Police squash abducted baby hoax; city council briefs 👮

  ISLAND BRIEFS 

• The new Charlottetown Library Learning Centre will officially open its doors to the public on July 18.

• The province has awarded $50,000 worth of grants to 16 island artists. Check out this list to learn more about the artists and their projects.

QUICK HITS

AI Monitoring: The Island Nature Trust will be taking part in a pilot program that will use artificial intelligence to help with its conservation work. The Trust will use an application called LandSteward to monitor and measure the level of carbon in forests, wetlands and grasslands. LandSteward, developed by Toronto-based Korotu Technology, uses Satellite LiDAR and optical sensors to visualize heat maps of the carbon contained in nature.

Abducted baby hoax: Charlottetown Police took to social media yesterday evening to squash a hoax that was circulating online about a baby being abducted from a hospital in Charlottetown. The hoax, which contained a security camera photo of a woman holding an infant, pleaded with the public to assist police with having the baby returned to a 27-year-old first-time mother. Why on earth would anyone create such nonsense? 🤦

EV chargers: The federal government announced funding yesterday to install more electric vehicle charging stations across the Island. The fund, worth $2M, will be administered through the province with the goal of installing 250 chargers in public locations, as well as apartment buildings and workplaces.

Transit ridership is up: T3 Transit welcomed 68,850 riders last month, up from 42,000 riders in June 2021. Year-to-date ridership sat at 324,805 riders as of last month, compared to 212,734 riders over the same period in 2021.

Too good to be true: Police are warning of an increase in rental property scams targeting Islanders on social media. RCMP are investigating complaints from Islanders who lost their money after responding to social media ads, and then agreeing to send a deposit to secure a rental agreement. Anyone who suspects they may be communicating with a scammer is asked to contact the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.

QUICK HITS

This is a concept image of a mural that will be painted at the entrance to City Cinema. Council approved three murals for downtown buildings at its monthly meeting Monday evening.

CITY COUNCIL BRIEFS

Election drama resolved: The city's election bylaw has been updated to comply with regulations under the Municipal Government Act. Election PEI chief electoral officer Tim Garrity had raised concerns over the city's bylaw because it permitted council to choose the location of ballot boxes. Garrity told the Strategic Priorities & Intergovernmental Cooperation Committee on June 23 that if the city wanted Elections PEI to administer the upcoming election, it would need to comply with provincial legislation. Council also passed a resolution naming Garrity as the municipal electoral officer and Stephanie Thorpe as the deputy municipal electoral officer for the upcoming election, which will be held Nov. 7.

Downtown murals: Three downtown buildings will soon have their facades transformed with custom murals. Council voted to approve murals at 151 Great George Street, 64 King Street (City Cinema), and 89 Kent Street (Charlottetown Fire Department). The muralists, who are from off-Island, will also host a professional development workshop for local artists interested in learning how to paint murals on buildings.

Expanded campus: The University of Prince Edward Island has applied to rezone two parcels of land facing Belvedere Avenue (next to Blaze Pizza) from residential to institutional. The university says the current plan is to leave the space green, but wants the parcels rezoned so they can be added in with the rest of the campus. Coun. Alanna Jankov raised concerns that once the land is rezoned the university could, as of right, build anything permitted within an institutional zone. Council voted to send the application to public consultation.

More housing in West Royalty: The public will soon have a chance to provide input into a proposed 370-unit housing development for Mount Edward Road. Council passed a resolution Monday evening to send the project to public consultation later this summer. If the project goes ahead, five apartment buildings and four townhouse-style buildings would be constructed between Mount Edward Road and Canadian Tire. The apartment buildings would range in height from four to six floors.

No narrow homes: Council rejected a plan to decrease the size of the remaining undeveloped parcels of land on Mutch Crescent in West Royalty from 29 lots to 46. The developer was proposing to build narrow-style homes; however, the plan was not welcomed by area residents who had concerns with an increase in traffic. Staff with the planning department had recommended that council approve the plan.

Pool covers: Charlottetown is considering a bylaw change to allow residential swimming pools to be secured with solid covers that lock. The city currently requires pools to be surrounded by a six foot fence. Council voted to send the proposed change to public consultation later this summer.

Hidden Valley decision stands: Council voted against the idea of reconsidering its decision to approve the Hidden Valley subdivision off Malpeque Road. Residents of Highfield Heights asked the city to reconsider its decision, citing concerns that the new subdivision will create safety issues due to excess traffic flow through their community. Residents have also filed an appeal with the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission.

More odds and ends: Princess Auto will be adding an additional 5,000 sqft of retail space to its store in West Royalty. Council approved changes to  the current development agreement to allow for the expansion.

WHAT'S GOING ON? 

Wednesday

🎶 Keira Loane @ Olde Dublin Pub / 7:00PM

🎥 Benediction @ City Cinema / 7:00PM: Decorated for bravery during World War I, British soldier Siegfried Sassoon returns from service and becomes a vocal critic of the government's continuation of the war. Adored by the aristocracy and the stars of London's literary and stage world, Sassoon's experiences inspire him to write poetry about the horrors of battle. Buy tickets | Watch Trailer

🎶 The Malpeque Ceilidh @ Malpeque Community Centre / 7:30PM

Thursday

🎥 Benediction @ City Cinema / 7:00PM: Decorated for bravery during World War I, British soldier Siegfried Sassoon returns from service and becomes a vocal critic of the government's continuation of the war. Adored by the aristocracy and the stars of London's literary and stage world, Sassoon's experiences inspire him to write poetry about the horrors of battle. Buy tickets | Watch Trailer

🎶 Vintage 2.0 @ Olde Dublin Pub / 8:00PM

🤔 Entertainment Trivia / 9:00 PM: Join host Darcy Campbell at Hunter's Ale House, 185 Kent Street, for some entertainment trivia.

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WEATHER

Wednesday

🌥️ H25°C 🌡️ L19°C

High humidity today will make it feel like 33°C. Winds SW 30km/h, gusting 50. Chance of showers this evening, amounting to less than 1mm. 

Thursday

🌥️ H21°C 🌡️  L13°C
A mix of sun and cloud. Winds E 20km/h, gusting 26. Cloud cover increasing throughout the day, showers in the evening amounting to less than 3mm.

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