ISLAND BRIEFS | - P.E.I.’s ‘hitchhiking cowboy,’ Hughie Buell, was laid to rest June 1. Buell, who was well known by commuters between Charlottetown and Pleasant Valley, died at his home on Jan. 20.
June 1 marked the official start to the 2022 Atlantic hurricane season, which is predicted to be an above-normal season. The Confederation Bridge turned 25 last week. The 12.9-kilometre span opened to the public on June 1, 1997.
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CAPITAL | Property owners land sweet deal | | Charlottetown grew by 1 per cent last week after the city's plan to annex a portion of Marshfield was approved by the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission.
The annexed area, which totals 116 acres, is located between Route 25 (York Road) and M&M Furniture.
Two property owners approached the city in 2018 with a plan to develop their farm land with a mix of commercial and retail, but required a connection to the city’s water and sewer utility in order for the project to be feasible.
The city liked the plan enough that its willing to spend upward of $1M to extend utilities into the annexed area, in addition to providing police and fire protection coverage. That's a pretty sweet deal for the landowners involved. |
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QUICK HITS | | Emerging issue: Mayor Philip Brown asked the planning department to take a look at rooming houses popping up around the city. Brown made the request at the end of a planning board meeting Monday evening after telling the board that he’s hearing cases where single-family homes are being outfitted to accommodate eight to 10 beds; specifically, one located on Hillsborough Street that has been causing issues. Alex Forbs, manager of planning and heritage, said bylaw enforcement may be all that’s needed in cases where rooming houses are being setup where the occupancy is not permitted. 🏘️ | | Lucky pair: Annete Diewold and her husband, Russell McKenna, caught up to the elusive ace of spades last weekend, netting them the $2.4M jackpot. The fundraiser, which ran for 45 weeks, was organized by the North Star Arena, the North Rustico Fire Department, and the Lions Club. Each of the organizations will receive about $620,000. 🥳 | | Funny phone: Advantage Communications has signed a contact centre agreement with an unnamed theme park operator that owns eight theme parks and five water parks in the United States. The PEI-based call centre, which also operates in Jamaica, has not said if this contract will create new jobs in PEI. As a side note, SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment, although unconfirmed, owns exactly eight theme parks and five water parks in the US. 🤔 | | More tools: Princess Auto in Charlottetown is looking to increase its retail area by 5,000 sq/ft. Plaza Retail REIT owns the building and submitted an application to the city to amend the existing development agreement. The planning board voted Monday to send the request to public meeting. ⚒️ |
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BY THE NUMBERS | | 💰 $2.9B: The province’s debt stood at $2.3B on March 31, 2021, and is projected to reach $2.9B by 2025. PEI Auditor General Darren Noonan raised concerns recently over the sustainability of the province’s finances, and suggested that services could be impacted in the future if the government does not tighten its belt. Each Islanders' share of the debt is around $14,000. | | 📈 2.3 per cent: The number of active businesses on Prince Edward Island increased from February 2020 to February 2022, the highest growth in the region; ahead of Nova Scotia at 1.3 per cent, New Brunswick at 0.3 per cent, and Newfoundland at -3.4 per cent. | | 💰 $11.75M: PEI’s share of an ongoing Atlantic Lottery Corporation pension plan deficit has reached $11.75M in lost revenue between 2012 and March of 2020. Profits of the corporation are distributed to the four Atlantic provinces. Pension deficits are considered an operating expense and eat away at profits which would have went toward schools, hospitals, etc. |
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WHAT'S GOING ON? | | Wednesday | | 🎥 Last of the Right Whales @ City Cinema / 7:00PM: A wildlife photographer, a marine biologist, a whale rescuer, and a crab fisherman united in their cause to save the North Atlantic right whale. Buy tickets | Watch Trailer | | Thursday | | 🎶 Jacob Hemphill & Isaac King @ Olde Dublin Pub / 7:30PM | | 🤔 Entertainment Trivia / 9:00 PM: Join host Darcy Campbell at Hunter's Ale House, 185 Kent Street, for some entertainment trivia. | | 🎥 Mulholland Dr. (2001) @ City Cinema / 9:15PM: Classics at City Cinema Presented by Laurent Gariépy. After a car wreck on the winding Mulholland Drive renders a woman amnesiac, she and a perky Hollywood-hopeful search for clues and answers across Los Angeles in a twisting venture beyond dreams and reality. Buy tickets | Watch Trailer |
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WEATHER | | Wednesday🌧️ H17°C 🌡️ L11°C
Cloudy with afternoon showers. Winds SSE 22km/h, gusting 48. Rain this evening amounting to 9.3mm. | | Thursday🌧️ H21°C 🌡️ L14°C
Cloudy with some afternoon rain. Winds S 13km/h, gusting 59. Watch for localized flooding this evening as rain picks up, totalling 23mm. |
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