Opinion letter by Bruce MacDougall, FPEIM President, published in The Guardian on March 27, 2018

Municipalities only make up 30 percent of the area of Prince Edward Island.  In other provinces, unincorporated areas tend to be vast sparsely inhabited or uninhabited areas.  There aren’t any areas in PEI that fit that description, but resistance to change has left us with a system that was outdated decades ago.  Read more

Opinion letter by Bruce MacDougall, FPEIM President, published in The Guardian on January 17, 2018.

The 72 municipalities in PEI only cover 30 percent of the province and one in three municipalities has an area of less than five square kilometres. The boundaries of many municipalities are based on school districts from the 1800s.  These boundaries wouldn’t work as school district boundaries today, and they don’t work as municipal government boundaries.  This outdated system has left local communities with limited capacity to address local challenges and pursue local opportunities.

We must appreciate and make the most of the many strengths of communities across Prince Edward Island.  At the same time, we need to recognize and address weaknesses that make it difficult to tackle the challenges of today and the future. For example, the declining and ageing population in the eastern and western parts of our province is a concern, but most small communities lack the capacity to work on local solutions.

Read the full letter here.

Opinion letter by Bruce MacDougall, FPEIM President published in The Guardian and The Journal-Pioneer on September 28, 2017 and in the Eastern Graphic on September 27, 2017

With 73 municipalities in PEI that only cover 30 per cent of our Island, how can we expect rural PEI to be strong?

We can’t.

Many municipalities lack the capacity for local planning and strategic decision-making.  These are essential for shaping a better future.

Read more.

Editorial from The Guardian published December 7, 2016.

The new Municipal Government Act (MGA) will not ram changes down the throats of communities. But it’s clear where the province is headed – a major reduction in the number of municipal units – while giving those expanded communities the financial means to sustain themselves.

Almost every community suffers from the same malaise – an aging core with restrictive boundaries, struggling to sustain schools, churches, stores, garages, fire departments and arenas.

Just outside community boundaries, new homes are built as people leave or move to avoid the higher taxes of the incorporated community. But they still enjoy services the community has to offer, such as fire coverage. Outside residents benefitted as the province plowed and maintained their roads and picked up garbage. It’s not fair.

Read more of The Guardian editorial from December 7, 2016, here.

Presented on November 8, 2016.

On behalf of the Federation of Prince Edward Island Municipalities, thank you for initiating a dialogue on annexation and amalgamation and for inviting the Federation to present its views on this important topic.

In Canada, and in developed countries around the world, it is increasingly understood that there is an important link between the strength of local governments, and regional and national prosperity.

Citizens rely on municipalities to deliver local services that make cities, towns and communities attractive places to live, work and play.  Through long-term comprehensive planning, modern infrastructure and amenities, and the delivery of a broad range of services, municipal governments play a fundamental role in creating conditions for economic growth.

Unfortunately, Prince Edward Island cannot reach its potential without transformative changes to address outdated municipal boundaries.  Municipal leaders have known this for a long time and, through the Federation, have been calling for change.

Read the complete presentation.