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P.E.I. Opposition unveils farm rescue plan

03-29-08
Adam Affleck

The Opposition Progressive Conservatives on Prince Edward Island unveiled a plan Wednesday they say farmers need to help weather an economic storm.

The multimillion-dollar Tory plan would waive farm property taxes for two years, provide rebates on diesel fuel and offer other financial incentives.

"Whenever you have a downturn in a sector it's the role of government to partner with that sector to work with them and weather a storm," said industry critic Mike Currie.

Farmers with livestock have been facing particularly hard times. Feed prices are rising as grain is used for ethanol production. At the same time international competition is lowering prices for hogs and cattle. Hog farmers will face additional difficulty this month with the closing of the Island's hog plant.

From 2002 to 2007 it's estimated the number of hog farms on the Island dropped from 400 to 75.

$7.5M tab for plan

"We've been listening to the farmers and especially the business community in the last little while and there's a great deal of concern out there," said Currie.

"We have come up with some solutions that we feel might jump-start the agricultural community for this coming year."

In total the aid package would cost taxpayers about $7.5 million. Currie said the crisis has almost reached a point where the government can't afford not to do this.

The Tories would also like to see government bring in a moratorium on all farm foreclosures for two years, as well as allow farmers to pay just the interest on farm-related loans.

Opposition leader Olive Crane said she hasn't yet approached government with her party's ideas.

Any comment?

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Adam Affleck

Charlottetown Remax Realty

Remax PEI

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APM Group not done yet with old Holland College building in Summerside PEI

03-29-08
Adam Affleck
The CEO of APM Group says he paid the province approximately $630,000 for the former Holland College building in Summerside and is prepared to spend anywhere from $300,000 to $900,000 or more on remedial work.
"We don't take possession until all the T's are crossed and the I's dotted,'' Tim Banks stressed in a phone interview from Portland, Maine.
If a big chunk of the building is levelled the cost will rise toward the $900,000 threshold.
That's because of the extensive work needed to remove asbestos from the building's ceiling. If a large part of the building, including its roof can be salvaged, much smaller amounts of asbestos, such as the material around piping, will need to be removed, said Banks.
Many buildings on the Island - private, commercial and institutional - contain asbestos and aren't considered a health threat, he said.
Remedial work also includes removing an underground oil tank, said Banks.
But in the meantime nothing can be done until the transfer is completed.
The former Holland College building came up during Monday's monthly meeting of Summerside City Council, in which a number of councillors slammed the boarded-up, graffiti-covered building.
Banks agrees the building's appearance doesn't look very attractive, but it's not his fault, he said.
"They should go to the owner.''
The building, owned by the province, doesn't officially change hands until April 4.
Councillors wanted the property's new owner to take steps to re-develop the property, or at the very least to begin demolition of the structure.
There was uncertainty at the meeting whether Banks had taken possession.
Banks said APM was the driving force behind several major developments in the area, including Wal-Mart, the Granville Street Plaza, the Super Store, the new Canadian Tire and Northgate Apartments.
"We revitalized the Granville Street Plaza. We deliver, that's our track record. When we invest we do something with it.''
The 17.6-acre property has been subdivided for commercial and non-commercial use.
In an earlier interview Banks stated APM's plan for the property included a 60,000-square-foot building and another 5,500-square-foot structure in the adjacent parking lot.
The plan also included, at one time, 200 townhouses, since scaled back in the first phase.
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Stratford PEI adds buses and a police officer

01-12-08
Adam Affleck

The Charlottetown Transit system will expand into Stratford this year as the town goes on a growth-fuelled spending spree.

Stratford, just across the Hillsborough River from Charlottetown, is P.E.I.'s fastest growing community, and while many municipalities are tightening their belts this year due to a provincially imposed property assessment freeze, Stratford is finding the money for two buses and a new police officer.

"They were both big priorities; both issues are really important to the development of Stratford, to maintaining a safe, effective community - an accessible community," said Mayor Kevin Jenkins.

"We found a way to bring them both into this year's budget."

Stratford council made the announcement at its meeting Wednesday evening. Contributing to the Charlottetown transit system will cost Stratford taxpayers about $130,000 a year. The new RCMP officer, taking the town's complement from five to six, will add $100,000 a year to the town's costs.

Finance chair Emile Gallant said all of this will be done without raising taxes.

"We've calculated what we have in revenues coming in," said Gallant.

"If next year and the following year is a little tight, well if we have to look at cutting a few things here we will look at that. But we will not be raising taxes to pay for these services."

The new officer should be walking the beat by this summer, while buses will start rolling along the streets of Stratford and into Charlottetown by the fall.

www.atlanticrealtysolutions.com

www.obeo.com/atlantic

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