Cheers to Mitch MacDonald, Guardian reporter, photographer, videographer and weekend editor, who is moving on to a new position in the federal government this week. Mitch began working in this newsroom as a Holland College student intern and has grown to be a valuable member of the team. While we will miss his storytelling, we wish him the very best in his new role.
Cheers to Northumberland Ferries Ltd. for using wooden utensils in the cafeterias for its two ships that cross between Wood Islands, P.E.I., and Caribou, N.S. Small changes like this may not seem to make a difference, but it all adds up in the commitment to using less plastic in our everyday lives.
Cheers to Emma and Gracie Van Donkergoed, co-authors of “The Perfect Pet”, a children’s book. The girls, aged eight and 10, have demonstrated their writing and artistic abilities. They have also shown their big hearts. They are giving $2 from the sale of each paperback book to the The Children’s Wish Foundation of Canada, P.E.I. Chapter.
Jeers to those who participate in – or laugh off – the latest tactic by U.S. President Donald Trump to discredit his Democratic opponents, congresswomen Ilhan Omar, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, Rashida Tlaib and Ayanna Pressley. In a viral tweet, Trump said the four women of colour should "go back and help fix the totally broken and crime infested places from which they came." Since then, the women have been subject to chants of “send her back.” This is no laughing matter. In P.E.I. we know all too well the toxicity of labelling people “from away.” Telling citizens to “go back” is nothing short of despicable and should not happen in the U.S., Canada or anywhere that values democracy.
Cheers to Harbourfront Theatre in Summerside for running “Searching for Abegweit: The Island Songs and Stories of Lennie Gallant” this summer. It’s a beautiful production, filled with original music from Gallant’s career as well as new compositions written especially for the show. It also showcases Karen Gallant whose beautiful paintings provide the illustrations for the songs. The show runs on selected dates.
Jeers to the driver of a piece of construction equipment that struck a teen crossing the street at a crosswalk in Charlottetown last week. While the driver of the Bobcat skid steer loader did stop to check that the 14-year-old girl was OK, he left the scene before giving any contact information. This time of year, there are many construction vehicles on the road. Just as drivers should slow down through these sites to make it safe for workers, the workers should also recognize that there may be pedestrians where their vehicles are zipping around.
