September 2025 Municipal Update

September 2025 Newsletter

From the Mayor’s Desk

I want to begin by thanking residents for their engagement over the summer and for sharing ideas and suggestions on how our municipality can deliver services today while planning for a sustainable future. On September 2nd, council met to review these ideas, along with additional input from the municipal office and council members. From this exercise, we identified several initiatives that the municipal office will pursue over the coming months to either generate additional revenues or reduce expenditures.

Council also met for its regular meeting on September 8th, where a full agenda was addressed, including the rezoning of part of approximately 30 acres of land on Nelson Street from agricultural to residential use. In my opening remarks, I provided updates on several important matters.

First, I met recently with provincial Emergency Measures officials to discuss our municipality’s situation: we currently do not have an emergency measures coordinator, and we have not completed the training and exercises needed for this fall’s hurricane season and the upcoming winter. I was assured that the provincial government will support our municipality should we face any situation beyond our means to manage.  The good news, however, is our municipal offices are now fully ready to act as a reception centre should the need arise when there is an emergency declared.  The CAO will be providing residents with more information about the reception centre as well as information to be made available on our website.

Second, I updated council on our request for provincial assistance in addressing traffic and parking issues that have, at times, raised public safety concerns.  Officials at the provincial government indicated that they will provide further details for how they plan to address this matter in October.

Third, I was pleased to report that the Department of Transportation and Infrastructure, working with consultants, is developing a plan to protect the causeway road. Residents will be engaged in this process in the near future. The long-term sustainability of the causeway and surrounding lands, including the provincial park, is a top priority for our community, even though the responsibility rests with the provincial government.

As many of you are aware, council has had to address complaints regarding the conduct of certain members who failed to follow the municipality’s Code of Conduct Bylaw. Breaches of this bylaw, as well as the Conflict-of-Interest Bylaw, divert attention from the important work before us and make it more difficult for our small municipality to attract and retain the people needed to manage our affairs. My hope is that by following the established process to address these matters, the council will emerge more effective and focused on serving the community. Information about the complaints and the sanctions imposed is available on the municipal website, as required by provincial law.

Our municipality manages more assets than most—if not all—other municipalities in PEI of comparable size and tax base. This makes it especially important that the strategic plan approved earlier this year remains at the forefront of council’s decision-making as we navigate the next three years.

Finally, I would like to thank Marsha Empson for her nearly four years of service to our municipality and to warmly welcome Wanting Liu as our new Finance and Administrative Assistant. Wanting joined us on September 15th, and I encourage you to stop by the municipal office to welcome her to our beautiful community.

I remind residents to contact their council members or the Municipal Office if they have questions or suggestions for improving our municipal services. You can reach me at 902-388-7584 or via email at allenfarm17@gmail.com.  For more information, please visit our website.

Martin Ruben, Mayor

From the Municipal Office

From a Strategic Plan to a Master Layout Plan for the Village

In the recent months, the Village made considerable steps towards setting priorities and preparing for action. At the same time, we faced again the challenges of the summer season with its overflow and erratic circulation and parking problems. And new large size housing projects as well as one childcare service were proposed to the Municipality. With this in mind, the Municipal Office met with Atlantic Canada Opportunities Agency ACOA to discuss the possibility to prepare a master layout plan for the Village. The idea of this plan is to imagine and identify the locations for walkways, bicycle paths, car circulation, parking, new services and other activities. The first step of this project is to select a consultant to work on such a plan before public consultations are carried out. The Council adopted a motion mandating the Municipal Office to proceed with a request for proposal and eventually with a grant application addressed to ACOA.

The Transfer of Assets to the Victoria Fire Company

The Municipal Office has worked with its partners to make real the transfer of assets to the recently incorporated Fire Company. In accordance with the current laws, the Municipality has first to modify its bylaws to permit the transfer of such assets as the Fire Hall and equipment at no cost. The next step will be the transfer itself that should take place later this fall. This operation is made in the scope of the new agreement between the Municipality and the Fire Company adopted earlier by Council. Take note that this transfer is made at no cost for the Municipality.

The W&S Systems at the Wharf

The wharf lift station has been a preoccupation ever since it was installed in 2024. The new systems there can hardly manage the wastewater coming out of the restaurants and notably the grease produced there. Investigation led by the W&S Corporation members concluded that at least one restaurant did not manage its grease output (grease traps) correctly. This situation included multiple pumpings of the station and the faulty restaurant will contribute to the municipal expense. The wharf restaurants are a welcome addition to the business environment in Victoria, but our W&S systems must be preserved at all costs for the good of all residents.

The Development of the MacDonald Land

The Council adopted a motion including a counteroffer to the developer that applied for the rezoning of the MacDonald Land from agricultural to general residential. While rejecting the original request, the Council suggested a subdivision of the lot in two parcels: a first lot alongside the estuary (continuation of the Dunrovin Estates shore) that would eventually belong to the Municipality as a recreation and public open space; and a second parcel between Nelson street and this new municipal land that the Municipality is willing to rezone as general residential. The counteroffer was presented to the developer as well as the owners who will consider their next step in this project. (to see the detailed motion, please go to “Notices” on the municipal website).

A new Finance and Administrative Assistant - Wanting Liu

Wanting is now part of the Municipal Office as the new FAA. Wanting just finished her Master’s degree in Business Administration at UPEI and is very well prepared for this position. Apart from her professional qualifications, everybody who has met her since September 15, noted her social skills and her dynamism. She will be trained by our ex-FAA Marsha Empson and myself. Her email address is: faavictoriamunicipalitypei@gmail.com and she can be reached at our usual phone number: 902.658.2541.

Outstanding W&S fees

As of September 11th, residents were still owing the Municipality $14,435 in outstanding W&S fees. All implicated residents have received a notice of a future water cut-off related to these fees. The Municipal Office asked the Council to operate this water cut-off but on September 8th the Council referred the matter to the W&S Corporation at the request of the W&S Corp chair Eric Gilbert. Outstanding fees represent a real threat to the W&S Corporation who runs on a very tight budget.

Updates at the Wastewater Treatment Plant

Our W&S operator diagnosed this summer a problem with some of the pumps at the wastewater treatment plant. After consideration by the W&S Corporation, 10 new pumps and two automatic valves had to be bought at an expense of about $40,000 to upgrade the equipment there. The unexpected expense has to be covered by the Municipality who lend the money needed to the W&S Corporation. The Municipal Office was also mandated to negotiate a bank loan for the W&S Corporation benefit to reimburse the Municipality.

A New Capital Contribution Policy (CCP)

The Municipal Office developed a new CCP based on other public utility services, in order to publicly inform developers and residents about the cost of W&S connections and increase in capacity related to new constructions. The purpose of the new policy is to anticipate future costs for the Municipality and to protect the present residents against over costs. Apart from the grants and future W&S fees to be received by the Municipality, the policy states that it is for the developer to cover the costs of a new W&S system. A first reading of the policy was made at the September 8th Council meeting who referred the matter to the W&S Corporation for their recommendations. The new CCP will be in effect for all new projects later this fall.

New Revenues for the Municipality

Following the September 2nd Committee of the whole Council about finances, the Municipal Office has been mandated to examine all the suggestions that have been selected by the Council. Among other things, this study will examine how businesses such as restaurants, stores and short rental places could better contribute to the municipal revenues. Your comments regarding this subject are welcomed at all times.

A Childcare Facility in Victoria

After a recent meeting with Minister Croucher, the project of a childcare facility in Victoria took a new turn. Crapaud and our Village are now exploring ways to better service the South Shore for such a community service. The collaboration may lead to one or more projects for different age groups of kids. In the meantime, the Merry Pop-Ins Childcare facility in Tryon is now considering another building outside the Victoria limits.

For more information on any of these topics, please contact the Municipal Office or visit our website. We thank residents for their continued engagement and support.

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