P.E.I. has been put through the wringer. Now there's a crucial municipal election to talk about

When voters head to the polls on Nov. 7, they may notice fewer people on the ballot — a sign that the Island has had it's fair share of events lately that may have voters at their limits.

Adding to the ever-growing list of things Prince Edward Island has on the go right now: a municipal election with massive consequences.

COVID-19 and its punishing seasonal waves; gas, rent and inflation running wild; Fiona and the dramatically urgent conversations about climate change; a health-care system on the verge of collapse; pertinent social issues like housing and homelessness commanding the attention of people and all levels of government.

In-between all these major events are the day-to-day news and issues that beg for Islanders' attention. Perhaps this is why this crucial municipal election feels like another easy-to-miss wave in what's been a tsunami of events to start the decade.

"There's a general weariness, I think, amongst the population, including me. I think we all feel it," said Don Desserud, political science professor at UPEI. 

"That puts a damper on their enthusiasm for getting involved, and it's too bad because we really need people to be involved but I appreciate that it's getting harder and harder to get involved at the local level."

Sweta Daboo, the executive director of the P.E.I. Coalition for Women in Government, said she's heard from many people who just don't have the time for this election. Not that voters don't care, but that there isn't the energy and excitement there to engage with candidates and discuss issues.

"People are tired," she said. "We're seeing increased risks of burnout, we're seeing people being pulled in different directions and just having trouble just keeping up with their day-to-day responsibilities and that ends up culminating in a lack of interest when it comes to these elections."

Desserud said that people may have the perception that they can't make enough of a difference at the municipal level. In reality, they can but there are towering provincial, federal and global issues that hang overhead.

The challenge, Desserud said, is when municipal officials too often tell their voter base the things they aren't responsible for and can't do, versus highlighting the tangible change they can make in their communities.

"Government's are becoming very good at telling us what they cannot do and not so good at telling us what they can do," Desserud said. "If you listen to the press conferences that our leaders at any level give, a lot of it is filled up with explaining why they're not able to do something about whatever the problem is that they're faced with. That doesn't help."

Essentially, political leaders saying such things as "it's a provincial issue, not a city issue" ends up turning more people away from running in the future — a far cry from the tone of the municipal election four years back.

For those who were here, think back to the fall of 2018 and the number of new faces and contested wards we saw in Charlottetown, Summerside, Stratford and Cornwall — the four municipalities Elections P.E.I. was administering the elections for at that time.

People were thinking up environmentally friendly ways to reuse their election signs. One candidate even painted pumpkins to campaign.