Blog Post

Small price to pay to strengthen rural PEI

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  There aren’t any areas in PEI that fit that description, but resistance to change has left us with a system that was outdated decades ago.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

Viable municipalities

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  This outdated system has left local communities with limited capacity to address local challenges and pursue local opportunities.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.

Municipal restructuring is an opportunity

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.

Carrots win over sticks

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.

Presentation to the Standing Committee on Communities, Land and Environment

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.

What PEI can learn from Brexit

Article by Paul MacNeill for PEICanada.com, published June 29, 2016.

“In the lead up to Britain’s referendum on whether or not to leave the European Union, a poll showed that a majority had very little knowledge about the union or their country’s role in it. Still 52 per cent, 17 million plus strong, voted to leave.

It is a result that will likely trigger a stampede of nationalistic rhetoric elsewhere and with it an equal amount of instability. Scotland voted overwhelmingly to stay in the EU, England and Wales strongly for leaving. The United Kingdom may not be so united for long.

All because Prime Minister David Cameron decided it more important to risk the country in a referendum simply to appease members of his Conservative Party. There was no legal requirement to hold last week’s vote, it has much to do with silencing political foes as it did gauging the desires of Britons.

But it backfired. Spectacularly.

And that is what happens when politicians use plebiscites or referendums as an out clause.”

Read the story here.

Preserving Community Identity

Letter to the Editor from FPEIM President Bruce MacDougall – published in The Guardian on April 19, 2016

The need to restructure our rural communities has become increasingly evident in recent years.  What this change will look like is still to be determined.  As conversations take place, a number of very real issues need to be addressed.

It isn’t surprising that people have voiced concern around the loss of community identify as discussions about creating larger municipalities gain momentum.  There are examples of municipal restructuring, in Canada, where names of the original communities have disappeared except in the hearts and minds of residents.  It can and should be done differently in PEI.

See the full letter.

Amalgamation on P.E.I. complicated but necessary

Article from The Guardian, published March 4, 2016.

“Trying to amalgamate P.E.I.’s rural communities will be a tough sell, says Diane Griffin.

The Stratford town councillor was a part of a recent Institute of Island Studies symposium that took place at UPEI on Feb. 25 and looked at local governance on P.E.I. and the way this province is falling behind when it comes to how it is governed both provincially and municipally.”

Read the complete story here.

Municipal restructuring as a good marriage

Blog post from Peter Bevan-Baker, MLA Kelly’s Cross-Cumberland, Leader of the Third Party, published February 19, 2016.

 “Valentine’s Day has got me in a soppy, romantic mood, and it is in this spirit that I offer these thoughts.I got married almost 30 years ago.

I’m a lucky man: I chose the kindest person I’ve ever met to be my wife, and though none of us can predict the future, it looks like we’ll be good for at least a few more years. If Ann were writing this blog, I hope she would say something similar. The years of courtship were special, and the energy and naivety of youth propelled us towards a memorable wedding in St. John’s where the Scottish and Newfoundland families met (and sang, danced, ate and drank together) for the first time. The whole episode from our first encounter (in a dental chair – hold the romance – “do you floss?”…. “I do”) to the wedding (in a spectacular Newfoundland church – bring on the romance – “do you take this woman”……”I do”) was a rollicking delight. We were lucky: we became partners slowly, checking each other out carefully, and really getting to understand each other’s needs before we made the momentous decision to spend the rest of our lives (or at least until February 20th 2016) together. In our culture it is traditional for young (and not-so-young) people to choose their partners, while in others, arranged marriages are more the norm. I can’t imagine what it feels like to have someone else find your partner and dictate the timing, terms and nature of your betrothal, and although I know some cultures manage very nicely with such traditions, let me just say that I’m glad I got to choose.

I’d like to imagine that the process by which Prince Edward Island is going to restructure local government will be more one of mutual courtship, less arranged marriage.”

See Peter Bevan-Baker’s blog post.