Island Edition returns for spring!

IN THIS ISSUE

➡️ Wastewater treatment efforts paying off

➡️ Easter Seals Tour starts today

➡️ Pinch Penny Fair looking for donated items

QUICK HITS

🚲 Shared E-Bike Update: A shared e-bike program is still being developed in the Charlottetown area, but won’t get rolling until 2024. Last August, it was reported that the project, which would see 68 e-bikes made available at various locations throughout Charlottetown and Stratford, could launch this coming July. A city spokesperson told me the project is still moving forward. The city anticipates issuing a request for proposals this summer, with the goal of launching the service in 2024. The project is expected to cost upward of $600,000, with a portion being covered by Stratford and the province. Stratford set aside $125,000 for the project in the town’s 2023-24 capital budget.

🚧 Confederation Bridge Disruptions: A section of the Confederation Bridge will be reduced to one lane this spring for planned maintenance. The work, which involves replacing an expansion joint about one kilometre from New Brunswick, will take place between April 24 to June 16. Speed limits will be reduced in the work zone, and stop-and-go traffic signals will be used to control traffic 24 hours a day. More information is available in this news release issued by Strait Crossing Bridge Limited.

🪧 Strike Votes Wrap Up: Over 3,000 federal public service workers on the Island could soon be on a picket line. Last Friday, the Union of Taxation Employees, which represents 1,500 Islanders who work at Canada Revenue Agency, announced that its members voted to strike. Another strike vote wrapped up yesterday (Tuesday), this one involving 155,000 Treasury Board members with departments such as Service Canada, Veteran Affairs, and Fisheries and Oceans. About 1,600 federal workers on PEI fall under the Treasury Board. Among other issues, they are asking for a 13.5 per cent wage increase over three years. Results from a strike vote are good for 60 days.

🚌 Easter Seals 2023: The Easter Seals PEI Ambassadors’ School Tour hits the road this morning. Over the next six days, twin sisters Meghan and Katelyn Rogers will share their motto, “Believe in yourself and don’t give up,” with students from every public school in the province. This is the first year in the tour’s 42-year history that the ambassador role will be shared. Updates from the tour will be posted to the Easter Seals PEI website.

ENVIRONMENT

Wastewater treatment efforts paying off

The area in red shows the approximate location of waters that will be reclassified from prohibited to conditionally restricted. Now that you’ve seen this sketch, the official map (PDF) will be easier to understand.

Efforts to reduce wastewater from entering the Charlottetown Harbour are paying off.

Under the Canadian Shellfish Sanitation Program, shellfish harvesting in the waters along the coast of Charlottetown from the Queen Elizabeth Hospital to Brighton has traditionally been prohibited. But later this month, the water along Victoria Park, and a portion of Stratford’s waterfront, will be reclassified to conditionally restricted, allowing for the area to be fished for shellfish between May 1 to July 15.

Before Charlottetown’s pollution control plant came online in the 1970’s, untreated sewage flowed freely into the harbour. By my best calculation, upwards of $50M has been spent over the last decade on upgrades to the plant, as well as a multi-year project that separated storm water from wastewater to reduce overflow, and the necessary upgrades and infrastructure to redirect Stratford’s waste to Charlottetown for treatment.

The classification change takes effect on April 23.

#PEIslandEdition

T-Minus Two Weeks 🦞 

Lobster harvesters at Covehead Wharf were busy prepping for setting day when Apurva Pate stopped by to grab this picture for his @exploringpei page. Weather permitting, the first traps set this spring will be in LFA 26A on April 26, an area that covers waters off southeastern PEI. A few days later, these traps will be set on April 29 when LFA 24 opens, an area that covers the Island’s entire north shore.

Tag @PEIslandEdition or use #PEIslandEdition to get your post featured in Island Edition!

COMMUNITY CORNER

💸 Charlottetown is accepting applications for the 2023 Community Sustainability Micro Grant Program. The program offers grants of up to $2,500 to community groups and individuals planning a project that aligns with the city’s sustainability plan. The deadline to apply is May 3. For more information or to submit an application, visit the program website.

⚒️ The PEI Repair Café is looking for volunteers to help relaunch the project. The project helps Islanders fix items, rather than replace them. Items able to be repaired depend on the skills offered by volunteers, so if you’re handy and looking to pass on your skills, reach out to the organizers via the PEI Repair Café Facebook page.

🪙 The Friends of Confederation Centre of the Arts is accepting donations of gently used items that will be put up for sale at the Pinch Penny Fair fundraiser. For a list of items being accepted, check out this news release for more information. The fair takes place on Saturday, April 22 from 10AM to 1PM. Admission is $2 for adults, free for kids 12 and under.

Send a quick message if your organization would like to publish a quick PSA. There's no charge for these. Max three per-issue.

WEATHER

Wednesday

🌦️ H 5°C 🌡️ L 1°C 
💨 WNW 24 km/h, gusting 52

Thursday

☀️ H 10°C 🌡️ L 6°C
💨 W 15 km/h, gusting 33

Looking Ahead

😎 Plenty of sunshine in the forecast looking toward the weekend.

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