CHEERS: To the Progressive Conservative government for plans to toughen the penalties for ATV riders who take their machines on the Confederation Trail, but jeers for not announcing plans to increase enforcement efforts to catch offenders. Giving riders higher fines and impounding ATVs for 30 days on a first offence are good places to start. ATVs damage the Confederation Trail, which is for non-motorized vehicle use only. Even with gates to keep ATVs off the trail there are plenty of spots where it’s clear some riders ignore the rules. Enforcement is a difficult task with offending ATV riders willing to go where law enforcement officers can’t. Unless the government steps up enforcement efforts, any changes to penalties may be moot.
JEERS: To the City of Charlottetown, which continues to torture the people in and around Belvedere Avenue for the past couple of years. It started out with major water and sewer work, which tied up traffic, tore up pavement and ripped apart sidewalks. Then it was paving. The area has had enough. The good news is the public works department is planning to start paving. Thank heavens. Enough already!
JEERS: To those Charlottetown drivers who do not put their headlights on at night. We realize city streets, with streetlights and commercial signs, are relatively bright. You may also think your daytime running lights are enough. But the back of your vehicle is a solid wall of black until you hit the brakes. Drive smart, especially as we enter the winter season, put your lights on.
CHEERS: To P.E.I. native Melissa Batchilder for writing a story about her father and brother’s journey of following in her grandfather’s footsteps in England and France during the Second World War. When Sgt. Lawrence Batchilder returned to P.E.I. after the war, he was a changed man. The play shines a light on post-traumatic stress syndrome.
