September 25, 2018 – Municipal restructuring approved for Three Rivers, North Shore and Central Prince
The Federation of PEI Municipalities (FPEIM) welcomes the announcement that the provincial government has approved three municipal restructuring proposals.
The new Three Rivers municipality is the result of joining the former Towns of Georgetown and Montague, the former Rural Municipalities of Brudenell, Cardigan, Lorne Valley, Lower Montague, and Valleyfield, and some unincorporated areas in the Cardigan, Georgetown and Montague fire districts. The Rural Municipality of North Shore joins the former Rural Municipalities of Grand Tracadie, North Shore and Pleasant Grove, and the Rural Municipality of Central Prince combines the former Rural Municipalities of Ellerslie-Bideford and Lady Slipper. Read the news release.
March 27, 2018 – Small Price to Pay
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 There aren’t any areas in PEI that fit that description, but resistance to change has left us with a system that was outdated decades ago.
Rural areas across the province are faced with a declining and aging population. We can ignore those realities, or we can face them and plan for a better future. I don’t believe in change for the sake of change, but when the status quo isn’t working it’s time to consider other options. Read the full opinion piece.
January 17, 2018 – Municipalities Build Communities
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 This outdated system has left local communities with limited capacity to address local challenges and pursue local opportunities. Read more.
September 28, 2017 – Municipal Restructuring is an opportunity
With 73 municipalities in PEI that only cover 30 percent 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.
November 8, 2016 – FPEIM’s presentation to the Standing Committee on Communities, Land and Environment
FPEIM made a presentation the the Standing Committee on Communities, Land and Environment on annexation and amalgamation. Read FPEIM’s presentation.
April 19, 2016 – Preserving Community Identity
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 identity as discussions about creating larger municipalities gain momentum. There are examples of municipal restructuring, in Canada, where the names of the original communities have disappeared except in the hearts and minds of residents. It can and should be done differently in PEI. Read more.
November 27, 2015 – Building Strong Island Communities
At the recent Federation of PEI Municipalities Semi-Annual meeting, municipal leaders from the across the province along with representatives of other orders of government, came together to discuss common challenges and consider how we can move forward together to create change.
As municipal leaders we know the status quo is not viable. Our financial framework is broken. Our current municipal acts are based on a model that was introduced in 1849. It was groundbreaking legislation at the time – but it certainly isn’t today.
Many of our current municipal boundaries are based on old school districts created in the 1800s. They were small because children had to walk to school at that time. Today, one in three municipalities are smaller than three-square kilometres. It’s time to put the 1800s in the history books and put solutions in place for the 21st century. Read the full opinion piece.