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CHARLOTTETOWN, P.E.I. — The City of Charlottetown is in the process of making changes to its bylaws that will enable Elections P.E.I. to manage its municipal election on Nov. 7.
Elections P.E.I. recently reviewed bylaws of five municipalities in the province that enter into contracts with the office to run elections as the municipal election officer.
However, there was some debate at a meeting of council’s strategic priorities and intergovernmental affairs meeting on June 23 over the fact that having Elections P.E.I. manage the city’s election means some of the mobile polls that have taken place in the past won’t be open this time.
Due to the implementation of the Municipal Government Act in 2017, Elections P.E.I. will allow mobile polls in long-term and community care facilities where some voters aren’t able to get to a polling station.
Under the MGA, polls held previously in Charlottetown don’t fall under the new regulations. These include Champion Court, Duvar Court, Charlotte Court, Mayfield senior citizens, Spring Park Court and Sherwood Home.
Tim Garrity, chief electoral officer with Elections P.E.I., told SaltWire Network on July 12 the new rules are to ensure fairness across the province.
Professional mural painters will be in Charlottetown during the week of July 17 to add some significant colour to three prominent city buildings.
The three properties are 64 King St., 151 Great George St. and 89 Kent St., the latter of which is the Charlottetown Fire Department, District 1. City council passed three separate resolutions, one for each property, at its regular monthly meeting on July 11.
The resolutions require the murals to be painted in accordance with the description and concept that was submitted to the planning department on June 13, that the applicant receive a sign permit and that the property owner work in partnership with Festival Inspire and the city’s economic development, tourism and events department to ensure the mural doesn’t become unsightly as a result of factors including paint fading, chipping and tagging.
Read more Charlottetown considers changing bylaw that requires fences for backyard pools Senior finance officer with City of Charlottetown resigns, raises questions
Charlottetown considers changing bylaw that requires fences for backyard pools
Senior finance officer with City of Charlottetown resigns, raises questions
Charlottetown’s public works department is cracking down on homeowners who aren’t mowing their lawns.
At its regular monthly meeting on July 11, city council passed a resolution that authorizes a crew to go in and cut the grass, remove any garbage and dispose of it, all at the expense of the property owner, in accordance with the dangerous, hazardous and unsightly bylaw.
Public works will be cutting the grass at 16 properties, including 54 Westhill Dr., 55 Westridge Cres., 203 Patterson Dr., 108 Scarlett Ave., 31 Kirkwood Dr., 21 Barrymore Ct., 80 Massey Dr., 599 Queen St., 594 Queen St., 596 Queen St., 38 Valley St., 357 Queen St., 50 Homes Lane, 224 East Royalty Rd., 39 Passmore St. and 89 Heather Ave.
The unsightly premises bylaw is largely complaint-driven, meaning the city will usually act when neighbours complain about a nearby property.
Public works crews are also authorized to remove two derelict vehicles, at the owner’s expense, at 89 Heather Ave.
Maritime Electric is proposing to demolish its steam plant on Cumberland Street in Charlottetown and construct a new industrial equipment building.
To do that, the city would have to amend its comprehensive development area (CDA) concept plan.
So, city council has sent the matter to a public meeting to gather input.
It will be one of the issues discussed in the Courtyard at the Rodd Royalty on Capital Drive on July 26 at 7 p.m.
The total acreage for the site is about 28.8 acres, consisting of 14 land parcels and four water lots. The proposed building would be located on 2.41 acres.
The application involves the demolition of the existing steam plant and stacks from the site. The steam building currently houses equipment for the utility’s 50-megawatt combustion turbine generator. The equipment will be moved to the new building. Once relocated, the steam plant will be demolished.
Charlottetown firefighters responded to 66 emergency calls in June, making it their second most active month so far this year, after January when
District 1 on Kent Street had 45 emergency responses including the following: alarm ringing but no fire, 11; alarm pulled accidentally, four; alarm set off by smoke, steam or dust, eight; alarm activated due to equipment malfunction, three; alarm activated because someone was working on the system, one; cooking alarm, five; smell of smoke and burning rubber, two; mutual aid for a water rescue, two; mutual aid for Island EMS, one; mulch fire, one; propane leak, one; transformer fire, one; black smoke, one; elevator rescue, one; motor vehicle accident, one; smell of propane, one; tar pot fire, one.
District 2 on St. Peters Road responded to 21 emergency calls in June, including the following: alarm ringing but no fire, four; alarm detector activated, two; alarm pulled accidentally, three; alarm activated due to smoke, steam or dust, one; alarm activated due to equipment malfunction, one; alarm activated because someone was working on the system, one; cooking alarm, one; mutual aid to Island EMS, two; fire in woods, one; carbon monoxide alarm, two; motor vehicle accident, one; gas smell, one; fire in walls, one.
As of June 30, city firefighters had responded to 352 emergency calls this year, which is about on par with the number of calls that had come in during the same time period in 2021.
The City of Charlottetown is considering adding some public art as part of an upcoming roundabout project in the neighbourhood of Sherwood.
The city’s arts advisory board has been having discussions on a public art installation at the intersection that links Belvedere Avenue to Brackley Point Road and St. Peters Road.
Internal talks about the budget for this art project are ongoing.
The board discussed the potential of using a living sculpture of two foxes, which were built for MosaiCanada 150, consisting of a frame covered with plants. Staff are exploring the idea to determine the feasibility.
Work on the actual roundabout is set to begin in August and finish sometime in the fall.
In addition, Pride P.E.I. is looking to install a Pride wings sculpture on the exterior retaining wall of the Confederation Centre of the Arts and is currently seeking all necessary approvals.
A new hair and aesthetics business is opening at 8 Brows Ln., Charlottetown.
City council granted a major variance to grant a permit for the operation at its regular public monthly meeting on July 11.
The move was necessary because the business will exist as a home occupation in a single-detached dwelling.
However, there are conditions attached to the permit approval.
The appointment-based business can only operate from Wednesday to Sunday from 11 a.m. to 6 p.m. with no more than two clients at a time.
The conditions also stipulate that the business can book no more than six clients per day and is allowed one full-time employee, who is the owner-resident of the dwelling.
The maximum permitted size of the shop is 218 square feet or 18 per cent of the gross floor area of the existing main dwelling.
The business is also permitted three on-site tandem parking spaces, at least 8.5 feet by 18 feet in size. On-street parking is prohibited.
Charlottetown council has approved $60,000 in partnership funding to support the 2023 Canada Games host society.
The money will help pay for a modular sports flooring system and will be expensed from the 2022-23 capital budget.
The host society is purchasing a section of the modular flooring for the table tennis event that will be held at the Charlottetown Trade Centre, which is attached to Eastlink Centre. The host society is contributing $30,000 while Eastlink Centre is chipping in $30,000.
With the city’s contribution, the host society will be able to purchase additional flooring to cover the entire rink floor. It will also enable the rink surface to be used during the off-season for sporting activities and events, such as volleyball, badminton, tennis, basketball and pickleball.
Eastlink Centre has informed the city it has the required space to store the flooring system.
The city and Eastlink Centre will retain ownership of the flooring following the Games.
Dave Stewart is a reporter with the SaltWire Network in Prince Edward Island. He can be reached by email at [email protected] and followed on Twitter @DveStewart.
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