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IN THIS ISSUE

➡️ Property tax clawback

➡️ Transit breaking records

➡️ Halloween events (list)

QUICK HITS

🙏 RIP Mr. Lee: Former PEI Premier James (Jim) Lee has passed away. Lee served as the Island’s 26th Premier between 1981 to 1986. First elected to the legislature in 1975, Lee’s political career spanned several cabinet positions, including the health portfolio. Current Premier Dennis King issued a statement Wednesday saying that several of Lee’s achievements are still benefitting Islanders more than four decades later, including the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and the Atlantic Veterinary College. Lee was 86.

🚌 Transit Triumphs - Milestone Month: September was a record-breaking month for T3 Transit. The system moved 137,259 riders throughout the capital region last month, making it the busiest month in the system’s 18-year history. Adding to that new monthly record were the 6,562 passengers who caught a bus on September 15, which turned out to be the system’s busiest day ever. Year to date, 941,445 passengers have used the system. For context, October 2022 was the first month that the system moved 100,000 riders in a single month, carrying 106,459 passengers.

🗣️ Council Meeting Makeover: Proposed changes to Charlottetown's procedural bylaw will create a more structured meeting schedule for city council. The changes would see two regular meetings scheduled each month, in addition to a regular committee of the whole meeting. While council typically meets twice a month, one of these meetings is classified as a special meeting. City administration would like to formalize the special meeting, primarily due to its consistently full agendas. The introduction of a committee of the whole, which would include all councillors and the mayor, would provide a less formal setting to delve into issues, discuss policies, and hear presentations from staff and community groups.

MUNICIPAL FUNDING

Overpayment clawback

More than a third of PEI's municipalities will be digging deep over the next two years thanks to an error in how the province calculated monthly property tax payments in 2022.

The province issues monthly payments to municipalities based on estimated property tax revenue for the upcoming tax year. At the end of the year, the province reconciles its accounts to compare actual tax collections with what was paid out to municipalities, a final payment is then made to the municipality or clawed back.

In 2022, the province was experimenting with a new model to calculate these monthly payments that would account for projected growth. Data from this new model somehow made its way into the calculations the department used last year, which resulted in some municipalities receiving more money each month than they should have.

Some municipalities alerted the province that there appeared to be a mistake, but were assured that the calculations were correct and the money was theirs to budget and spend. By the time the error was acknowledged, 23 of the province’s 64 municipalities had been overpaid.

While the province admits that the error was theirs, the 23 municipalities are still on the hook. The province will begin making up for this error beginning in January 2024 by reducing monthly payments to each municipality for 24 months.

For one example, Charlottetown was overpaid by $3M, which will result in the city’s monthly payments being reduced by $127,000.

The province’s plan to recover these funds doesn’t sit well with the Federation of PEI Municipalities. The Federation would like the province to eat its mistake and forgive the overpayment, and warns that some municipalities could be forced to either raise taxes or reduce services to cover the expense. The province says it's open to discussing longer repayment terms for municipalities that find the 24-month repayment period challenging.

🤔 DID YOU KNOW? 

On average, Canadian municipal taxes account for 9.2 cents of every tax dollar collected by federal, provincial, and municipal governments combined. PEI’s municipal taxes account for only 2.2 cents.

This situation is a slap in the face to municipalities that are already shortchanged when it comes to the amount of provincial property taxes that are shared with its members. This issue is coming to light as the Federation begins negotiation this week with the province on a longstanding demand to increase the amount of property tax revenue the province shares with municipalities.

📝 A Note To Readers: I asked the province twice for a list of the 23 municipalities and the amounts owed. The province did confirm the error and provided a statement explaining how the error occurred, but did not tell me which communities were impacted. I will update the web version of this story if/when I confirm this information.

Copy to share the story:

https://islandedition.ca/read/overpayment-clawback

Eyesore Demolished 

The chapter of neglect surrounding an apartment building at 282 University Avenue reached its inevitable conclusion on Thanksgiving Monday: it has been demolished. The building sat exposed to the elements for nearly seven years following a fire in 2017 that left the building uninhabitable. Although the city had council’s approval to demolish the building, the owner hired its own crew to carry out the work.

📢 SHOUT-OUTS 

👼 To my brother and his significant other on the birth of their child on Thanksgiving Monday. Welcome to the family, Waylon.

💸 To the Guys Who Give a $hit on making a $10,500 donation to Inclusions East, in addition to making a donation to both the Farmers Bank of Rustico and the Charlottetown Library Learning Centre. The group, also known as PEI Give Guys, are always looking for new members interested in giving back to the community.

⚖️ To Sophie MacDonald on being appointed a Judge of the Supreme Court of Prince Edward Island. Justice MacDonald replaces Justice Terri A. MacPherson, who resigned in July.

HALLOWEEN FUN 🎃

Hauntings

👻 Four Seasons Haunted Campground : Fridays and Saturdays (13-14, 20-21, 27-28) from 7-9pm. Admission is $10 cash. Not recommended for kids under 12. 1180 Church Road, Wheatley River - More Info

😱 The Chief’s Haunted Barn: Daily 6-8pm from October 14 to 31 (10pm on Fridays and Saturdays). Admission by donation of non-perishable food item. 29 Kitpu Street, Scotchfort - More Info

🦇 Haunting at the Park (Morell River Run Festival): October 13/14 and 20/21 from 7-9pm. Admission is $5. Riverside Drive, Morell - More Info

🪦 Belfast Highland Greens Haunted Trail: October 20/21 and 27/28. Admission is $5 (under 19) / $10. 138 Selkirk Park Road - More Info

👺 Toby's Haunted Trail: One night only, October 28th, 7-10pm. Admission is $18, must register in advance. 1444 Veterans Memorial Highway, Souris - More Info

Mazes

🌽 MacKenzie Produce - Corn Maze: 10903 TransCanada Highway

👽 Fortune Bridge Farms - Toby’s Maize Quest (Alien Invasion): 1444 Veterans Memorial Highway, Souris - More Info

Other Spooky Stuff

🤔 Friday the 13th Trivia / 8:00 PM: Join host Kevin "Doc" Docherty at The Factory, 189 Kent Street, for some scary trivia.

COMMUNITY CORNER

🚼 Stop by Eastlink Centre this Saturday for the popular Mom2Mom Sale. Explore 100+ tables filled with pre-loved children and baby items, from clothing and toys to books and baby gear. Don't miss out on sporting equipment and more! Admission is just $2 per person, with all proceeds supporting Anderson House. Doors are open from 10am to 1pm.

🍂 The New London Community Complex will host 50+ vendors at the Fall Craft Fair this Saturday. Admission is free. Browse and shop for wooden crafts, knitted products, baked goods, personalized items, decorations and more. Doors are open from 10am to 4pm.

🪦 Don't miss West Moon Act, A Community Theatre production presenting Al Pittman's poetic play featuring (most lively!) dead people in the graveyard of a 1960s fishing village. Hosted at Watermark Theatre from October 26 to 28. More information, including a link to tickets, can be found on ACT’s website.

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

WEATHER

Thursday

🌤️ H 16°C 🌡️ L 11°C
💨 W 17 km/h, gusting 26

Friday

🌧️ H 13°C 🌡️ L 10°C
💨 SW 17 km/h, gusting 26

Looking Ahead

👀 Enjoy the little bit of sun we get today, the forecast shows rain all weekend.

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September Moonlight 🌕

What a shot! Ross Hartinger shared this photo last month of a brilliantly bright moon overlooking Charlottetown and Stratford.

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

THANKS FOR READING!