Cheers & Jeers
CHEERS to all who evacuated the Chez Nous Co-operative seniors' home in Wellington a week ago and found comfortable lodging for nearly 50 elderly citizens in the middle of the night. Cheers to the Chez Nous staff for having and practising an evacuation plan as well as to the New London, Tyne Valley and Miscouche fire departments who joined the Wellington Fire Department in extinguishing the blaze. We also appreciate the efforts of the school bus drivers who answered the call for help and arrived in numbers to the Wellington Legion and Chez Nous ready to work through the night to get the seniors to safety. The contractors and staff at the Mill River resort who worked straight through to finish renovations to allow displaced residents from Chez Nous to stay together at the resort also deserve our gratitude. The community response to help those affected by this emergency is another example of Islanders looking out for Islanders.
CHEERS to Three Rivers' electoral boundaries commission, consisting of Heather MacLean, Anne VanDonkersgoed and Pat Uptegrove, who were tasked to recommend an eight-ward structure for the young municipality. While their recommendation was met with discomfort amongst councillors — who tabled the decision a few times until their Jan. 25 meeting — the women's tireless volunteer work that spanned about eight months last year can't go unnoticed or underappreciated.
JEERS to the City of Charlottetown for delaying a public meeting on a proposed new bylaw that would govern short-term rentals in the city. This was an issue during the last civic election and it’s hard to believe it is highly likely it will be an election issue again in 2022. The city said such a public meeting would draw too big a crowd to comply with health protocols at the Rodd Charlottetown hotel or the Rodd Royalty, the traditional spot the city holds large public meetings. Coun. Mike Duffy, chairman of council’s standing committee on planning or heritage, said the city is looking at having it at Confederation Centre of the Arts’ Memorial Hall but once again blames public health restrictions for the delay. Perhaps the P.E.I. Convention Centre just down the street would fit the bill.
JEERS to some motorists in downtown Charlottetown who don’t appear to realize where the sidewalks begin. Take a walk around the downtown core and you can often see vehicles parked on the sidewalk, sometimes completely blocking the sidewalk on streets where angle parking spots are the norm. It is an infraction and drivers can be ticketed $50 for blocking the sidewalk. More so, it is a barrier for some people to get around town, including people with mobility issues and those pushing strollers. Sometimes motorists may pull too far ahead, but it’s easy to see once exiting the vehicle that the bumper is over the curb. It only takes a few seconds to correct this by moving the vehicle back.