The 2023 FPEIM Semi-Annual Meeting will be hosted by the City of Summerside on Saturday, October 14, 2023, at Credit Union Place, 511 Notre Dame Street.
GREETINGS FROM HOST
Councillor Barbara Gallant (she/her)
Councillor Barbara Gallant joined the Summerside City Council in 2022 and is the representative for municipal services. She is a graduate of the Atlantic Business College in Fredericton, NB; a certified esthetician; and the present executive director of the PEI Veterans’ Success Centre. She has also served several roles with the Summerside Royal Canadian Legion, including branch president and chair of the Lest We Forget Committee. Her current community involvement includes the Parkview Senior Citizens’ Club, Culture Summerside, and the Summerside Lobster Carnival.
FINDING HOPE IN MUNICIPAL CLIMATE ACTION
Speaker
Stephanie Arnold, Strategy + Programs Manager, PEI Climate Services Specialist, CLIMAtlantic (they/them)
Stephanie completed their chemical engineering degree and MBA at the University of Toronto. After spending time in the private sector, they joined the UPEI Climate Lab, where they collaborated with different sectors and organizations across PEI on climate change and adaptation issues. Their PhD research earned them recognition as a Top 25 “Emerging Thought Leader” from WIIS-Canada.
Stephanie’s presentation will talk about new possibilities and opportunities from climate action and how those possibilities and opportunities align with work at the municipal level. They will also share how CLIMAtlantic, an NGO that offers free climate adaptation services, can support your work.
RETHINKING LAND USE ON PEI
Moderator
Melanie Bailey, Project Manager, PEI Provincial Immigration Partnership (she/her)
Melanie Bailey has been a project manager for the PEI Provincial Immigration Partnership through the Immigration and Refugee Services Association since 2015. In her work, she supports PEI’s immigration and settlement sector and the provincewide Partners in Immigration collaboration network. Her related surveys and research have illustrated the challenges and opportunities connected to increasing housing supply and improving land use planning. Prior to 2015, she worked with municipal and community leaders to expand immigrant services and recruit international talent.
Speakers
Megan Williams, Manager of Planning, Department of Housing, Land and Communities (she/her)
Megan Williams is a planner and avid knitter who grew up in Nova Scotia. She worked for nearly a decade for different Albertan municipalities, and is happy to be back in the Maritimes working for the Government of PEI. Working in Alberta allowed her to hone her craft: using policy to create sustainable communities by day and fibre-arts to build a sense of community by night.
In March 2023, the Province announced its commitment to creating a province-wide land use plan. To help realize this goal, the first step is to complete the State of the Island Report. The Government of PEI’s Land Division started work on the State of the Island Report in the summer of 2023. The finalized report is expected to be completed by Q1 of 2024 and will be used to inform the long-awaited Land Use Plan. This presentation will explain what the State of the Island Report is, its role in the Land Use Plan, and what our next steps are.
Satyajit Sen, Policy and Special Projects Advisor, FPEIM (he/him)
In his role at the Federation of PEI Municipalities, Sen conducts research, advocacy, stakeholder engagement, and government relations, and provides strategic advice on complex legislative, regulatory, public policy, and governance issues. He has been instrumental in developing the upcoming Municipal Infrastructure Fund.
His presentation will highlight the interconnected nature of key issues like population growth, land use, housing, and climate change – and illustrate the need for municipal restructuring in solving these issues.
Matt Pelletier, Policy Researcher (he/him)
Matt Pelletier is a policy researcher based in Charlottetown who has done extensive research on public administration, transportation, housing, and health care. He was born and raised in Ottawa but has called PEI home since March 2020. Matt holds a master’s degree from the London School of Economics and Political Science, and a bachelor’s degree in public affairs and policy management from Carleton University.
This presentation will highlight how PEI’s population growth translates into housing needs, and the steps all orders of government need to take to help PEI grow up rather than out. PEI is seeing record-breaking population growth thanks to migration from other countries and provinces. This growth makes the province younger and helps revitalize economically strained regions, but it creates some challenges relating to housing affordability, infrastructure renewal, and ecological sustainability.
LUNCHEON ADDRESS
Honourable Rob Lantz, Minister of Housing, Land and Communities (he/him)
Honourable Rob Lantz is a lifelong resident of District 13, Charlottetown-Brighton. A graduate of UPEI and Holland College, Rob has worked as an advisor, partner, and investor in business startups and a consultant in the IT sector. He also served two terms as a councillor with the City of Charlottetown. In April 2023, Rob was elected MLA for District 13, and named Minister of Housing, Land and Communities. The Ministry works to address challenges with housing and permitting and increase housing stock; works with municipalities to develop a province-wide land use plan; and provides leadership to support strong local governance and viable and accountable communities.
MUNICIPAL SUCCESS STORIES
Speakers
Mayor Debbie Johnston, Town of Three Rivers (she/her) – Public Art
Mayor Debbie Johnston was first elected as a councillor with the former Town of Montague in 2011, and she has been mayor of the Town of Three Rivers since 2022. Along with former Montague Councillor Peter Doucette and Martina MacDonald of CBDC East, Debbie became involved with Artisans on Main and the Montague Art Trail. Believing there is a place in every community for art, she wants to expand and promote public art throughout Three Rivers.
Mayor Jason Macdonald, Rural Municipality of Hunter River (he/him) – Random Acts of Kindness
Jason Macdonald has been part of the council in Hunter River for more than 20 years. In summer 2023, the municipality ran a number of activities for children between the ages of 4 and 12. Monday morning activities were dedicated to Random Acts of Kindness.
Councillor Steven Campbell, Town of Cornwall (he/him) – Citizens on Patrol
Steven Campbell is in his first term as a councillor with the Town of Cornwall. He is the properties manager and program manager of a day program for adults with intellectual disabilities at Queens County Residential Services. He is also a former firefighter and medical first responder with the Summerside Fire Department. Five years ago, he moved to Cornwall and volunteered to help improve safety within the town. He is the chair of the Town of Cornwall public works department and the liaison for Citizens on Patrol.
Madison Doucette, Project Leader, Town of Tignish (she/her) – ParticipACTION Community Challenge
Madison Doucette is a university student who has been with the Town of Tignish since 2017 as a recreational director assistant. She spearheaded the town’s ParticipACTION Community Challenge project, which won the town the title of Most Active Community for Prince Edward Island in 2023.
RECEPTION CENTRE RESILIENCY PROGRAM
Speakers
Giselle Bernard, Community Development Officer, Rural and Regional Development (she/her)
Jeremy Oakes, Public Safety Officer, PEI Emergency Measures Organization (he/him)
Giselle has worked in the community development sector for 25 years. Jeremy has been with PEI EMO for six months. He was previously a law enforcement officer and volunteer firefighter in Alberta.
Their presentation will provide an overview of the Reception Centre Resiliency Program, the funding available, and the requirements to qualify.