May 2026 Municipal Update
May 2026 Newsletter
From the Mayor’s Desk
FPEIM ANNUAL GENERAL MEETING
The Deputy Mayor and I attended the Federation of PEI Municipalities (FPEIM) AGM on April 27 in Summerside. I would like to provide residents with a brief overview of what we heard and what I personally took away from the event.
The Mission of the FPEIM is:
to promote and foster effective, efficient, and accountable municipal government in Prince Edward Island;
to present, as a strong and unified voice, the interests of its member municipalities;
to guide and assist member municipalities in enhancing their overall operation and decision-making processes; and
to guide and improve provincial and federal legislation, programs, and policies that reflect and impact upon municipal interests.
The Rural Municipality of Victoria has been a member of the organization for many years and has benefited from the programs and advocacy work that they do.
One of the strongest themes throughout the discussions at the AGM was that municipalities across Prince Edward Island continue to struggle with increasing responsibilities, growing public expectations, and limited financial and administrative capacity to meet those demands effectively.
What struck me most is that these concerns are not new. In many ways, they echo the same issues identified nearly two decades ago in New Foundations, commonly referred to as the Thompson Report; the results of a study of provincial land use planning and municipal governance that was conducted by the provincial government and completed in December 2009. That report ultimately helped shape the Municipal Government Act enacted in 2017 and recognized that municipalities would need stronger governance structures, greater regional cooperation, and improved administrative capacity in order to succeed in the future.
Listening to the discussions at the AGM, it was hard not to be left with the impression that many of the concerns identified in those earlier reports remain unresolved today. Municipal leaders from across the province spoke openly about volunteer burnout, recruitment challenges, infrastructure pressures, rising costs, governance concerns, and most critically, the difficulty of meeting expanding legislative and public expectations with limited resources.
GUARDIAN ARTICLE
That is part of the reason I felt it was important to say something publicly through an opinion article that I wrote for the Guardian and shared with Council at the meeting. My intention was not to criticize municipalities or the people who work hard to serve their communities. Rather, it was to contribute to what I believe is an important and necessary public conversation about the long-term sustainability of municipal governance in Prince Edward Island.
Municipalities are expected to play an increasingly significant role in community development, infrastructure, emergency planning, housing, climate adaptation, and local service delivery. However, expectations must ultimately be matched with the governance capacity, staffing resources, and financial tools necessary to carry out those responsibilities effectively.
I believe these are conversations that municipalities, residents, and the province will increasingly need to have together in the coming months if we want to ensure that future amendments to the Municipal Government Act reflect a responsible and sustainable path forward. In my view, the provincial government must take a leadership role in creating the policy framework necessary to support strong, viable municipalities and to be seen as part of the solution rather than part of the problem. As I said in the article, the current provincial government has not done enough to take on this role.
My hope is that by discussing the structural issues affecting municipalities across the province, residents of Victoria will better understand the challenges that our local Council and staff deal with on a daily basis. Our municipality is, in many ways, no different from the other 56 PEI municipalities, except that we carry the full weight of responsibilities like infrastructure and water and sewer systems; tasks that are incredibly challenging to sustain with a tax base from a population of approximately 160 people.
EMERGENCY MEASURES COORDINATORS
Council approved the appointment of the volunteer Municipal Emergency Measures Coordinator and Deputy Emergency Measures Coordinator positions at the recent Council meeting. Thank you to AJ Merrick and Kim Hines for stepping into these important roles. Over the coming weeks and months, the coordinators will receive training and will be ready to support the Emergency Measures Planning Committee with their responsibilities to ensure the Municipality is prepared for potential emergency situations.
GRANT FOR CANADA DAY CELEBRATIONS
The Municipality applied for and received a grant of $5,000 from the federal government to support community celebrations on Canada Day. As residents know, the celebrations on Canada Day are a highlight of our summers in Victoria and these funds will surely enhance the events that will be planned for the big day. A huge thanks to Marly Anderson who has volunteered to organize the events and who will work with the Municipality to ensure the funding is used in the way it is intended. Marly has organized the events in the past and we are all looking forward to a terrific day, including great weather.
I encourage all residents to stay involved in municipal affairs including attending Council meetings, following our updates, and reaching out with questions, ideas, or feedback. Your participation helps strengthen our community and ensures that decisions reflect the views of the people who call Victoria home.
You may contact your Council representatives or the Municipal Office directly. I am also available at 902-388-7584 or by email at allenfarm17@gmail.com.
Martin Ruben, Mayor
From the Municipal Office
Noise
Some residents recently complained about the noise associated with deliveries made at an early hour. Council is currently contemplating the project of a noise bylaw. In the meantime, the Municipality asks businesses to reduce the noise as much as possible created by deliveries or other sources.
Parking
Council mandated the Municipal Office to manage a temporary parking strategy in order to alleviate the chaos created by the influx of tourists in the summer months. The aim of the strategy is to better identify the available parking lots for visitors so that street parking would be reduced to a minimum. A more permanent strategy will be included later in the Village master layout plan to be made in 2026-27.
Victoria businesses should plan ahead of time to identify parking spots for their employees outside of the Dunrovin, Wharf, Welcome Centre and Causeway road parking lots. Business employees may use the Schoolhouse parking area.
Lighthouse RFP
The Municipality is inviting proposals for the seasonal use of Leard’s Lighthouse beginning in the 2027 summer season.
We welcome proposals from local businesses, organizations, and community members interested in operating this unique heritage property.
Proposal Deadline: October 31, 2026
For the proposal forms, please visit: https://www.rmvictoria.com/
Summer Student Opportunity
The Municipality has received funding to hire a summer student for the Municipal Office and Welcome Centre this summer.
Applicants must be entering or returning to full-time post-secondary studies in the Fall of 2026.
This position is a great opportunity to gain experience in customer service, office administration, and community engagement.
Please send the resume to: faavictoriamunicipalitypei@gmail.com.
Water and Sewer Bills
2026–27 Water and Sewer Bills were emailed or mailed in April and are due soon. Please remember to make your payment if you have not already done so.
A 2% monthly interest charge will apply after May 20th on overdue accounts.
News from Amar
AMAR Seafoods PEI has been extremely busy over the past year. Regarding our expansion (on the property we purchased across the street), we have all permits in place to begin construction. Our efforts over the past year have included two primary activities: Fit up in the existing facility and further development of our market for both halibut and wolffish. The following details those efforts:
Fit up of the existing facility: The existing facility will be a hatchery and a nursery to produce juveniles (small fish) to supply the new grow out facility. In order to ensure an optimized hatchery, we have been extremely busy with temperature control and water management projects. Over the course of the past year, we have spent over $3.5 million dollars on a new magnetic chiller, a water management system and 2 new wells. This system has been running for the past 3 months and we are delighted to report that the combined system is a first globally within the aquaculture space. The chiller is a magnetic 150 tonne compressor and consumes 20% of the energy compared to conventional refrigeration. The water management system allows for the highest level of reuse of water and guarantees the highest level of purity of water for our fish. This combination of high efficiency chilling and water management will be employed within the new grow out facility as well. Presently, we are hatching both wolffish and halibut larvae and we are excited to introduce these future juveniles into the new system.
Market Development: We have attended many trade shows in Boston, Charlottetown and Barcelona to name a few, promoting our prized Halibut and Wolffish. The interest in the market place is second to none. Chefs, including Chef Michael Smith and Chef Jeremy Charles are promoting both species in their restaurants and culinary events. We are putting Victoria by the Sea on the map within the aquaculture space. We recently served our Wolffish at the World Economic Forum in Davos to the world leaders. The event has spurred more attention and demand for the product. We are now selling from Coast to Coast in Canada and are looking to soon market the product into Japan and Europe. We are working out the logistics to establish an outlet for those in the community who wish to purchase either product prior to the construction of the new facility.
We are excited about our growth and future and are primed to begin construction soon. It is possible that we will commence the foundation and building in the Fall of 2026. We will keep the community apprised of any progress on our project.
In closing, we are extremely proud to be a part of the community of the beautiful village of Victoria by the Sea.
— AMAR Seafoods PEI
That’s all for this month! See past issues at www.RMVictoria.com/newsletters
Questions or feedback? Info for a future newsletter or photos you’re willing to share?
Contact staff at victoriamunicipalitypei@gmail.com
Victoria Historic Schoolhouse
730 Victoria Road, Victoria, PE,
C0A 1J0, Canada