Seventy-five per cent of smaller communities in P.E.I. did not require elections Monday because there were not enough people running for office — a level of apathy Minister of Communities Jamie Fox attributes in part to social media and the effects of two years of pandemic restrictions.
Of 52 smaller communities, 39 did not require elections, including seven that still have vacant positions and two that have asked to be dissolved.
When asked by Island Morning‘s Laura Chapin what kind of stories he heard from people backing away, Fox said he’d heard about negativity on social media as well as the drain of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“For two-and-a-half years you couldn’t get involved,” he said. “It’s hard to get back into things, hard to get back into that routine.”
‘It’s not just municipal elections’
Fox said there may be other reasons for disengagement and he wants to talk to people who chose not to run and those who put their names forward and then changed their mind. He’s also interested in what the difference in interest was between men and women.
He said the lack of engagement is noticeable across multiple facets of community life.
“It’s not just municipal elections,” Fox said. “It’s our fire departments. It’s our non-profit groups. It’s our different community organizations. Volunteering is down. When you look at minor hockey, look at all that context, how do we get people re-engaged in what’s going on in their communities and across Prince Edward Island.”
Fox said education is key and he’ll continue to work with Federation of Prince Edward Island Municipalities, as well as holding regional meetings with communities.
Vacancies in 7 communities
In seven communities including Abrams Village, Miminegash, and Wellington, there are vacancies to be filled.
Fox said the province will have immediate conversations with those communities to see who might be interested in vacant mayor’s chairs. He said it could be an elected councillor but not necessarily.
Any empty councillor slots — like the two in Abrams Village — will also be filled “as best as possible,” Fox said.
