Cheers & Jeers
CHEERS: To Brenda McIlwaine of Belvedere who was recognized in late November for her 10 years as a volunteer with the P.E.I. Golf Association. Brenda has been instrumental in growing the game on the Island through her involvement in numerous programs and activities that include: president of the association; member of the provincial council; active participant on the course rating team; founder of the girls’ camp program; numerous committees for the rules of golf and competition; and co-ordinator of the Excel Accounting senior women’s golf tour.
CHEERS: To Charlottetown Coun. Bob Doiron for speaking up in opposition to the rush by the out-going council to push through a procedural bylaw that limits the powers of the mayor. Doiron called it an abuse of process, and wrote a letter to The Guardian stating his views. And JEERS to the former council which asked its legal counsel to investigate whether Coun. Doiron breached the city’s code of conduct. Perhaps the previous council should consider whether it was in breach of code of conduct for hypocritical behaviour, and for trying to limit free speech.
JEERS: To the federal government for taking this long to finally suspend its attestation requirement for the Canada Summer Jobs Program. There was wide backlash and criticism for the Liberals’ values test which resulted in more than 1,500 Canada Summer Jobs applications being rejected in 2018, up from 126 rejections in 2017. Hundreds of organizations withdrew their applications or did not apply due to the attestation. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau failed to follow his creed of Canada being a tolerant, multicultural society by imposing his personal ideological position restricting groups from receiving government funding.
CHEERS: To Jim Hulton, Charlottetown Islanders coach and general manager, who left Sunday to join Canada’s national junior hockey team. Hulton has coached at two world junior hockey championships, but never in Canada. That will change when he steps behind the bench as an assistant coach with Team Canada in Vancouver and Victoria, B.C., from Dec. 26, 2018, to Jan. 5, 2019. Moose Jaw Warriors bench boss Tim Hunter will be the head coach while Marc-André Dumont (Cape Breton Screaming Eagles) is another assistant. Islanders defenceman P.O. Joseph leaves today for Team Canada’s selection camp. Good luck.
CHEERS: To the grand-daddy of P.E.I. Christmas parades which wound its way through Souris on Saturday, Dec. 1. The 38th annual Souris Christmas Parade attracted thousands of families and Christmas-lovers from across Kings County and the Island despite cool temperatures. Leading the event was parade marshal Olivia MacNeill, Miss Teenage Maritime International 2018.