CHEERS AND JEERS: Jeers to the IRAC reviewers and province for not speaking with staff

Jeers to the P.E.I. government and the IRAC review commission for leaving staff of the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission to learn about proposed changes to their workplace in the media. According to a document published by IRAC chair Pamela Williams in response to the review commission’s interim report, staff at IRAC were notified one day prior that the report was coming but nothing at all about its contents. This, coupled with a news conference led by Rob Lantz days later promising to “dismantle” IRAC, “has caused significant unease within the small, hardworking team,” Williams wrote. The volume of submissions and presentations to the review commission demonstrates an overwhelming desire for change at IRAC, however those who work there deserve also deserve a fair hearing. Surely staff have some valuable insight about what does and does not work inside the province’s regulatory body.

Cheers to Pat and the Elephant and its partners for launching a new accessible taxi service in the Charlottetown area. Cudmore’s Accessible Cab will provide an on-demand service that will allow its users to experience the same convenience and flexibility people can get from a regular taxi. While Pat and the Elephant still provides a valuable service, its users pre-book rides, which doesn’t work for someone whose need to get somewhere is unplanned. As one Cudmore’s Accessible Cab user told The Guardian, the new taxi opens doors for anyone with disabilities. The accessible taxi is a pilot project but it is hoped the service will continue if the pilot proves to be a success.

Cheers to P.E.I. sports teams who have earned Atlantic titles recently. Team P.E.I. earned its eighth Atlantic Cup in the regional four-team men’s golf competition at Mill River. P.E.I.’s 31.5 points to Nova Scotia’s 20.5 was the widest winning margin in recent memory of the tournament. Meanwhile, the Island’s under-14 girls’ hockey team are the winners of the recent Atlantic Challenge Cup. Again, it came down to P.E.I. and Nova Scotia in a championship game that ended with a 3-1 score in Moncton. This was Team P.E.I.’s first win in that tournament since 2011. Well done to the coaches, athletes and supporters for nurturing successful Island sporting traditions.

Jeers to thieves who have been targeting farming equipment in central P.E.I. RCMP have received six or so reports of farm equipment being vandalized or machinery and batteries being stolen. Scott Ferris, communications adviser with P.E.I. RCMP, says the goal seems to be the resale value of copper wire or a return on batteries. The risk to the perpetrator and the damage to the farm are not worth it. “We’re hearing that they’re in the multiple thousands of dollars to replace these hydraulic lines,” Ferris told the Journal Pioneer. “All for trying to get what could amount to maybe 25, 50 bucks worth of copper.” Meanwhile, local farms and their workers are losing out while the fall harvest is in full swing.