Province working to help municipalities stay afloat
CBC
The province is hoping a new pilot project will help keep municipalities from dissolving.
Communities will be encouraged to share staffing and other resources - in order to meet the requirements laid out in the Municipal Government Act.
"There are a number of municipalities that are concerned about their next steps and what their long-term vision and capacity will be," said Christine MacKinnon, director of municipal affairs at the Department of Fisheries and Communities.
"We are always trying to find ways to support and encourage municipalities. Municipalities make an important contribution to the economy and sense of community on P.E.I."
Officials in both Darlington and St. Louis have said it's become too difficult and too costly to follow the standards laid out in the Municipal Government Act.
The act came into effect in 2017, replacing a patchwork of legislation governing the affairs of Island municipalities introduced in the 1980s. Work on updating those laws began in 2004.
Changes include new rules about audits of financial statements, and standards for freedom of information and emergency management. For some of the requirements, municipalities had years to make the adjustment. Other rules took effect right away.
Neither Darlington nor St. Louis has been given approval from the province to dissolve yet.
"There's a long process for any municipal restructuring," MacKinnon said.
The Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission has made a recommendation to approve the dissolution to the ministry of communities.
The province wants to make sure there's no other solution first.
"We are interested in talking to neighbouring municipalities to see if there's a way to promote shared services or if there's an interest in several municipalities working together instead of dissolving," MacKinnon said.
Under the new pilot, municipalities can choose to work together to share offices and staffing. MacKinnon said that's part of a transition plan to help any locations that are struggling. Municipalities could pool money to share a bookkeeper, for example.
"Each council makes the choice about the services that are important to the community and the residents," she said.
P.E.I.'s Public Schools Branch is looking for 50 substitute bus drivers, and it'll be recruiting at three job fairs on Saturday, June 8. The job fairs are located at the Atlantic Superstore in Montague, Royalty Crossing in Charlottetown, and the bus parking lot of Three Oaks Senior High in Summerside. All three run from 9 a.m. until noon. Dave Gillis, the director of transportation and risk management for the Public Schools Branch, said the number of substitute drivers they're hiring isn't unusual. "We are always looking for more. Our drivers tend to have an older demographic," he said.