Cheers & Jeers
CHEERS: To the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, Eastlink TV and all those who donated to the QEH Foundation’s telethon over the weekend. This year marks the 22nd year for the annual fundraiser, which uses the money collected to purchase priority medical equipment for the hospital. This year, funds raised will be used to purchase equipment for the provincial laboratory, stroke care, operating rooms and mental health initiatives, but one of the big-ticket items is a mass spectrometer. The devices allow for quality testing of prescription medications and illegal substances, which is currently done off-Island.
CHEERS: To all those in Rollo Bay and the surrounding community for making the area’s new French school and community centre, the 45,000 square foot École La-BelleCloche a reality. The new K-12 school officially opened its doors Friday, though staff and students have been inside for more than a month. The original École La-Belle-Cloche opened in 2003 for 14 students in grades one to three and was located in a repurposed facility in Souris. After outgrowing that space, the school and community centre moved to the former Fortune Consolidated School in 2009. Communities are often built around and grow because of schools and centres like this one, so let’s hope northern Kings County reaps the benefits for several years to come.
JEERS: To those who cut fishermen’s lobster lines in North Lake earlier this month. The fishermen who were vandalized are offering a $10,000 reward for anyone with information that could lead to trapping the perpetrator. The reward makes it clear how important it is to the fishermen to find the culprit in order to discourage this type of behaviour. Whoever carried out this act was damaging people’s livelihoods for no gain whatsoever. Hopefully the extra incentive will lead to the vandals being trapped sooner than later.
CHEERS: To Summerside native Gerard (Turk) Gallant and Kinkora native Mike Kelly, the head coach and assistant coach, respectively, of the NHL’s Vegas Golden Knights. The first-year hockey club’s Cinderella season keeps rolling on thanks to the team’s defeat of the Winnipeg Jets in five games in the Western Conference finals. The two Islanders are now a mere four wins away from the Stanley Cup, and we’re sure P.E.I. residents might get a glimpse of the grail if the Knights can complete their storybook season. Game 1 of the final goes tonight.
CHEERS: To The Larkin Bros. on expanding its recently acquired poultry processing facility in Crapaud to now include a retail storefront. A number of local residents gave the family-owned operation a warm welcome during a grand opening on Friday, which also saw the Larkins serve up their locally-grown turkey sausages and burgers to an appreciative crowd. The company’s move into the agriculture-based community seems like a perfect fit and hopefully will be long-lasting.