It’s not always what you say that is most interesting, sometimes what you don’t say is far more telling. And in the case of Charlottetown accounting firm Arsenault Best Cameron Ellis what is of interest is whether the firm red flagged any issues surrounding the controversial Provincial Nominee Program.
Arsenault Best Cameron Ellis enjoyed a dual role in the provincial nominee story. On one level it acted as the auditor for Island Investment Development Inc., the provincial body that managed the PNP program. On the other hand it acted as one of seven provincially appointed intermediaries that matched potential immigrants to Island businesses, and in the process likely generated millions of dollars in revenue for the firm.

The Montague Storm Midget A boy's basketball team won the gold medal in front of the biggest crowd seen at a high school sports event in years.
Parents, teachers, brothers, sisters, friends and neighbours, all poured into the gym to cheer the team on. They chanted, cheered, laughed, did the wave and just had fun and the game was fast paced, and very entertaining. The team and its coaches had worked and played hard, and you could see they wanted the win. They got it. They deserved it.
There are a lot of events going on in eastern PEI year round but school sports events are often overlooked as a good source of entertainment. The majority of these events are free, or you can get in for a small donation, sometimes even by donating a can of beans for the food bank.
Getting together and supporting activities in our area keeps the spirit of who we all are alive and well.

Chile has joined Haiti in suffering through a horrific natural disaster. Canadians and Prince Edward Islanders should not be complacent. We are susceptible to a similar event. PEI was affected by a magnitude 7.2 quake on November 18, 1929.
Known by several names such as the Grand Banks earthquake and the South Shore disaster, this earth shaker’s epicenter was situated about 250 miles due south of Newfoundland. It was felt as far away as Montreal and New York City.
Souris and the surrounding area were affected. My dad and his oldest brother had experienced the Halifax Explosion of December 6, 1917. Uncle Russell was in school and dad at home. Dishes rattled and fell. A window pane cracked in the house. The initial thought was since this war, Souris was being shelled by the enemy.

A few months ago, my daughter came over on her way home from a used book sale with a grin on her face a mile wide.
She had been looking for books to read to her two year old, and showed off the treasures she had found. One gem in particular delighted her.
It was a great big book entitled "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel", by Virginia Lee Burton.
Now it was my turn to grin. "Oh, he’s gonna love that," I said.
My daughter beamed. "I know! I remember how much we loved having you read this to us as kids!"
"But do you remember why ...?" I asked, my grin wider. "I do."
See, I remember "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel" well. Very well. Almost word for word.

So what's the real reason for the upheaval across the nation because members of Canada's women's hockey team lit up some stogies and had a celebratory drink in the arena following their Olympic Gold Medal game?
Were their actions unbecoming for ladies and that's why some people's knickers got into a knot?
Or were the players not adhering to the rules and ethics of the Olympic Games, as some have claimed?
I dare say if the men had done the same thing after their big game Sunday afternoon the guffaws would be heard echoing across the country - acknowledging, of course, that "the boys" had earned it.
The reaction to the women's spirited antics snowballed not because of their actions, but because of the stagnant attitude many cling to regarding women in sports - hockey, in particular.
No one can argue that smoking and drinking don't and shouldn't go hand in hand with athletics, but it's naive to suggest it doesn't exist.

Courage is grace under pressure
... Ernest Hemingway
Mr Hemingway had a way with words, did he not? In five words he encapsulated the essence of one humankind’s most highly regarded attributes. He also went on to explain just what he meant.
"Courage is not the absence of fear," said he, "but rather the judgement that something else is more important than fear."
Like winning a gold medal by risking life and limb on a slippery ski hill; or plunging down an icy chute at 140 kilometres per hour, the body exposed to potential destruction every millimeter of the way.
And courage comes as well in the form of a figure skater named Joannie Rochette whose mother dies suddenly and without warning in the very city where she has come to watch her daughter perform in Olympic competition.

Sometimes you need to just grab the torch and run with it, but in my case, instead of holding the fire of the Olympics, I have joined the staff of The Eastern Graphic as a reporter.
My husband Doug, dog Tom, and two cats, Henry Wilson, and Annie J, were quite surprised when I informed them I was going to work at The Graphic. It’s an adjustment for me, and an even bigger adjustment for my crew! (I did offer my husband $100 month to do housework. He’ll get back to me on that.)
We have lived on PEI (this time) for the last 13 years, and in the Montague area eight of those years. We vacationed here - too numerous trips to count.
This new venture will give me even more insight into Kings County in general, and I know there are great stories out there just waiting for me.
It will be so nice to meet you.
Teri Morris 

The following is a letter from Bonnie Bertelsen of Souris: "I have just read with interest your article in the recent Eastern Graphic regarding the bird count results. I have just moved here permanently from Toronto after summering here for a number of years. This is my first winter and I have watched with interest the birds and wildlife activity in my yard. I have lived in Toronto for the last 40 years, where feeding the birds is a major challenge - it’s a constant battle to keep the grey squirrels out of any type of feeder.
"At the beginning of winter I noticed a number of jays flying around. I know very little about different bird species and someone told me they liked cracked corn. I have filled an open tray type feeder and it has attracted many of them - I get flocks of about 10 - 20 at a time each day. I also get large flocks of starlings, a half dozen or so crows and a few morning doves every day.

It’s time for Allan Campbell to either step out his blissful bubble of ignorance and bring transparency to the Provincial Nominee controversy or be removed from cabinet.
The Innovation Minister, who in recent months has allowed his unchecked and unabashed cheerleading to get in the way of the facts, was at it again when he claimed that Charlottetown accounting firm Arsenault Best Cameron Ellis is not in conflict of interest over its dual role with the PNP file.
The firm is one of seven agents licensed by government to act as intermediary, meaning it matched would be immigrants with Island businesses. It was a profitable gig, likely generating millions for the firm since being named intermediary under the previous Tory government.