, who serves as fisheries and oceans minister in Prime Minister Stephen Harper's cabinet, also announced $11.4 million in federal funding for a number of other P.E.I. initiatives Friday:
$2.9 million to Aqua Bounty Canada in Souris to develop sterile Atlantic salmon for the commercial industry, helping reduce the chance farmed salmon will escape and interbreed with wild salmon.
$1.6 million for Atlantech Engineering to design better equipment for salmon farming.
$2 million for Charlottetown's SolarVest to help research oils in algae with a view to their possible use in health products.
$1.2 million to renovate the Holman's building in Summerside.
$1.6 million for Biomed Atlantic at UPEI to pursue for its work on testing drugs aimed at helping seizures, strokes and schizophrenia.
$2.1 million to support the Atlantic Veterinary College's research into helping horses recover from serious muscle and bone injuries

Job Losses

2009-01-12T17:18:00.001-08:00

P.E.I. sees biggest rise in job losses in region
Last Updated: Friday, January 9, 2009
CBC News
New job numbers released Friday show unemployment up across the country, with P.E.I. experiencing the biggest jump in Atlantic Canada.
Unemployment rate
N.B.
8.6%
N.L.
13.7%
N.S.
8.2%
P.E.I.
11.8%
The unemployment rate on the Island rose to 11.8 per cent in December 2008, up from 10.7 per cent in November. Unemployment was up 0.4 percentage points in Nova Scotia, steady in Newfoundland and Labrador and actually fell 0.1 percentage points in New Brunswick.
Across the country, 34,000 jobs were lost last month, almost half of those in Alberta. That province, however, retains the lowest unemployment rate in the country at 4.1 per cent.
The national unemployment rate is up to 6.6 per cent.
My Comments:
11.8% is quite high; I am still waiting for an economic development strategy for Prince County which was discussed with the new government in 2007 when they were elected. I hope there is a plan to weather the storm; I know the Province is planning some major infrastructure projects which will hopefully keep our trades people working.

Islander Disqualified

2009-01-12T17:07:00.000-08:00

Islander disqualified from Canada's Next Great Prime Minister
Last Updated: Monday, January 12, 2009 10:44 AM
CBC News
The show's producers originally told Labchuk her run for Parliament was not a problem. (CBC)
A P.E.I. woman is considering legal action after she was cut from the CBC game show Canada's Next Great Prime Minister because she has previously run for Parliament.
Camille Labchuk ran for the Green Party in New Brunswick in 2006, which is against the rules of the contest. Labchuk said she knew about the rule, but after receiving an email from the CBC encouraging her to apply, she decided to inquire further.
The show producers told her the run for Parliament would not disqualify her, so she went to work doing what she could to win the contest. She took two months to do research and create a video. She also held a public event, but now she has been told she is disqualified because of her 2006 campaign.
"The feeling I have right now is one of being utterly crushed, after having invested my heart and soul into this competition," Labchuk told CBC News Sunday.
"What's more, there are potential future damages. For instance if I'd made it to the semifinals I'd have had a one in two chance of winning a consolation prize of $5,000, and a one in eight chance of winning the grand prize of $50,000, plus the internship. So it's certainly a huge opportunity I've been prevented from obtaining here."
The top prize would have been stepping stones for her political career, she said. She wants to be reinstated or be given compensation.
The CBC admits the producers made a mistake by telling Labchuk they would override the rule, and the corporation has apologized, but Labchuk remains disqualified.
"For those people who didn't apply to become participants based on the existing rule, and for the integrity of the brand of the show, if you like, we needed to be consistent and enforce the rules equally across the board," said CBC spokesman Jeff Keay.
My Comments:
I do not know Camille very well – I only met her once but I am friends with her boyfriend Mark who is a real stand up guy and a political animal. This is too bad as she was told it was OK for her to be in the contest (I read the email) and then at the last minute the the plug was pulled. Stay involved in political life Camille as we need young people to help make our society a better place to live; keep fighting for the enviroment , social justice and my one year old daughter’s generation- I know I am!

Curbing Crime

2009-01-10T08:38:00.000-08:00

Great opinion piece by my friend Wayne Young; he hit the nail on the head with this stroy.

Tracking drug trade will help curb crime
IN MY VIEW
WAYNE YOUNG
The Guardian
The message couldn't have been simpler - get drugs off the streets and then watch the crime rate go down.But it was the source of that advice in a paper passed in for editing by a student a few weeks ago that caught my eye.She had interviewed an Island man who told her about getting hooked on drugs and alcohol when he was 18. Soon, all his money was going to support his addictions. So, armed with a knife, he robbed a grocery store in Summerside.This story had a happy ending. He was arrested and spent six months in jail. While there, he realized he didn't want a life of crime and addiction. And he was able to turn his life around.Many young Islanders aren't so lucky.So it was heartening to see last month that some help is on the way for them. There will be a voluntary day-treatment program for addicted youth in Charlottetown. It will eventually be complemented by a residential youth addictions facility. This is a good start.Clearly, too many Island youth are falling victim to the all-too-accessible drugs. When education and awareness fail to protect them from traffickers who troll the streets and school hallways, an accessible and effective treatment facility is a necessity.Helping prevent young people from getting into drugs and supporting them through their addictions has another benefit to our community. As the young man who robbed to get money for drugs could attest, it will help prevent crime.In Summerside, a community safety and crime prevention committee has been struck. Part of the mandate of its volunteer members is to advise city council on ways to reduce crime in the city.Their job is an important one.In a compelling CBC series a year ago on teenage drug use on P.E.I. - aptly called A Dose of Reality - police noted that by some estimates 80 per cent of property crime can be tied directly or indirectly to the drug trade. If that's true, then it's something the newly formed committee should be taking a close look at.Court reports every week detail an alarming number of breaks into businesses and increasingly, private residences, often driven by drug users who have exhausted legitimate ways of feeding their habit.It's easy to blame the offenders, often young people, who are actually caught committing these crimes. Hopefully, through stepped-up programs, they can get the help they need to straighten their lives out.But the real culprits are the drug dealers.The young man who robbed a store at 18 suggested that if businesses upgraded their security systems and police stepped up night walking patrols in areas where crimes are the highest, then they'd get more drugs off the streets and the crime rate would come down.That's helpful advice from a reformed offender.Stiffer sentences for convicted traffickers may also be part of the solution.But individually, don't we all have a role to play in keeping the drugs out of our children's hands in the first place? Is there information or leads we can provide to police that will help them get more dealers into court? This could be done anonymously through Crime Stoppers.An old Chinese proverb suggests it takes a community to raise a child. If that's true, then we should all be doing more to educate, support and protect young Islanders.It's time that we, as individuals and as a community, sent a strong message to drug dealers that it will no longer be so easy to ply their trade in our backyards. It's simply not enough to say it's up to city council or police or the courts - we all have a role to play in helping to get them off our streets and behind bars.When that happens, everyone wins.Wayne Young is an instructor in the journalism program at Holland College in Charlottetown.

Crime Prevention Committee Moving Ahead

2009-01-03T08:31:00.000-08:00

The Committee met in December and hit the ground running. They will be reaching out for public input once they meet a few more times. Looking forward to their findings and suggestions.

Anti-crime committee to meet in new year
The Journal Pioneer-SUMMERSIDE – Summerside’s new committee, formed to look at crime and safety, is ready to hold public meetings in the new year.The Community Safety and Crime Prevention Advisory Committee held its inaugural meeting on Dec. 11 to get the process underway.Coun. Cory Thomas, who spearheaded the idea, said the groundwork is being put in place for public meetings in the New Year. The committee has elected Rev. Andrew Richardson president of the advisory group and will be the liaison for the group.“The advisory committee will serve as a resource, information gathering and advisory body to city council on matters pertaining to safety and the prevention of crime in the city of Summerside,” said Thomas. “Having citizen centred initiatives such as advisory committees, will provide council valuable advice on crime prevention initiatives. One component of this process will be to seek solutions and suggestions from the public in the form of focus groups.”The advisory committee reports to Summerside city council through the police services committee.Thomas said this is a “powerful committee” with experts in every area.“Council is really lucky that these people have agreed to volunteer their time to step forward to help their community,” he said. “This committee and the outreach that we do will help develop long-term solutions to the problem.”Thomas said the city is in this for the long haul. “These sorts of solutions don’t happen overnight,” he said. “Usually only Band-Aids happen over night. Solutions take time.”Thomas said the committee is not structured in such a way that it will come out with a final report. Instead it will be a living committee making changes as it goes along and could be part of the city’s social fabric for many years.“This is long-term and that’s what I’m looking at – long-term solutions,” he said. “I think it’s important. How can an organization know what’s the proper direction to take without consulting with people. This is a community driven community driven committee. The community wanted some action and council responded. We saw the need. This passed unanimously.”Committee makeupThe committee consists of four members at large; Les Chipperfield, former RCMP officer and former director of Atlantic Police Academy; lawyer George Lyle; Richardson, of Trinity United Church; and George Dalton, a youth addictions advocate and worker.Youth will have a representative on the committee in Shelly Molyneaux, a violence against women spokesperson and Holland College student. Also on the committee are Lila MacIssac-Buchanan, the executive director of the East Prince Youth Development Centre, Adam Binkley, executive director of the Summerside Boys and Girls Club, Dale Sabean, superintendent of the Western School Board, Summerside Police Chief David Poirier, Marj Montgomery, with the Salvation Army, Andy Lou Somers, the executive director of the East Prince Women’s Information Centre, Gordie Whitlock, director of Generation XX and Alan Paquet, former manager of Community Corrections for the Province of P.E.I.

Sport Tourism

2008-12-21T06:58:00.000-08:00

Nice editorial in the Journal Pioneer on Friday. Certainly, one does not have to convince me of the economic impact sporting events have on a community. In developing a course called, "Festival and Event Management" I spent countless hours researching what other areas of the world invest in Sport Tourism. I had one local tourism operator say to me that events do not bring in major dollars. I beg to differ if well planned and implemented. Consider the following, although from the 1990s, this is the most recent stats I could find:

•200,000 sport events are held in Canada each year
•27 million tourist trips were made to Canada for sports events in 1994
•53,000 Canadians worked in sport-related jobs in 1991
•2 out of 5 U.S. tourists attended an organized sport event
•Reference: Park and Recreation Ontario

A showcase in several ways
The Journal Pioneer
They may not be NHL all-stars yet, but 40 draft-eligible players got the chance to shine when they were in Summerside this week.Summerside hosted the Canadian Junior Hockey League Prospects Game and skills competition this week, the first time it’s been hosted in eastern Canada. There have only been four CJHL Prospects Games, most of which were hosted in Western Canadian cities.By all accounts, those involved in organizing the junior hockey showcase in Summerside were impressed with what they saw.About 40 scouts were on hand for the prospects game, featuring players selected by National Hockey League Central Scouting and the CJHL.One of those NHL scouts said Credit Union Place was one of the best facilities he has seen – and he’s seen plenty.Traditionally the prospects game has attracted 500 to 700 spectators. The Summerside one had 1,037 in attendance, even on a rather stormy night. So event organizers were certainly happy with the number of bodies in the seats as well.This bodes well for Summerside’s bid to host the 2011 Royal Bank Cup. Many city residents would well remember the last time Summerside hosted the Royal Bank Cup in 1997 when the home team Western Capitals – the underdogs – were victorious.The other advantage of the city hosting the Prospects game was the entertainment value for those who attended Wednesday night’s match between the East and West teams. The thousand or so fans were treated to some decent hockey. They also got a chance to see some players whose names could be showing up on future NHL entry draft lists.This prospects event is not designed to be a money-maker, although there was some investment returned in ticket sales and concessions. The community also welcomed 40 players, other team representatives, presidents and commissioners who all stayed in local hotels and ate at city restaurants.But the exposure for Summerside’s state-of-the-art facility and for its staff’s ability to put together such an event, is priceless. If we want to continue the tradition of being the sports hosting capital, we’ve got to continue to seek out such events. They usually lead to others. And this one could lead to another prospects game.And any time there’s a group of people coming into town for a couple of days to participate in some type of sport or activity, the whole city benefits.

Turkeys urgently needed

2008-12-17T12:32:00.000-08:00

Turkeys urgently needed at the Summerside Salvation Army For Christmas hampers
NANCY MACPHEE The Journal Pioneer
SUMMERSIDE - Summerside Salvation Army is urgent need of a Christmas hamper staple -- turkeys. The Salvation Army needs 550 turkeys and currently only has 350. "We're concerned we will not have enough turkeys to put with all our Christmas hampers," said community and family services co-ordinator Marj Montgomery. With hampers to be distributed to needy families Dec. 22, the Salvation Army may have no choice but to use funds earmarked for its programs to buy the turkeys, that's if the community doesn't help ease the burden. "We need the turkeys now," said Montgomery, adding it cannot afford to spend money set aside to help its clients after the holidays. "We know from what has happened at this particular time there is going to be an increase in the need for our services." Turkeys can be donated during regular business hours, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Thursday and Friday, at the Salvation Army location downtown. On Saturday, donations will be accepted from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. The turkeys are needed by the end of the day Saturday in order to finish packing the Christmas hampers. Frozen turkeys are preferred and should be at least 10 pounds. Cash donations will also be accepted. "Prince County has been so good to us over this season," said Montgomery. "I know that they will come through again but right now is that we don't have the turkeys. We only have a matter of days." For more information, contact Montgomery at 888-3870

Pediatrics unit in jeopardy?

2008-12-16T15:21:00.000-08:00

I will comment further on this when more information becomes available; I cannot imagine the Province would do this just because a consultant report suggests doing it - good plan I suppose if the goal is to discourage young families from considering whether or not to move to the area.

Pediatrics unit in jeopardy?
MIKE CARSON Transcontinental Media
SUMMERSIDE – Summerside city council found out this week that even the province’s second largest municipality may not be immune to losing some of its health-care services.A private consultant’s report recommending major changes to the P.E.I. health-care system has caused Summerside city council to sit up and take notice of that.Corpus Sanchez International (CSI) made a report public last month recommending the pediatrics inpatient unit at Prince County Hospital be closed.Under the section titled Recommended Strategic Directions – Maternal Child the report states:“The island should invest in one pediatric inpatient unit at Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the unit at Prince County Hospital should be closed. Pediatric services at Prince County Hospital could be delivered through observation beds and/or ambulatory care.”Summerside Mayor Basil Stewart raised the issue at the December city council meeting saying the city wants more information.“We want to check it out,” the mayor said. “It’s not a decision of government. It’s just a recommendation or a suggestion by a firm that did a report.”Stewart said the city wants to be out in front on this issue and collect more information about it.“We will be sending off a letter tomorrow (Tuesday) to the minister (of health) for clarification and what the provincial opinion is on it,” Stewart said. “We will pass on the word nicely that we’re not willing to accept this.” West Prince health-care facilities have been battling with government over service cuts and hospital closures and the impact it has not only on health care but on the viability of the community.Stewart said Summerside is no different.“We don’t want to lose any services in Summerside,” he said. “The new hospital has only been open a few years. We want to get the details on it before we get into a gun fight. Maybe nothing will happen. We just want to follow it up with our minister responsible for Summerside Mr. (Gerard) Greenan, with our health minister and our MLA’s and take it from there.”

New Jail in Summerside?

2008-12-07T07:03:00.000-08:00

The best situation, without sounding a bit biased, would be to renovate Sleepy Hollow and rebuild the Summerside jail. Having Summerside, Kensington and Borden municipal police forces, due to resources, drive offenders to one centralized jail, most likely Charlottetown, would not be practical. Summerside has been told for years a new jail is in the works and I believe that scenario would be best.

Jails slated for major change
WAYNE THIBODEAU The Guardian
P.E.I.’s jails could be undergoing a major overhaul. The province is considering three options to address the aging jails, one in the Charlottetown area and the other in Summerside, as well as overcrowding and a lack of space for female offenders.Those options include shutting down the Provincial Correctional Centre, also known as Sleepy Hollow, near Charlottetown and the Prince County Correctional Centre in Summerside, and building a new facility for the whole province. That facility would be centrally located and could cost as much as $44 million.The second option is to build two new jails — one in Charlottetown and the second in Summerside. But that would cost even more, carrying a price tag of $53 million.The third and most likely option is for the province to build a new jail in Summerside, and renovate the Sleepy Hollow facility at a cost of $38 million. The new Summerside jail would accommodate 60 inmates, including a female unit, and cost an estimated $17 million. The remaining $21 million would be spent at Sleepy Hollow.Provincial Treasurer Wes Sheridan said all options are still being considered. He said they are waiting for a consultant’s report, to be completed at the end of the month, before making a final decision.“We’ll make our final decisions from there,’’ said Sheridan. The Prince County Correctional Centre in Summerside was built in 1876. It now has 18 units. The Sleepy Hollow facility was designed to 1979 standards. In his capital budget last week, Sheridan hinted about the need to modernize the Island’s correctional facilities.The budget sets aside $17 million over the next five years, but provincial officials admit much more money will be needed. The capital budget sets aside $2 million a year for the next two years and $8 million in 2011-2012 for the corrections modernization program. That would be topped off with an additional $5 million in 2012-2013. “Our correctional facilities have long been overlooked, they are outdated and do not have the capacity to meet our judicial challenges today, much less tomorrow,’’ Sheridan said.“On any given weekend, our system is stretched to levels beyond that which they were intended to serve.’’Attorney General Gerard Greenan said that may be an understatement.Sleepy Hollow was built to house 76 inmates.Renovations have increased that number to 96 inmates.But on any given weekend, Sleepy Hollow could have 150 inmates - 54 more than they are supposed to be accommodating.“They are double- and triple-bunking,’’ said Greenan. “They are taking the library. They are using it on the weekend. They are using the gym.’’The space is even more limited for female inmates. There are currently twice as many women being held in the Sleepy Hollow facility than what the building is able to accommodate.“There are certainly issues around correctional facilities here in the province,’’ Greenan added. Greenan said while the province hasn’t decided what direction it will take, the most likely route is a new jail in Summerside and an expansion and renovations in Charlottetown. He said the new Summerside facility would then be used as a provincial facility and not only house inmates from Prince County. Greenan said the $2 million set aside for this year will definitely be used for much needed renovations at the Charlottetown area facility.“With $17 million, and we’re taking $2 million immediately to renovate the Provincial Correctional Centre, the remainder would not build a new, central facility,’’ said Greenan.“It could be enough, and it probably is enough, to build a new facility in Prince County.’’

Crime Prevention Committee

2008-11-03T11:10:00.001-08:00

City of Summerside Announces Community Safety and
Crime Prevention Advisory Committee
November 1st to 7th is Crime Prevention Week on Prince Edward Island and an initiative that will seek public input to assist in the prevention of crime in the community was announced today by the City of Summerside.
Councillor Cory Thomas, Chair of the Summerside Police Services Committee, released details of a newly formed Community Safety and Crime Prevention Advisory Committee. Thomas said, "The Advisory Committee will serve as a resource, information gathering and advisory body to City Council on matters pertaining to safety and the prevention of crime in the City of Summerside. Having citizen centered initiatives such as advisory committees, will provide council valuable advice on crime prevention initiatives. One component of this process will be to seek solutions and suggestions from the public in the form of focus groups.
The Advisory Committee, reporting to Summerside City Council through the Police Services Committee will be specifically responsible for:
 Developing, encouraging and promoting activities and education programs for residents of all ages on safety in the community, such as (but not limited to) injury prevention, pedestrian safety, traffic safety, bicycle safety, water and anti drug use;
 Developing, encouraging and promoting activities and education programs for residents of all ages on the prevention of crime within the community;
 Initiating and facilitating such working groups as may be necessary to assist in the development, encouragement and promotion of safety and crime prevention programs and activities;
 Liaising, facilitating and working in co-operation with City Departments, other advisory committees of Council, Boards of Education, local boards and any other organizations interested in the co-ordination of safety and crime prevention programs and activities;
 Acknowledging the action and activities of individuals and groups who are actively working towards developing community consensus on appropriate strategies for safety and crime prevention issues;
The committee will consist of four members at large; Les Chipperfield, former RCMP officer and former Director of Atlantic Police Academy, Summerside Lawyer, George Lyle, Rev. Dr. Andrew Richardson of Trinity United Church and George Dalton, a youth addictions advocate and worker. Youth between the ages of 18 and 25 will have a representative on the committee in Shelly Molyneaux, a Violence Against Women spokesperson and Holland College student. Also on the committee are Lila MacIssac-Buchanan, the Executive Director of the East Prince Youth Development Centre, Adam Binkley, Executive Director of the Summerside Boys and Girls Club, Dale Sabean, Superintendent of the Western School Board, Chief David Poirier, Summerside Police Services, Marj Montgomery, Community Coordinator for the Salvation Army, Andy Lou Somers, the Executive Director of the East Prince Women’s Information Centre, Gordie Whitlock, Director of Generation XX and Alan Paquet, former manager of Community Corrections for the Province of PEI.

Public Transit from Summerside to Charlottetown

2008-10-06T11:48:00.000-07:00

This is a good news announcement which is great news for the environment and the pocketbook for many Islanders.

Province announces new transit service between Charlottetown and Summerside
STAFF
The Journal PioneerCarolyn Bertram, Minister of Communities, Cultural Affairs and Labour, announced this morning a new transit project which will link Charlottetown and Summerside. “Islanders have said that they are interested in a regional public transit system; we are very pleased to be able to support this bus route as a response to that call from Islanders,” said Bertram. “Based on forecasted demand, we are confident in both the short-term and long-term success of this initiative. We will look forward to reviewing the project with Trius Tours in 12 months.” Trius Tours will operate the new service, called the 7.5.3 County Line Express, which is scheduled to begin Oct. 27. The service will run along the main commuter corridor, Highway 2, and connect to Summerside via Route 11. Two buses will be on route, providing timely runs each direction in the morning and afternoon peak periods. The bus will run Monday through Friday, with fares of $7, $5, and $3 one-way, depending on pick-up and drop-off locations. The service will offer major pick-up and drop-off locations in Charlottetown, Hunter River, Kensington, Summerside and Slemon Park. For customer convenience, there will be additional flag stop location such as Winsloe, Milton, Brookfield, Fredericton, Summerfield and New Annan. Exact times and locations will be announced at a later date. “This new service will enhance community access and mobility for Islanders,” added Bertram. “This fixed route service will especially be beneficial to those who commute to work, university students, seniors and visitors to Prince Edward Island.” The benefits of public transit will be seen by both the users and the entire community; benefits include increased mobility, economic and employment access, reduction of green house gas emissions, cleaner air, reduced congestion and saving in many areas.

NHL Game Tonight

2008-09-27T12:27:00.000-07:00

Panthers arrive in Summerside
JASON SIMMONDS
The Journal Pioneer
SUMMERSIDE – The Florida Panthers arrived on P.E.I. to much fanfare Friday night.The Panthers will take on the New York Islanders at Credit Union Place in Summerside on Saturday night in the first NHL-sanctioned game on P.E.I. Game time is 7.“I think I’ve only been here for about half an hour and I love it already,” said Panthers defenceman Noah Welch, who’s from the Boston suburb of Brighton, Mass.“This is actually even cooler for me to come here and see a place like P.E.I., and see the people and the hospitality.”After being greeted with a welcoming reception at the Charlottetown Airport, the Panthers were given a police escort into the City of Summerside, where they were greeted by a piper as they stepped off their charter bus at the team hotel.“This is unbelievable,” said Welch. “It was a surprise to get off the plane and have a nice welcome with a bunch of children and families. “We’re really excited to be here and obviously the people are, too, and with the bagpipes it’s been incredible. It’s the first time I’ve ever seen this.”The Panthers will hold a pre-game skate at Credit Union Place on Saturday morning at 10:30. Admission is free to game-ticket holders and other fans can still get in by bringing a non-perishable food item that will be donated to the Salvation Army.The Islanders, whose training camp is based in Moncton, N.B., will bus to Summerside Saturday afternoon.“There are a lot of guys battling for spots right now and I think you’re going to see a pretty intense matchup,” said Panthers left-winger Tanner Glass. The Panthers’ reception also was not lost on Glass.“It’s pretty special and I haven’t seen bagpipes ever,” said Glass.The 24-year-old from Regina got a taste of NHL life last season, appearing in 41 games with the Panthers.“I played about half a season last year and I’m really trying to make the opening day roster this year,” said Glass. “It’s (camp) gone really well so far. “I’ve played one game in Edmonton and I’m looking forward to playing in Summerside.”

Good news

2008-09-25T15:41:00.000-07:00

Some good news for Summerside in terms of job creation.

Honeywell expanding at Slemon Park
The Guardian
A leading aerospace company in Prince Edward Island is poised for moregrowth. Honeywell is adding 12 new positions at its facility atSlemon Park near Summerside.Innovation and Advanced Learning Minister Richard Brown says theexpansion at Honeywell sends a strong signal that Prince EdwardIsland’s aerospace industry is thriving within a competitive globalmarketplace. Aerospace is one of the key sectors in the Government of Prince EdwardIsland’s new economic development strategy, Island Prosperity: A FocusFor Change, Brown said.

Barking Dogs

2008-09-21T15:57:00.000-07:00

Interesting story here; I would suggest stiffer fines rather than taking people's dogs. If you ignore a dog and leave it tied up outside all day, of course it is going to bark.
Take barking dogs from owners: Winnipeg councillor
Updated Sun. Sep. 21 2008 1:56 PM ET
The Canadian Press
WINNIPEG -- A Winnipeg councillor wants the city to be one of the first in Canada to make a bark as bad as a bite by giving animal inspectors the power to take away dogs who incessantly yap day and night.
Councillor Mike Pagtakhan believes it's time the city's animal bylaw is given some teeth.
"Something needs to change," Pagtakhan said. "Barking dogs are a problem and if it's identified as a major quality of life issue, we ought to be able to do something."
To illustrate his point, Pagtakhan recorded his neighbour's vocal dogs and played the tape at a recent city meeting. The two-minute video, Pagtakhan said, was just a taste of what he and many others have to put up with around the clock.
"It drives you nuts," he said. "It almost becomes intolerable. It becomes too much . . . my neighbours are going insane."
Those particular dog owners are being taken to court, but the dispute won't be heard until next spring -- too late for homeowners who want some peace and quiet now, Pagtakhan said. The city should have the power to take dogs away after owners are warned three times, he said.
City staff are now studying the possibility and are expected to make a recommendation in a few months.
While many cities warn owners who rack up complaints, and some cities even take them to court, Tim Dack, chief operating officer for the city's animal services branch, said he doesn't know of any community in Canada that takes barking dogs away from their owners.
But he said many owners can be completely oblivious about the impact their canines are having on neighbours.
"They just don't think that maybe you have shift workers in your neighbourhood or someone is at home sick or you have retired people who are home during the day and it does bother them," he said.
"People think that most people work during the day but it's not true."
The proposal has sparked a heated debate online. Many have applauded Pagtakhan's proposal, but some dog owners have said their pets are simply acting on instinct and they fear being targeted by vindictive neighbours.
"People need barking dogs to protect them in the bad hoods," one blogger wrote. "If you ask me politicians bark too much."
Some animal lovers say if dogs are barking constantly, it's usually a cry for help.
Shelagh MacDonald, Program Director Canadian Federation of Humane Societies, said her two dogs would likely bark all day long if they were left tied up in a yard for hours on end.
Dogs who bark all the time are likely bored, not getting enough exercise or not getting enough attention from their owner, she said.
"The dog is barking because it's being neglected in some way," she said. "A responsible dog owner has a responsibility to provide proper care for the animal but also to make sure that it is not annoying other people."
Taking a dog away from its owner after repeated warnings is probably not a bad idea, MacDonald said.
"At some point, there has to be some consequence," she said.
Calls about barking dogs are the most frequent complaint fielded at Winnipeg's animal services department. The department received nearly to 1,000 complaints last year and 700 so far this year.
Although Dack said many of the disputes can be resolved before they have to go to court, the city can't take dogs away now unless they have bitten or attacked someone.