IN THIS ISSUE | | ➡️ Timeline to build seniors housing | | ➡️ More free heat pumps | | ➡️ Shout-Outs to deserving folks |
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QUICK HITS | | 👮 Quite the Haul: Two loaded handguns, 1.6kg of fentanyl, and 200g of cocaine were seized by RCMP during a search of a home in Cornwall last week. Charges have been laid against a 38-year-old man and 37 year-old-woman for drug- and firearm-related crimes. Police have released the name of the man, who is being held in custody pending his court appearance today (Wednesday). The woman was released and is scheduled to appear in court tomorrow. | | 🥵 More Heat Pumps!: The province has, again, expanded the free heat pump program to now include households with a combined annual income under $75,000. When the program was announced in November 2021, free heat pumps were offered to households earning less than $35,000. That limit increased to $55,000 last May. If your family earns $80,000 a year, history suggests you should maybe hold off on buying a heat pump… | | 🎓 Distinguished Alumni Awards: What does a journalist and two serial entrepreneurs have in common? They’re each the recipient of Holland College’s fifteenth annual Distinguished Alumni Awards. The Holland College Foundation named Kent MacPhee, Marsha Doiron, and Wayne Young into the ranks of the college’s most distinguished grads. |
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HOUSING | Timeline to Build Seniors Home | |  | | More than two years after it was first announced, the province is moving closer to building 30 senior housing units on Beach Grove Road. The three-storey building will be constructed on a subdivided parcel of crown land nestled between the shore of the North River and the Central Forest District Office at 170 Beach Grove Road.
It will feature 26 one-bedroom units and 4 two-bedroom units – six units will be barrier-free. Although the building will be on waterfront property, residents will need to twist their necks to catch a view; the building’s north and south elevations are mostly windowless, the water is located to the south. Maybe more odd than the lost opportunity to give seniors a beautiful view is a project timeline that kicked off with momentum before grinding to a halt.
Here’s the timeline.
January 2021: A government press release says money for the project was set aside in the 2020-21 capital budget, and that the project supported a commitment to build 100 government-owned units.
January 2021: A survey of a government-owned tree lot took place to identify a portion of land for the building.
March 2021: Charlottetown’s planning department approved an application to subdivide the property, creating a flag lot – a plot of land named for their resemblance to a flagpole (slender strip extending from the street up to a rectangular main section).
April 2021: Province transferred the parcel of land to the PEI Housing Corporation.
August 2021: Charlottetown council approved a request to rezone the parcel of land from industrial to residential. This process required a public meeting.
Then nothing – until yesterday when a construction tender was posted. The tender package includes drawings that make reference to a 2022 tender process that never took place. Construction of the building is expected to take 16 months, setting a completion target somewhere around late summer next year, almost four years after the project was first announced.
| | I don’t know about you, but I find this stuff interesting. On that note, I also find it interesting that shovels for this project should finally hit soil just in time for an anticipated spring election call. 🤔 |
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WARM UP WEDNESDAY | | We have less than six weeks to go until the official first day of spring, which means this weekly promotion has reached the halfway point. We'll be remarking about how cold of a spring we're having before you know it! |
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| ☕ This Week's Winners: | | 1️⃣ Crystal Cromwell | 📌 Albany | | 2️⃣ Lucas Sencabaugh | 📌 Charlottetown | | 3️⃣ Colleen Murphy | 📌 Cornwall | | 4️⃣ Unclaimed | 📌 ... | | 5️⃣ Unclaimed | 📌 ... |
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📢 SHOUT-OUTS | | 🧰 To furnace technicians, plumbers and HVAC folks who answered after hour calls to help Islanders keep the heat on over the weekend. A special thanks to Dan from Kenmac Energy. | | 👷 To utility workers who braved extreme elements to restore power and fix water main breaks. Imagine working around water or being up a ladder in those temperatures… | | 🆘 To first responders and community volunteers for always doing what they do, but especially during times when Mother Nature delivers a slap. |
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#PEIslandEdition | Ice Wings 😇 | | It was cold enough Saturday to instantly freeze (boiling) water, so Ewa Kulak took the opportunity to create this photo in Summerside. Ewa, a travel journalist originally from Poland, has oodles of great pictures from around the Island on Instagram @ewainpei. | |  | | Tag @PEIslandEdition or use #PEIslandEdition to get your post featured in Island Edition! |
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COMMUNITY CORNER | | 🚲 Bike Friendly Communities will release its Capital Region Active Transportation Plan at a public meeting next month and is looking for volunteers to help organize the event. The group has been working on this plan since October 2021. Anyone interested in volunteering can express interest via this handy web form.
| | 🥞 Mark your calendar: the Charlottetown Y's Men's Club annual pancake breakfast will be held Tuesday, Feb. 21 from 6:30 AM to 8:45 AM at Smitty's Family Restaurant. Tickets will be available at the door or through club members. Proceeds support Y’s Men’s community projects. | | Send a quick message if your organization would like to publish a quick PSA. There's no charge for these. Max three per-issue. |
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WEATHER | | Wednesday | 🌨️ H0°C 🌡️ L -12°C
💨 NW 30 km/h, gusting 50 | | Thursday | ☀️ H -5°C 🌡️ L -10°C
💨 WNW 17 km/h, gusting 41 | | Island Edition Storm Watch | 👀 We have some dirt heading our way Friday. Environment Canada issued a special weather statement for the three counties, cautioning Islanders that mixed precipitation could cause some travel disruptions. That day should start with snow before switching to ice pellets then rain/freezing rain. |
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