The first official meeting of the Federation of Prince Edward Island Municipalities was held on Thursday, May 9, 1957, at the Charlottetown Hotel on Kent Street. This inaugural meeting was chaired by Mayor John D. Stewart of Charlottetown, and was called for the purpose of forming a “Union of Local Authorities” for the province of Prince Edward Island.
Already in existence on the Island at the time were a Village Commissioners’ Association and a Federation of Mayors and Municipalities. Many people recognized the need for more unified action on the part of municipalities of Prince Edward Island, and thus the May 9, 1957, meeting was called.
Discussion at the meeting focussed on the potential benefits of forming a new provincial municipal association for Prince Edward Island. Mayor Stewart opened the discussion by saying, “I think the idea has a tremendous lot of merit and we can do much collectively.”
Mayor William A. Currie of Summerside, affirmed the notion of strength through unity, saying that he had “… learned what unity can accomplish through the Federation of Mayors and Municipalities.” Councillor Robert Carruthers of Kensington, added that “we can do better working in a group than as individuals.”
The original members of the Federation of Prince Edward Island Municipalities were the City of Charlottetown; the towns of Summerside, Souris, Montague, Kensington, Alberton, Georgetown and Borden; and the villages of Spring Park, North Rustico, Tignish, and St. Peter’s Bay.
A constitution was discussed and adopted at the 1957 meeting and it declared FPEIM’s objectives to be the guidance and improvement of legislation upon municipal issues, united action on matters of municipal concern, and the fostering of a fraternal spirit among members. The constitution also stated that the executive of FPEIM would be comprised of a president, first vice-president, second vice-president, honourary secretary-treasurer, and two representatives from each Island county. The membership fee was set at one cent per person per municipality. This amount was set for a period of one year with an agreement that it be reviewed and re-set on an annual basis.
Comprising the first executive of the Federation of Prince Edward Island Municipalities were:
- Mayor Bruce Yeo of Montague, President;
- Mayor John D. Stewart of Charlottetown, First Vice- President;
- Mayor William A. Currie of Summerside, Second Vice-President;
- Arnold Wightman of Montague, Honourary Secretary-Treasurer.
Kensington and Hector Buote of Tignish as Prince County representatives; Joseph Gaudin of North Rustico and Edwin C. Johnstone of Charlottetown as Queen’s County representatives; and, George Ferguson of Murray River and Wilfred Wright of Souris as King’s County representatives.
Since its inception in 1957, the Federation of Prince Edward Island Municipalities has grown to forty-three members.
| PAST PRESIDENTS | TERM OF SERVICE |
|---|---|
| Councillor Bruce MacDougall, City of Summerside | June 2007 – present |
| Mayor Ivan Gallant, Town of Kensington | April 2007 – June 2007 |
| Vice-Chairperson Gwen Wyand, Resort Municipality | December 2006 – April 2007 |
| Councillor Stan Campbell, Community of New Haven-Riverdale | January 2001 – December 2006 |
| Councillor Pat Connolly, City of Charlottetown | May 1999 – December 2000 |
| Mayor David Campbell, Town of Alberton | June 1998 – May 1999 |
| Councillor Irene Dawson, Town of Cornwall | June 1996 – June 1998 |
| Mayor Doug Doncaster, Town of Kensington | March 1995 – June 1996 |
| Councillor Cecil Murl, Community of East Royalty | May 1994 – March 1995 |
| Chairperson Aquinas Ryan, Community of St. Peter’s Bay | May 1993 – May 1994 |
| Councillor Cecil Murl, Community of East Royalty | January 1991 – May 1993 |
| Mayor Merrill Scott, Town of Montague | May 1990 – December 1990 |
| Councillor Donna MacArthur, Town of Parkdale | January 1989 – May 1990 |
| Mayor Hector MacLeod, Town of Alberton | January 1988 – January 1989 |
| Chairman David White, Community of Southport | May 1985 – December 1987 |
| Commissioner John MacLean, Community of Sherwood | 1983-84/1984-85 |
| Chairman Earle Arsenault, Community of East Royalty | 1981-82/1982-83 |
| Chairman Betty Jean Brown, Community of Southport | 1979-80/1980-81 |
| Chairperson Robert Nutbrown, Community of Cornwall | 1978-79 |
| Mayor Harry Cook, Town of Parkdale | 1977-78 |
| Mayor Harry McConnell, Town of Georgetown | 1976-77 |
| Commissioner Joe Walsh, Community of Sherwood | 1975-76 |
| Mayor Gilbert Bell, Town of Borden | 1974-75 |
| Alderman Frank Moran, City of Charlottetown | 1973-74 |
| Mayor James A. Murphy, Town of Kensington | 1972-73 |
| Mayor Charles Fraser, Town of Montague | 1971-72 |
| Mayor Howard MacLean, Town of Georgetown | 1970-71 |
| Councillor John P. Nicholson, City of Charlottetown | 1969-70 |
| Mayor Gilbert Bell, Town of Borden | 1968-69 |
| Mayor Walter Cox, City of Charlottetown | 1967-68 |
| Mayor George A. Key, Town of Summerside | 1966-67 |
| Mayor Bruce Yeo, Town of Montague | 1964-65/1965-66 |
| Mayor Edmund LaVie, Town of Souris | 1963-64 |
| Mayor Roy Leard, Town of Alberton | 1962-63 |
| Mayor Gilbert Bell, Town of Borden | 1961-62 |
| Mayor Walthen Gaudet, City of Charlottetown | 1960-61 |
| Mayor Walthen Gaudet, City of Charlottetown | 1959-60 |
| Mayor William Currie, Town of Summerside | 1958-59 |
| Mayor Bruce Yeo, Town of Montague | 1957-58 |