Cheers to the 30 new Canadians who took their citizenship oath on Monday, July 1. Our newest neighbours made Canada their official country during a special citizenship ceremony at Skmaqn–Port-la-Joye–Fort Amherst National Historic Site. We are so happy to have you join us. Welcome.
Jeers to dog owners who, despite warnings from veterinarians, continue bring their pets on public excursions where they may feel stressed and act out. We recently heard from a Kensington woman who walked by a small dog in a Charlottetown bookstore and, without any provocation, was bitten through her jeans. And every Canada Day weekend, there are pet owners who think it would be nice to bring their dogs along to see the fireworks. If your dog is too stressed to stay at home alone because of the noisy display, stay home with it. There is no earthly reason you need to further the pet’s anxiety by bringing it to a crowded, noisy event full of strangers, legitimate therapy dogs and running children in glow-in-the-dark necklaces.
Cheers to Lynn Docherty and the organizers for bringing back Belfast Days in the eastern P.E.I. municipality this past weekend. Communities are important and running events in the rural part of the province can be challenging at the best of chance, much less trying to resurrect an event that hasn’t been held in more than three decades. Belfast Days involved a weekend full of family activity, some harness racing and an adult dance with part of the proceeds going to the Children’s Wish Foundation. It was a well-organized event that hopefully brought many residents in the community together.
Cheers to Kevin Murphy, owner of Fishbones Seafood House and Oyster Bar on Victoria Row in Charlottetown, for owning up to the fact the restaurant erected a pergola around the outdoor deck before getting a permit from the city. Many business owners would simply have simply ignored media calls, made up excuses or simply criticized the city. We thought the pergola was a nice touch to the street but clearly there is a process to follow.
Jeers to Green MLA Ole Hammarlund, who suggested in a media interview last week that the site of the former Prince Edward Home/PE Hospital be used to build an affordable housing unit. What an unusual idea from a member of a party that purports to value environmental initiatives. The city – and the province – definitely need more housing options, as evidenced most recently by a series of public meetings in Kings County late last week. We support building more affordable units in the city and around the province. But we only have one shot at protecting for green space the site of the PE Home right next to Charlottetown’s Victoria Park. The park, over the years, has become home to more and more infrastructure, including the playground, baseball field, pool, skateboard park and, most recently, a concert pavilion. It would be a shame to see the land adjacent be used for more development.
