It comes as no surprise to anybody connected with this industry there are few farmers around now than there were five years ago.
Ask anybody who lives in rural PEI and they will probably tell you something like “Afew years ago there were eight or ten farms in my area and now there are one or two.” The numbers vary, of course, depending on the area, but the trend only goes one way—down.

With the proverbial second shoe to drop today when Finance Minister Wes Sheridan delivers his budget, PEI has now, without question, entered the roughest economic period since the Great Depression.
Premier Robert Ghiz is fond of saying the province weathered the world economic storm in relatively good shape. That is nothing more than dreaming in technocolour. Like most other the trends, the economic slowdown took a little longer to get here. Make no mistake, it has arrived full force, and its impact will be felt by every Islander for a long time to come.
When all of the dust settles, the provincial and federal job cuts combined will be in the range of 800-1,000 people. While many of the jobs are fulltime there are also a large number of casual jobs that will disappear everywhere from road crews to maintenance workers.

The fact 100 food inspectors are being laid off as part of budget cutbacks at the Canadian Food Inspection Agency is troubling.
Most of the inspectors were hired in the wake of a listeria outbreak at a Maple Leaf plant in Toronto in 2008 that claimed the lives of 22 people. If Ottawa is thinking the extra inspectors are not needed due to the fact the Maple Leaf crisis has been dealt with, that is a major mistake that could cost the lives of some Canadians.
The emphasis has to be on prevention. Canadians are demanding safe, high quality food and producers are going the extra mile to try and make sure that happens. Virtually all commodities now have on farm food safety programs that result in added money and paperwork for producers. In most cases, it results in no extra money when the product goes to market—instead it is becoming a cost of doing business as such procedures are often demanded by buyers.

It seems thieves are becoming more daring.
There was a time in the not too distant past when those who lived outside the law would wait for cover of darkness. The theft would usually wait until the business was closed or the home unoccupied before trying to gain entry. Now, it seems crooks are trying to outdo each for the most brazen robbery attempt.
Certainly, the recent theft at the Sears store in Montague would have to be a contender in this illegal competition. While the store was open for the business September 4, a 55 inch LCD television was stolen form the company stock room. It doesn’t get much more daring than that. You can’t just stick a 55 inch television in your pocket and try to walk out of the store.

By the end of this week, the 2011 election will officially be in full swing.

Having the exact election date known four years in advance takes the suspense out of the process. Previously, political watchers had the calendar as their best friend, counting off potential scenarios as they tried to pin down a possible date.

Reporters often staked out Fanningbank hoping to catch a glimpse of the premier driving up for a meeting with the lieutenant governor. That meeting is actually the paperwork that allows for a vote-- the sitting legislative assembly is dissolved and a writ is issued for an election.

Usually the announcement was made at a nominating convention of the ruling party to help fire up the troops.

While the suspense may be gone, it is clear there are still a number of details to be worked out regarding what constitutes permissible advertising during the lead-up period before the election.

The Eastern Eagles soccer tournament last weekend was a success on so many levels.

Coming on the heels of a recent Statistics Canada report that once again raised concerns about childhood obesity, the athletes who took part in this event are to be congratulated for choosing an activity that is a great way to stay in shape.

Many of the players, particularly at the older levels, are combining their love of sports with summer jobs and it can be a real balancing act for both the children and their parents who have to drive them across the province and beyond --- always ready with a cheer and an encouraging word no matter what the result on the field.

The organizers of the event deserve a huge pat on the back. Planning a schedule for 85 teams is no easy task. I once scheduled a softball tournament for six teams and that was bad enough.

There was a catchy tune riding the charts in the late 1980’s called “Don’t Worry, Be Happy.”

This Bobby McFerrin number essentially talked about ignoring life’s problems and surrounding yourself with good karma. Health PEI should adopt it as its theme song.

There are some very serious problems in the health care system in this province.

This agency, whose prime function essentially seems to be protecting a minister who is in way over her head, seems to be doing little to solve them.

To anybody who tries to suggest the scope of the problems, whether they be opposition politicians, people within the health system or the media, the response essentially is “don’t worry, it’s all going to work out because we have a magic formula called a model of care.”

Before the legislature opened for the current spring session, Premier Robert Ghiz set the bar low by telling reporters little would be accomplished.
He said his government planned no substantial legislation. Three weeks into the session that is a promise he has so far kept. The premier said the main purpose of gathering at Province House for 20 days or so was to pass a budget. The premier indicated in advance that wouldn’t be a usual election style document with few “goodies” being handed out. Again, he delivered on that score, even raising taxes on the tobacco and alcohol.

It was a banner day Monday for PEI athletes on the national stage.
The province recorded its first medal at the Canada Winter Games in Halifax, courtesy of Alyssa Chapman. The Murray Harbour native overcame an injury last year that shortened her training time to take the gold medal in the Special Olympics solo dance event. She now joins a growing list of Islanders who have taken on the best the country has to offer in their sport and emerged on the medal podium. The Canada Games medal legacy started with Montague’s Bill MacKinnon, who won gold in athletics in 1969 and includes Kurt MacCormack of Souris who won a bronze in the triple jump before a home town crowd at UPEI during the 2009 summer games.

When Premier Robert Ghiz came to power in 2007, he vowed to bring fairness to the property tax system.
For years, governments of both political stripes claimed righteous indignation when their political opponents suggested they had increased the property tax rate. They claimed, quite rightly, the rate had never moved. There was a simple answer why-- it didn’t have to. The reason, of course, was the assessed value. of most Island properties rises over time-- in some years the increase could be steeper than others.