Getting to Know Prince Edward Island

Posted on 2017/02/03 by Guy Posted in PEI the Garden Province .

Getting to know PEI

So you’re thinking of visiting PEI. Better yet, are you thinking of moving to PEI? Either way, you should get to know our little island a bit before you come…

The Basic Facts

Population – just under 150,000 in the winter; we have thousands of seasonal residents.
We have 2 cities: Charlottetown, and Summerside.
There are 7 towns, although 2 are just suburbs of Charlottetown
Time Zone – Atlantic
Soil – Red, due to iron oxide which rusts on exposure to air
Land Area 5,656 sq km (2,184 sq mi), it is 280 km (175 miles) from tip to tip.
Provincial Bird – Blue Jay
Coat of Arms – Armorial Bearings
Provincial Flower – Lady’s Slipper
Provincial Tree – Red Oak
The PEI tartan was adopted in 1960.
The Island Hymn was written by Lucy Maud Montgomery in the spring of 1908.
Major industries – agriculture, tourism, fisheries
Daily Newspapers – The Guardian, Journal Pioneer
Help with your School Project

Economy

Although PEI dabbles in a bit of everything, the 3 major pillars remain:

Fishing on PEI

Farming on PEI

Tourism on PEI

Regions

We used to have 6 touring regions. The two eastern regions and the 2 western regions were combined a few years ago. Anne’s Land is still in the North Central region but it has been renamed “Green Gables Shore”. So if you remember Anne of Green Gables, you will still know where to find her.

4 regions and one city

The visitor’s guide, maps, and other documentation will make reference to these touring regions to give you a general grouping of attractions.

The 2017 visitor’s guide is out and you can download it in full or in sections from the government website.

If you are contemplating a move here, the Government has made things easier by grouping together much of the information you need like employment, schools, medical, etc.

Stay tuned, i’ll be posting more about our wonderful Island in the next few days.

Guy

Roundabout PEI

Posted on 2016/11/30 by Guy Posted in PEI the Garden Province .

Roundabout, traffic circle, rotary, or circular one way road. No matter what you call them, roundabouts are common in Prince Edward Island.

Some just have painted lines, some have small raised sections similar to speed bumps, while other have a full curb which may include a decoration in the centre. Some roundabouts have a single lane like in the picture above. Others have two lanes which make navigation a little trickier. There are usually sign before the roundabout to indicate which lane to take to go straight through or to make the equivalent of a left turn. The government of PEI has a video on how to navigate roundabouts.

Experts say that traditional intersections present dozens of conflicts with crossing or turning vehicles and pedestrian traffic. Roundabouts reduce these to just a handful, provided you remember the main rule: after pedestrians, the vehicle in the roundabout has the right of way.

Prince Edward Island has 16 roundabouts and likely more to come in the next years. On a per person basis, that is one per 10,000 inhabitants – likely the highest density in Canada. Some might argue the PEI is becoming the roundabout capital of Canada.

If you would like to join the movement, contact @MenBlackTShirts on Twitter.

So if you hear someone say “I’m going for a drive round-about PEI”, maybe it does not mean exactly what you think. When you are planning your visit here, include a refresher on navigating roundabouts.

Freezing Cold in PEI

Posted on 2014/01/04 by Guy Posted in PEI the Garden Province .

I read in the newspaper that some customers on PEI are called interruptible business customers and that when electricity demand is high, they can be shut down. When we hit -20 to -25 during peak period, this intentional blackout needed to be expanded to about 1/4 of central PEI, leaving thousands of customers without power.

it’s cold in here

We are a tough bunch in PEI and we know how to weather a storm. However I think we can help avoid situations such as this. Sure we can spend time arguing that we need a third power cable to handle high load demands. Even if a decision is made, it may be months or years before this becomes a reality. So how about turning to ourselves for a solution?

Peak electricity use is usually from 5-9pm. This is when people start to arrive home from work, cook supper, take a shower, put on laundry, etc. During this time, the stores are still open and drawing electricity from the grid. Add to that the increased use of heat pumps which also increases the peak time load.

Show some consideration for your fellow Islanders on those -20 days by postponing discretionary use like showers and laundry and even turning the heat down 1 degree. If you bear in mind that our total electricity cost is based on peak demand, it makes sense to cut back during peak periods 365 days a year. I would even consider, on cold days, shutting down a computer or two, a couple of TVs, and a few lights – every little bit helps.

We only get 5-10 of those days a year and a small discomfort on your part will help avoid thousands freezing in the dark. It is simple – CBC – Cut Back Cold

PEI Mobile Friendly

Posted on 2013/05/21 by Guy Posted in PEI the Garden Province .

The tourism industry has to realize that more travellers are looking for mobile friendly websites. It is no longer just enough to let users pinch and zoom to try and find information on websites.

The government of PEI Tourism Site does not look very good in 4 inches or less. However it is “possible” to search for accommodations or things to do. The Department has launched mobile apps that work differently. Check the one that works on your device. When I try to search for accommodations, all I can do is select accommodation type. Then I am left to my own resources to check region and price filters. Personally I would rather use the desktop site and struggle with small viewing windows.

My frequent readers will notice that PEIBLOG has a new mobile friendly look. Some of my previous posts may have been adversely affected by the changeover but I am generally pleased with the results. You will see the RSS icon for subscription at the top following the social media links. On a narrow screens, the sidebar is pushed to the bottom. The lists of posts is now down to a summary to make it easier to scroll through several post lists.

I will probably be tweaking a few features in the next little while – please let me know if something is missing or not working too well.

Stay tuned for something you can do with your MOBILE in Charlottetown.

Guy

Prince Edward Island Nicknames

Posted on 2012/12/16 by Guy Posted in PEI the Garden Province .

The Island

Along with Alberta, Prince Edward Island seems to have the most nicknames. Islanders love their Island and sometimes just call it “The Island.” The Government of PEI has a page called The Island Today where you can glance at weather, news and things to do.

Spud Island

PEI is known for potatoes. Therefore it is a good fit to call it the Spud Island. Even the online Dictionary defines Spud Island as PEI. Google search for Spud Island will yield all sorts of interesting things like potato recipes.

Million Acre Farm

Along with the potato theme, we also have the Million Acre Farm. A drive through PEI in the summer will quickly illustrate. While you may see some wooded areas, on many roads you will see field after field of various crops like potato, corn, canola, barley, etc. Prince Edward Island is known as the “million acre farm” for its red fertile soil, temperate climate, and abundance of mixed and specialized family farms.

Garden of the Gulf

Nestled in the middle of the Gulf of St. Lawrence, PEI is also known as the Garden of the Gulf. The Museum in Montague, chose Garden of the Gulf as a fitting title.

Abegweit

Meaning Cradle on the waves, Abegweit is the Mi’kmaq name for Prince Edward Island. Look at a map of Atlantic Canada. It does look like a cradle. Now we have to wonder which Indian Legend flew over the Island to determine its shape. The name Abegweit is associated with many PEI subjects.

Minegoo

The legend of the origins of Prince Edward Island includes Glooscap and Minegoo. This is a colourful tale that incorporates the features of PEI.

The Gentle Island

A Google Search of (the) Gentle Island will yield several results for PEI. If you want to get to the PEI tourism website, just type gentleisland.com

Play in PEI

My favourite way of reaching the PEI tourism site is peiplay.com. This is short and easy to remember.

I hope you are planning on including Prince Edward Island on your next holiday. Check back here often to see why I love PEI.

Guy

Emblems of PEI

Posted on 2012/08/13 by Guy Posted in PEI the Garden Province .

Just a short drop in today – I have many oars in the fire and I need to get all my ducks on the same page.

If you are planning to visit PEI, perhaps you need a bit of research. Do you know the various emblems of Prince Edward Island? We have a provincial flower, bird, tartan, soil, tree, and of course a flag and coat of arms.

Has anyone seen this coin? Do you have any idea where I might find one?

When I asked Google (because Google knows everything), for “PEI emblems” the first hit took me this website that features a short paragraph on each. Enjoy the link.

There is also a recent Island Hymn (2010) that you will find here.

Enjoy your day . . . Guy

Not Criminally Responsible

Posted on 2012/08/08 by Guy Posted in PEI the Garden Province .

Only in PEI

A few days ago I was talking about a cycling fatality. Now another story rears its ugly head to make me cringe.

A driver runs down a motorcyclist. As if this is not enough, he proceeds to give him a severe beating. The injuries are so bad that he has part of his leg amputated.

Now they say the accused was not mentally capable of determining right from wrong. Let’s hope they also find he is not capable of determining right from left and remove his privilege to drive a car.

You can read the story here.

Tomorrow, we’re back to good news stories

Guy

PEI Tourism 2012

Posted on 2012/04/17 by Guy Posted in PEI the Garden Province .

Welcome to my Blog about PEI. Granny has many things on her plate and has asked me to take over this blog. This seems like it will be an exciting challenge and I look forward to bringing you closer to a Prince Edward Island vacation.

For the past few years, there has been one major event that highlighted the tourism season. There was Regis and Kelly, 100 years of Anne, The Summer Games, Will and Kate, etc.

This year there yet seems to be no major event. However, there are still plenty of reasons to visit Prince Edward Island. The Tourism website breaks it down into major categories.

Beaches
Golf
Food
Anne
Arts and Culture
Authentic Experiences

You may want to plan your visit to PEI based on one or more of the “regular” festivals and events. Check out this year’s list that includes new Highland Storm in Summerside and new Summerfest in Charlottetown.

Don’t underestimate the Festival of Small Halls. You can get see outstanding local talent for a good price in a kitchen party type of venue. This year’s events will be announced any day so be sure and check the website. Mark June 14-24 on your calendar if you are planning a late spring visit to PEI. Check out the Visitor’s Guide and order your copy today.

Check back for more updates on what do to in PEI.

Guy

PEI a to z summary

Posted on 2011/06/22 by Guy Posted in PEI the Garden Province .

This is my third run through the alphabet. See the previous list here.

Tune in for our next installment starting tomorrow

Granny ~oo~

PEI Zephyr

Posted on 2011/06/21 by Guy Posted in PEI the Garden Province .

wind

Here it is the longest day of the year and I am just now finding time to write my blog for today. The dictionary says zephyr is a light wind. It also says it is a westerly wind. Well in PEI we almost always have a wind. That is good for a few things. It helps keep mosquitoes away in open areas. In the forested or sheltered areas you are on your own. The wind also helps to bring down the humidity down which tends to keep our summer days at a good level of comfort.

wind farm

The wind also helps to move the wind turbines. Considering we have no rivers from which to produce electricity, it is good that the wind blows steady enough to generate a significant amount of energy. The technology is not yet available to store that energy for use on calm days, but on the windy days, we can reduce our reliance on offshore power. While there is some public objection to wind farms, there is no doubt that they can produce some of our much needed eletricity.

The down side of the wind is that even on some of the warmest days, it is often a bit chilly on the beach. So if you plan to see a sunset on the beach (highly recommended on the north shore until the end of July), you should bring a sweater or windbreaker with you.

These days, the wind is the least of our concerns. The weatherman says it has rained 2 of 3 days for the past 2 months. We need to see more sun so that tourists will be more enticed to come visit PEI. Fear not, the good weather is coming – so make your plans.

Need Peace? Go East!

Category Archives: PEI the Garden Province