Cheers & Jeers

CHEERS: To five-time Paralympian Billy Bridges of Summerside who was selected to accept Paralympic rings on behalf of his Team Canada Sledge peers during a ceremony May 9 as part of Canada’s official celebration of the record medal count for the country’s Olympic and Paralympic teams in 2018. The celebration was held amid a sea of red and white at Rideau Hall, where the athletes were presented with rings, and afterwards inside the House of Commons where MPs applauded and cheered the athletes. One of the most impressive performances came from Paralympic cross-country skier and biathlete Mark Arendz of Hartsville, P.E.I. who won six medals.

JEERS: To Nova Scotia’s offshore petroleum regulator which has granted BP Canada Energy Group approval to begin drilling a well off the province’s coast. The project could see up to seven exploration wells drilled off the southeast coast of N.S. over a three-year period. It’s astonishing that Ottawa and Nova Scotia has allowed drilling in light of recent federal conservation measures to protect the right whale. The drilling is in the path of the whale’s migration route from the southern U.S., along the eastern seaboard, the N.S. coast and into the Gulf of St. Lawrence. P.E.I.’s lobster fishermen are being warned they will have to move traps and stop fishing if a right whale is spotted nearby. The drilling platform and service vessels pose a far greater threat. It’s an irresponsible decision in light of recent conservation announcements.

CHEERS: To two Island teachers who received 2018 Prime Minister’s Award for Teaching Excellence from Justin Trudeau during a ceremony in Ottawa last week. Stacy Thain, of Summerside Intermediate School, and Natalie MacNeill of Grace Christian School were among 64 Canadian teachers honoured for “remarkable achievements in education and commitment to prepare their students for a digital and innovation-based economy.”

CHEERS: To Carrsyn Haley, of Victoria Cross, a Grade 11 student at Montague Regional, who earned a $110,000 scholarship to spend the next two years Pearson College, a pre-university school near Victoria, B.C. Pearson College is the country’s only United World College school, one of 17 global schools dedicated to uniting cultures and countries. Its program attracts students from 150 countries. Not only will the Grade 11 student be finishing high school at Pearson, but also starting her post-secondary studies in the two-year program.

CHEERS: To the 2018 P.E.I. Crime Stoppers Police Officers of the Year who were honoured May 11 in Charlottetown. The award for 2018 Municipal Police Officer of the Year went to Deputy Chief Sinclair Walker of the Summerside Police Services. The 2018 Royal Canadian Mounted Police Officer of the Year is Sgt. Chris Gunn of the Kings District RCMP.