Weekend preview: events, eats & local news 🍔

IN THIS ISSUE

➡️ City may offer tree stump removal.

➡️ What are Islanders driving these days?

➡️ Katelyn & Meghan help Easter Seals set new record.

QUICK HITS

🪚 Stumped about Stumps: Charlottetown Coun. Mitch Tweel was stumped when he first learned the details of the city’s cleanup program following post-tropical storm Fiona. The city was taking requests last fall from residents who needed help cutting up and clearing away fallen trees. But tree stump removal was not part of the program, a point of contention that Tweel has raised at every opportunity. The squeaky wheel may finally get the grease. The city has set aside $250,000 to help residents with tree stump removal, but the program will only launch if the province matches that contribution. I’ll let you know if this program ever launches.

🛳️ Cruising Toward Summer: The MS Zaandam berthed at Port Charlottetown this morning, kicking off a busy 2023 cruise season that will welcome 90 ships with up to 150,000 passengers to the island. This year’s cruise schedule shows two overnight visits, which are rare, and 19 days when two or more ships will be berthed at the same time. One of the world’s largest cruise ships, the MSC Meraviglia, will visit three times this season. The Zaandam has 22 scheduled stops in Charlottetown this season.

⛔ Closed to Motorists: Charlottetown council voted Monday to close the inside lane of Victoria Park Roadway to motorists from May 1 to October 31 for the laneway to be used as an active transportation pathway. There’s no word yet on when Victoria Row will close to vehicles, but that usually takes place the third week of May each year.

📌 Trail Map: A new online map will help Islanders find new adventures this summer. Recreation PEI, in partnership with the province, launched the Recreational Walking and Cycling Map, an exhaustive map that includes trails managed by all levels of government, as well as scenic heritage roads. The website includes some basic instructions and a video to help Islanders navigate the map.

BY THE NUMBERS

📉 -11.6%: Between 2017 to 2022, the number of new gasoline-powered vehicles registered on PEI has dropped from 97.5% to 85.9%, an 11.6% reduction. Over the same period, new gasoline-powered vehicles registered in Canada have dropped by 13.14%. We have some catching up to do.

📈 5.24%: After gasoline, hybrid electric vehicles are preferred by Islanders. The number of new hybrid electric vehicles registered on PEI jumped from 84 (0.95%) in 2017 to 287 (5.24%) in 2022. The next preferred fuel type is diesel, believe it or not. New diesel-powered vehicles increased from 139 (1.57%) in 2017 to 265 (4.84%) in 2022. 

🚙 53.56%: Multi-purpose vehicles (SUVs) rule Island roads, accounting for 53.56% of all new vehicles registered in 2022 (4,525 in total). This number is up from 40% in 2017. Pickup trucks are the next favoured vehicle type, accounting for 25.9% of registrations in 2022, up from 40% in 2017. Passenger cars continue to decline, down to 18.27% in 2022 from 32.87% in 2017.

📢 SHOUT-OUTS 

💰 A big shoutout to Ambassadors Katelyn & Meghan on their recent Easter Seals tour to PEI schools, an effort that raised a record-breaking $68,468.40 for the annual fundraiser. Congratulations to everyone involved!

📈 Today is Administrative Professionals Day. They're the unsung heroes suffering with a smile behind every convoluted, outdated business practice. Where would we be without them?

Island Edition Shout-Outs are paid messages. Buy one to help support the sustainability of this newsletter. Max three-per-issue, 20 word limit.

#PEIslandEdition

In for some Serious Overtime! 🦞

The crew aboard fishing vessel Serious Overtime are in for exactly that. They hit the water in LFA 26A this morning, which covers PEI’s southeastern coast. Apurva Patel was at Launching Pond first thing this morning catching some classic setting day shots, check out his Instagram page for more pictures from this morning. Fish harvesters in LFA 24, which covers PEI’s north shore, set their traps on Saturday.

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

COMMUNITY CORNER

🧑‍💻 Island seniors (65+) looking for some digital literacy can take part in a Tech N Talk workshop. Seniors will be partnered with a volunteer to get help using their digital devices. A list of dates and locations is available on this website.

⚙️ The PEI Federation of Labour will hold a memorial event this Friday to mourn those who never made it home from work and those who suffered a work-related injury. The memorial is part of this year’s National Day of Mourning. In 2022, three Islanders lost their lives due to workplace incidents or illness. The memorial starts at 7:00PM at St. Paul’s Church Hall, 101 Prince Street.

🎫 Island A Acappella Chorus is hosting Mothers Day Moolah, an online 50/50 cash lottery. Funds raised will help support Island A Cappella to travel and compete in international contests. The PEI chorus is a chapter of Harmony Inc., an international non-profit organization whose purpose is to “empower all women through education, friendship, and singing.“

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

Thursday

🌧️ H 7°C 🌡️ L 0°C 
💨 N 11 km/h, gusting 26

Friday

☀️ H 10°C 🌡️ L -1°C
💨 N 19 km/h, gusting 32

Looking Ahead

🪴 Mostly cloudy this weekend, but dry. Good yard work weather!

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