Couple bidding goodbye to P.E.I.
As many people eye move to Atlantic region, pandemic prompts move from Summerside to Calgary
A couple on the East Coast made a pivotal decision during the COVID-19 pandemic.
While many city-dwellers beset by high rents, clogged streets, and reconsidering social distancing as a lifestyle, decided to move to the less densely populated regions of Atlantic Canada, Dennis Duermeier and his wife, Jane Henderson, went in the opposite direction.
“The pandemic was the push we needed to realize that family mattered most, not the place,” says Duermeier, a retired navy veteran.
“I moved around in the navy, seeing different places worldwide. And my hobbies include sailing and longdistance cycling, so travel has always been a part of my life. It was the way I grew up."
Not being able to travel afar while in the ‘Atlantic Bubble’ became very difficult for them, explains Duermeier.
“We love the East Coast. But it became so challenging to visit our family and then self-isolate each time," he says.
"We understand the pandemic and the need for these restrictions, but we needed a better way to stay connected to those we love, which is what made up our minds.”
MAKING A HOME AND LEAVING IT
The couple, who originally lived in Parry Sound, Ont., had sailed to Summerside from the Magdalen Islands in 2013 and “fell for the laid-back atmosphere of P.E.I.”
The following year, they traded in their 23 acres of land in Ontario for a shorefront building in Summerside – that once housed Greenshore Marine – and turned it into a unique home that had added space for rental businesses.
“We always went away each year, exploring new places,” says Duermeier, who was coming back from Europe with Henderson when COVID-19 was declared a pandemic and the world went into lockdown.
“When the lockdowns happened, we were doing Zoom calls with friends and relatives, and we had our hobbies and side jobs that kept us busy, including hanging out at the coffee shop (Samuels) with our small group of friends."
Duermeier began a successful wooden spoon business while on P.E.I. and Henderson started a sewing company called Janie-Nicole Leather.
But the pandemic became an emotional rollercoaster for them.
The couple decided it was time to relocate west to Calgary to be close to their family, including his wife’s parents, both in their 90s and living an hour away in Canmore.
“Before the pandemic, Jane travelled every six months to Alberta to visit her parents and help them,” he explains.
For more than a year, their quiet shorefront home in Summerside, which includes a smaller home, was up for sale.
A week before their big move, a buyer purchased the property – thanks to the surge in population growth with many moving into Atlantic Canada from more dense provinces.
MIGRATIONS
According to RBC Economics, COVID-19 increased migration from Ontario and Alberta to Atlantic Canada by people looking for affordable homes and more space.
Halifax became the fastestgrowing city in the country in terms of population.
“Another 25 per cent moved to New Brunswick, while Newfoundland – a province that typically posts a negative net interprovincial migration balance – has seen arrivals from other provinces outweigh departures for two quarters in a row," states RBC.
“As well, P.E.I. welcomed the greatest number of Canadians from other provinces since the early-1960s and posted the strongest population growth of all provinces this year."
As a result of the population growth, housing prices skyrocketed in Atlantic Canada.
“I moved to Calgary in December 2021, and Jane was here for about six weeks before that while I finalized the sale of the home," Duermeier says.
He noted it became “a nuisance to travel back and forth to visit family,” with every province having different health and safety guidelines to follow, including the fears for them being more vulnerable and catching the virus while on the move.
“We drove once, which was a significant undertaking, (and) because each time we had to isolate for 10 days or whatever it was, this became an inconvenience," he said.
"But we never planned to spend the rest of our lives on P.E.I., we were always looking for a push, and this was it.”
The couple says they are adjusting to the city life’s hustle and bustle.
“Everything is an adventure. When you move around, you must expect some bumps in the road, but we learned that family must always come first," Duermeier says.
“We want to enjoy this time in life, after years of hard work. It is time for us to slow down, be around family, turn off the screens that can be full of overwhelming and negative news, and live in the moment.”
Duermeier says newness is exciting, and they can’t wait to turn the page and start the next chapter in their lives.
“We were lucky to have lived in P.E.I. We will miss the generosity, the friendliness, and our small coffee group of friends," he says.
"But this move needed to happen. Instead of the Northumberland Strait, we now overlook the majestic Rocky Mountains (in the distance). And we hope to make new friends in the summer when people are less suspicious and fearful of COVID.”