Town of North Rustico Emergency Measures Update Post Hurricane Dorian

It has been two weeks since Hurricane Dorian caused havoc on us in . After hearing of all the damage caused across the island, North Rustico seemed to sustain minor damage from the storm, with the exception of a few properties. We would like to firstly extend thanks to everyone who helped with the emergency shelter at the North Rustico Lions Club on Sunday and Monday including the Lions Club, North Rustico Food Market, Town Staff, Mayor Heather McKenna and our Emergency Measures manager, Gary Gallant. With that being said, we are looking for more help from our residents for future emergency needs. The Town’s EMO (Emergency Measures Organization) Committee needs more community volunteers in order to be fully capable of offering first-rate emergency services to the residents. The EMO Committee is responsible for facilitating emergency services for the Town in the event of something like a hurricane, storm surge, snowstorm, power outage, etc. They would open the shelter, be the liaison from the Provincial Government, check on the well-being of the residents and any other duties as required. Positions to be filled on this committee include an Incident Operations person, Fire, Police and EMS services, Transportation and Public Works, Heath & Social Services and Human Resources. The EMO Committee meets a few times throughout the year and are on standby in the event of a major weather event. EMO training is offered by the Provincial Government and the Town of North Rustico would pay for committee members to take training courses. If you are interested in being on the EMO Committee or would like to volunteer with the committee during/after a weather event, please let the Town Office staff know by calling 902-963-3211 or stopping by.

Disaster Financial Assistance from the Province of Prince Edward Island The Provincial Disaster Financial Assistance Program is available to help Islanders with costs to repair or replace uninsurable, essential basic property loss due to disasters. The program is also available to small businesses, not-for-profit organizations and municipal governments. To register for an application to help recover costs due to damages from Hurricane Dorian, contact the Canadian Red Cross at 1-800-863-6582 Debris Removal Do not burn debris unless you have a valid burn permit. Help with large debris on personal property Provincial road crews can assist with debris clean-up around homes. If you need help cutting up fallen trees on your property and/or moving large debris curbside, contact provincial Highway Maintenance dispatch to register. Queens County: 902-368-4770 If the dispatch number is busy and you are connected to voicemail, please leave a detailed message including your location and contact information. Free drop-off Debris can also be taken free of charge to Waste Watch Drop-Off Centers and does not have to be bundled. Extended hours are Monday to Saturday, 8:00 am - 4:30 pm. Free drop-off has been extended until September 30, 2019. Curbside pick-up Please note that curbside debris pick-up will not occur on your regular IWMC pick-up day. It may be a few weeks before your debris is picked up. Provincial road crews are assisting IWMC in curbside debris pick-up. Place your debris near the road. Make sure debris does not block traffic or pedestrian access. Twigs and branches should be bundled, tied and set out near the road. Each item (or bundle) must be less than 50 lb. and be 4 ft. or less in length. Do not use plastic bags, feed bags, or cardboard boxes for cleanup material.

Property damage assistance - Samaritan’s Purse Homeowners with limited or no insurance coverage may contact Samaritan’s Purse for recovery and clean-up assistance in the Summerside and Kensington area. Call 1-844- 547-2663. All information can be found at https://www.princeedwardisland.ca/en/information/justice-and-public-safety/storm- response Replacement of North Star Arena/New Multi-Use Complex Update A timeline of events that have occurred since the first Public Meeting on January 30th, 2019: March 2019 – Tender for Feasibility Study and Concept Plan awarded to Firland Management/Jim Cain of Cardigan, PE. April 2019 – Application for the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program submitted to Provincial Government. Also met with Adam Clark regarding the possibility of North Rustico hosting a Canada Games event if the new complex is complete. May 2019 – Met with Minister of Transportation Steven Myers, his Deputy Darren Chaisson and Minister Brad Trivers about the importance of this project for North Rustico and rural PEI. Also met with ACOA to discuss the possibility of applying for funding to furnish event center. June 2019 – Met with Fundraising, Advertising and Sponsorship Committee to discuss moving forward. Kickstarted fundraising with Canada Day 50/50 proceeds. Various Dates April-June – Met with various North Star Arena stakeholders to get input and feedback on existing arena and new proposed facility. July 2019 – Jim Cain presented Feasibility Study and Concept Plan to Town Office staff, council and volunteers. Marley & Patsy met with Town of Kensington to see how they operate their facilities. Met with the project volunteers and presented study to them. August 2019 – Gathered information to get started with transferring current arena to the Town of North Rustico. September 2019 – Presented Feasibility Study and Concept Plan findings to public. Various times throughout this process– Contacted local MP and had conversations with Ministers, government officials and others on the status of the Town’s application to the ICIP fund. We were recently informed that our project has not gone before the provincial government yet for approval. It needs to be approved by the province and submitted to the federal government for their approval. As of September 23rd, 2019, there has been no update on the status of our application.

Next Steps We are still unsure of the status of the Town’s funding application to the Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program (ICIP Fund). We have been diligently and repeatedly contacting different Ministers, government departments and our local MP to find out any information on our application with no luck so far. At our public meeting on September 11th, we asked all in attendance to write to the government and explain the importance of this project to not only North Rustico and surrounding communities but to rural PEI. (The North Star Arena is the only arena on the north shore between Kensington and Morell). Please note, it is important that we also refer to this project as a new multi-use facility and NOT just an arena. Although part of this project includes the replacement of the North Star Arena, the project is much more than just a rink. The new facility will include an NHL sized ice surface that will double as an event centre, dressing rooms, canteen, hospitality room to host events, a walking track, a fitness centre, a cultural and heritage space, meeting rooms and office space.

Below is a list of government officials who your correspondence should be directed to: Premier [email protected] 902-368-4400

Minister of Education and Lifelong Learning/Local MLA: Honourable Brad Trivers [email protected] 902-368-4610

Minister of Fisheries and Communities: Honourable Jamie Fox [email protected] 902-838-0983

Minister of Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy: Honourable Steven Myers [email protected] 902-368-5120

**The Investing in Canada Infrastructure Program funding comes from the Infrastructure Secretariat which falls under the Department of Transportation, Infrastructure and Energy.