library, several shops, and a wonderful theatre
space that features both local productions and
touring performers. There is also the PEI Symphony
Orchestra which, this last season, presented music
that ranged from Ravel to Holst to Morlock — and
even the symphonic accompaniment to Roch Carrier’s
“The Hockey Sweater.”
In short, Charlottetown is a happ’nin’ place near
several beaches and good walking trails.
So, after almost ten years of visiting as tourists, my
wife and I bought a house. Here we are, and we’ve
discovered great new things about the Maritimes:
• Lots of people speak French. Although I took
six years of French in school in Edmonton, and
once could read Dumas (père et fils) in glorious
subjonctif littéraire, nobody ever taught me to
speak the language! I’m learning.
• The ocean actually freezes. Well, I knew that, but
here the sea-ice is often pink from the red sand,
and the slushie-like pinkness of sand and ice
crystals will wet your feet even on the
coldest days.
• Edmonton winters are truly
pretty bad. Once people find
out our previous home,
they stop asking how we
like PEI winters. Here,
we can get a ton of snow
that closes everything
and can make national
news, but it is gone by the
next week.
• Road-kill on PEI during
the autumn is, well, potatoes.
Huge potato trucks lose part
of their loads with every bump in the road. If a
person had no pride, it would be easy to lay in a
good stock of potatoes for the winter.
• The restaurants and craft breweries are absolutely
fabulous! It helps that Charlottetown has a school
that certifies red-seal chefs.
On the downside, it is impossible to get a doctor!
When you arrive, it is important to get a PEI health
card and join the waiting list which is, literally, years
long. Walk-in clinics do not take appointments and fill
up quickly. Patients may only present a single issue to
the doctor — kind of tough when you are in your 70s
with complex health issues.
So, here we are, in a small house, surrounded by
wonderful neighbours and an enormous yard with
huge oaks, maples, and pines, and a “baby barn” to
hold mower, trimmer, and assorted yard tools. And
yes, snow shovels, too.
If there’s a lesson to be learned here, it is that if a
person is to be 4,716 kilometres away from friends and
family, Charlottetown is a great place to do it.
Robin Carson taught English and
Latin for Edmonton Public Schools
for thirty-seven years and was
editor of news&views for eight
years. He currently edits works
of fiction professionally. His
website is eclecticlight.ca.
news&views AUTUMN 2020 | 45