Cheers &Jeers
CHEERS: To Mike Cassidy, owner of Maritime Coach Atlantic and T3 Transit for taking a lead in working towards adopting electric vehicles in Prince Edward Island. He hopes to have up to five electric motor coach buses in his fleet by 2022 and a dozen electric transit buses by 2027.
JEERS: To P.E.I.'s ongoing dismal rental market situation. The news coverage for rental woes tends to focus on Charlottetown.
But last week, we heard from a young tax auditor who couldn't find a place to live in Summerside after moving to the Island from Halifax. He initially has to live in Wellington, a 20-minute drive to work each day. He then found a place in Mont Carmel but is now getting the boot because the landlord wants to turn the place into an AirBnB. Unfortunately, this is hardly a unique story for P.E.I.
CHEERS: To P.E.I.’s chief public health officer, Dr. Heather Morrison, for keeping Islanders up-to-date regarding the latest in coronavirus (COVID-19 strain) news. Her calm, level-headed approach instills confidence that we’re in good hands and that the necessary precautions are being taken.
JEERS: To Island panic-shoppers. It has yet to be proven that toilet paper – 1-ply, 2-ply or otherwise – will help anyone during a pandemic. This, while anti-bacterial soap remains on shelves in grocery store aisles boggles the mind.
CHEERS: To the Island health care professionals for their continued patience and level-headedness during the ongoing COVID
19 dilemma. They are on the front lines, they are under an immense amount of pressure and their consultations are imperative to our success in getting through this viral pandemic.
JEERS: To anyone complaining about their travel plans being delayed or postponed because of the ongoing pandemic. Cooperation from the general public will only benefit society as a whole and those most vulnerable to the virus.
Complaining about a two-week vacation to Cancun is shallow and selfish when people are depending on continued support from their community in what, for some, will be a life and death situation.
JEERS: To the drunk drivers who have been coming before the courts after getting caught with incredibly high breathalyzer readings.
While drunk driving cases are sadly nothing new for the courts, some recent cases have shown how serious alcohol addiction issues can be. It’s almost incomprehensible that people would ever end up behind the wheel with some of the blood alcohol levels the court sees.