Summerside, Prince Edward Island
| Summerside | |||
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| Motto: The Garden of the Gulf | |||
 Summerside
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| Coordinates: 46°23′36″N 63°47′25″W / 46.39333°N 63.79028°W | |||
| Country | Canada | ||
| Province | Prince Edward Island | ||
| County | Prince County | ||
| Founded | 1800s | ||
| Incorporated | April 1, 1877 (town) | ||
| April 1, 1995 (city) | |||
| Government | |||
| • Mayor | Basil Stewart | ||
| • Councillors |
List of Members
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| Area | |||
| • Total | 28.36 km2 (10.95 sq mi) | ||
| Elevation | Sea level to 29 m (0 to 95.1 ft) | ||
| Population (2006)[1] | |||
| • Total | 14,500 | ||
| • Density | 510/km2 (1,300/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | Atlantic (AST) (UTC-4) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | ADT (UTC-3) | ||
| Canadian Postal code | C1N | ||
| Telephone Exchange |
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| Total private dwellings | 5,981 | ||
| Mean household income | $38,688 | ||
| NTS Map | 011L05 | ||
| GNBC Code | BADSZ | ||
| Website | http://www.city.summerside.pe.ca | ||
Summerside (2006 pop. 14,500[1]) is a Canadian city in Prince County, Prince Edward Island. It is the second largest city in the province and the principal municipality for the western part of the island.
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[edit] History
| Census | Population |
|---|---|
| 1871 | 2,000 |
| 1881 | 2,853 |
| 1891 | 2,883 |
| 1901 | 2,875 |
| 1911 | 2,678 |
| 1921 | 3,228 |
| 1931 | 3,759 |
| 1941 | 5,034 |
| 1951 | 6,547 |
| 1961 | 8,611 |
| 1971 | 9,439 |
| 1981 | 7,828 |
| 1991 | 7,474 |
| 2001 | 14,654 |
| 2006 | 14,500 |
Summerside was officially incorporated as a town on April 1, 1877, and reincorporated as a city on April 1, 1995.
[edit] Economy
The largest single employer within the city is the Canada Revenue Agency, which administers the Goods and Services Tax (GST) from its Summerside Tax Centre.
The Slemon Park business park (formerly CFB Summerside) hosts a concentration of several aerospace and transportation companies in former military buildings; Vector Aerospace Engine Services Atlantic (formerly Atlantic Turbines) repairs and overhauls Gas Turbine aircraft engines, Testori Americas produces interiors for aircraft and mass transit surface vehicles, and Honeywell manufactures and repairs parts for aircraft.
The outlying community of New Annan is home to the operations of Cavendish Farms, Prince Edward Island's largest private sector employer. Cavendish Farms maintains two large frozen foods processing plants in New Annan. The outlying community of Borden-Carleton has several important employers for Summerside residents, including McCain Foods Limited which operates a frozen foods processing plant.
Since the closure of CFB Summerside in 1990, the city has been aggressive in courting new business opportunities and has created an Economic Development Office for the purpose of encouraging investment in the city.[2]
The Summerside area was at one time home to the world's largest concentration of Tame Silver Fox farms. This is highlighted at the Silver Fox Museum.[3]
[edit] Government
The city is governed by a mayor and 8 councillors who represent geographic areas called wards. The current mayor is Basil Stewart, a former police officer, who won his ninth consecutive term in November 2010 and has held the office for over two decades. Stewart is a past president of the Federation of Canadian Municipalities.
The Summerside Police Department has approximately 35 officers responsible for law enforcement within the city. The East Prince Detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) is located in North Bedeque, southeast of the city, and shares responsibility with Summerside PD for patrolling provincial Route 1A and Route 2 which pass along the east and north sides of the city.
[edit] Education
Summerside has 7 English public schools: 4 elementary, 2 junior high, and 1 senior high school. The Western School Board is headquartered in the city.
The city also has 1 French public school operated by the Commission scolaire de langue française.
Holland College, Prince Edward Island's community college system, maintains several facilities in Summerside;
- East Prince Centre
- Marine Training Centre
- Aerospace Centre
- Atlantic Police Academy
- Motive Power Centre
[edit] Energy
The city of Summerside is the only place in Prince Edward Island to run an independent electric utility. After buying Charlottetown Light & Power in 1918, Maritime Electric consolidated electric distribution on the island. The company offered to take over the operations in Summerside, but backed down after citizens rejected various offers. The Summerside distribution grid has been linked to the Maritime Electric network since 1961.[4]
Traditionally the majority of its electricity is purchased from the neighboring provincial electric utility, NB Power. In 2008, 76.5% of its power was acquired from NB Power. Although the Summerside Electric Commission has its own diesel turbine at the Harvard Street Generating Station which can operate for several days independently of NB Power's supply, it is only used in exceptional circumstances such as power disruptions with New Brunswick or parts of the Maritime Electric power system that feed the city.
In 2007 the city signed a 20 year agreement with a private wind energy company to supply about 23% of its electricity from a private wind farm in Western PEI.[5]
Construction started on a city owned wind farm in 2009 comprising four wind turbines, each capable of producing 3 megawatts of electricity. The wind farm became fully operational in late 2009 and was immediately tied into the city's power. This is Canada's first municipally owned and operated wind farm. On an average day the wind farm produces about 25% of the electricity for the entire city. At times when electricity usage in the city is low and the winds are high the wind farm has potential to produce more power than the city consumes.
[edit] Medical services
The Prince County Hospital, located in the city's north end, is the main referral hospital in the western part of the province.
[edit] Climate
| Climate data for Summerside | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Record high °C (°F) | 12.1 (53.8) |
12.8 (55.0) |
15.6 (60.1) |
23.3 (73.9) |
32 (90) |
32.2 (90.0) |
33.3 (91.9) |
33.3 (91.9) |
31.7 (89.1) |
24.4 (75.9) |
21.2 (70.2) |
15.6 (60.1) |
33.3 (91.9) |
| Average high °C (°F) | −3.4 (25.9) |
−3 (27) |
1.2 (34.2) |
6.7 (44.1) |
14 (57) |
19.6 (67.3) |
23.6 (74.5) |
22.9 (73.2) |
18 (64) |
11.9 (53.4) |
5.6 (42.1) |
−0.3 (31.5) |
9.7 (49.5) |
| Average low °C (°F) | −12.3 (9.9) |
−11.7 (10.9) |
−6.8 (19.8) |
−1.1 (30.0) |
4.7 (40.5) |
10.2 (50.4) |
14.5 (58.1) |
14.2 (57.6) |
9.8 (49.6) |
4.4 (39.9) |
−0.9 (30.4) |
−8 (18) |
1.4 (34.5) |
| Record low °C (°F) | −29.9 (−21.8) |
−26.1 (−15.0) |
−23.9 (−11.0) |
−13.4 (7.9) |
−5 (23) |
0 (32) |
6.7 (44.1) |
4.4 (39.9) |
−0.1 (31.8) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
−13.3 (8.1) |
−25.6 (−14.1) |
−29.9 (−21.8) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 100.1 (3.941) |
75.1 (2.957) |
83.8 (3.299) |
79.7 (3.138) |
94 (3.7) |
84.4 (3.323) |
84.8 (3.339) |
88.3 (3.476) |
91.7 (3.61) |
94.5 (3.72) |
96.7 (3.807) |
105 (4.13) |
1,078 (42.44) |
| Source: Environment Canada[6] | |||||||||||||
[edit] Attractions
The Summerside Raceway[7] is a standardbred harness racing track which is adjacent to the Credit Union Place,[8] the largest indoor sports facility in the province with a large hockey arena seating 4000 and fitness facility. Other attractions include the College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts[9] the Silver Fox Curling & Yacht Club,[10] the Summerside Golf & Country Club,[11] the PEI Sports Hall of Fame[12] and Spinnaker's Landing.[13]
The city has redeveloped several waterfront industrial sites that were abandoned by the railway and marine terminal during the 1990s into new parkland. A major reconstruction of the west end seawall has resulted in a new boardwalk for residents and visitors along the waterfront.
The former post office on Summer Street was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1983.[14]
In fall 2011, the Summerside Storm will begin play as a member of the National Basketball League of Canada.
[edit] Notable residents
- Steve Ott - NHL Player
- Darryl Boyce - NHL Player
- John Chabot - Former NHL Player
- Gerard Gallant - Former NHL Player
- Errol Thompson - Former NHL Player
- Doug MacLean - Former NHL head coach
- Forbes Kennedy - Former NHL Player
- Nathan Wiley - Canadian Recording Artist
- Tanya Davis - Canadian Recording Artist
- Catherine MacLellan - Canadian Recording Artist
- Al Tuck - Canadian Recording Artist
- Heather Moyse - Canadian Women's Bobsleigh Team, Vancouver 2010 gold medallist (2-woman)
Summerside was home for three years to the fictional Anne Shirley of the Anne of Green Gables series by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery.
[edit] Media
Summerside has one radio station licensed to it, FM 102.1 CJRW-FM, which plays a classic hits format. CJRW is the only commercial radio station in the province whose studios are located outside of Charlottetown. Summerside is otherwise served by media based in Charlottetown. CBC Television has its Prince County bureau situated in Summerside.
Summerside's daily newspaper is The Journal Pioneer. The province's French weekly newspaper, La Voix acadienne, has its offices in Summerside.
[edit] References
- ^ a b Statistics Canada. 2006. Summerside Community Profile
- ^ Invest in summerside.com
- ^ Silver fox Museum
- ^ Negru, John (1990), The electric century : an illustrated history of electricity in Canada : the Canadian Electrical Association, 1891-1991, Montreal: Canadian Electrical Association, p. 75, ISBN 2-9802153-0-9
- ^ "Summerside commits to wind energy". CBC News. 14 September 2006. http://www.cbc.ca/canada/prince-edward-island/story/2006/09/14/summerside-wind.html.
- ^ Environment Canada Canadian Climate Normals 1971–2000. Retrieved 15 July 2009.
- ^ Summerside Raceway
- ^ Credit Union Place
- ^ College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts
- ^ Silver Fox Curling & Yacht Club
- ^ Summerside Golf & Country Club
- ^ PEI Sports Hall of Fame
- ^ Spinnaker's Landing
- ^ Former Summerside Post Office. Canadian Register of Historic Places. Retrieved 25 September 2011.
[edit] External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Category:Summerside |
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