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What's Up PEI, O'Leary, PE (2026)

08/25/2026

🌱 25 RURAL PEI HIGH-SCHOOL STUDENTS WILL GET A SEAT AT THE TABLE

What if, instead of simply asking young Islanders what they think about their communities, we actually gave them a seat at the table where decisions are being discussed?

That’s the idea behind PEI’s Youth On Board Program, and another group of Island high-school students will soon have the opportunity to take part.

The Government of PEI says applications for the 2026-27 program will open by August 31.

👥 WHAT IS YOUTH ON BOARD?

The program gives up to 25 rural PEI high-school students an opportunity to become involved with a rural non-profit board.

The goal is to introduce young Islanders to volunteerism, teach them how boards and councils operate, and help community organizations become better at including youth perspectives.

And this isn’t simply sitting in the corner watching.

Participating students can:

• Take part in board governance training
• Learn how non-profit organizations operate
• Work with a mentor
• Gain networking experience
• Build skills they can add to their resumes
• Attend meetings and experience how community organizations actually function

🌱 WHO CAN APPLY?

Students enrolled in Grades 10 through 12 as of September 2026 are eligible.

Priority may be given to students living in rural PEI, which the program defines as areas outside Charlottetown, Summerside and Stratford.

Students should also be prepared to complete online training and commit to attending five or more meetings with their matched organization between September 2026 and May 2027.

💰 STUDENTS CAN ALSO RECEIVE AN HONORARIUM

Students aren’t necessarily being asked to give all of this time for free.

The program provides honorariums based on participation:

• 2 meetings: $200
• 3 or more meetings: $400
• 5 or more meetings: $500

Participating non-profits can also receive an honorarium.

🏘️ COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS GET SOMETHING TOO

There’s another side to this program that we really like.

The students get experience, mentorship and an opportunity to contribute.

But the organizations get something valuable too: a young person’s perspective.

Eligible incorporated non-profits and municipalities can participate, with organizations required to provide a mentor and give the student opportunities to attend meetings.

Youth do not participate in in-camera or private discussions.

💚 GIVING RURAL YOUTH A VOICE

Young Islanders will eventually become the volunteers, business owners, community leaders and decision-makers helping shape the future of PEI.

Giving them an opportunity to learn how community organizations work while they’re still in high school seems like a pretty great place to start.

Applications for the 2026-27 Youth On Board Program are expected to open by August 31 and will be accepted until September 11.

📲 WANT TO LEARN MORE?

Full program details, eligibility requirements and application information can be found on the Government of Prince Edward Island website by searching for “Youth On Board Program.”

💬👇 WHAT’S UP PEI — LET’S TALK

Do you know a rural PEI high-school student who would be great at something like this?

Tag them or their family below so they know this opportunity is coming! 💚

And what do you think about giving more young Islanders a seat at the table in their communities?

08/25/2026

🏛️ WHO IS IRAC, AND WHO ACTUALLY MAKES THE DECISIONS?

If you follow what’s happening on PEI, you’ve probably heard the name IRAC.

Electricity. Gas prices. Auto insurance. Water and sewer utilities. Land matters. Residential tenancy appeals.

IRAC can be involved in some pretty significant decisions affecting Islanders.

But a question we hear fairly often is:

Who exactly is IRAC?

Who are the people making these decisions?

And who pays for it?

🏛️ WHAT IS IRAC?

IRAC stands for the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission.

It is an independent, quasi-judicial tribunal established under PEI legislation and operates at arm’s length from government.

IRAC isn’t Maritime Electric, and it isn’t a committee of elected politicians.

The Commission has regulatory, appellate and administrative responsibilities assigned to it under provincial legislation.

Depending on the issue, its responsibilities include areas such as:

• Electricity
• Petroleum pricing
• Automobile insurance
• Water and sewer utilities
• Certain municipal matters
• Lands Protection Act matters
• Residential tenancy appeals
• Property assessment and other appeals

👥 WHO MAKES UP IRAC?

There’s an important distinction here.

IRAC has Commissioners, and it also has employees and professional staff.

They aren’t the same thing.

Members of the Commission are appointed by the PEI Government through Orders in Council. Depending on the matter, decisions may be heard and determined by a panel of Commissioners.

IRAC currently lists six Commissioners.

⚖️ PAMELA WILLIAMS, K.C. — CHAIR & CEO

Williams became Chair and Chief Executive Officer of IRAC on April 1, 2025.

She is a lawyer with more than 20 years of experience, primarily in corporate and commercial law.

Before joining IRAC, Williams held a senior leadership position with the PEI provincial government.

⚖️ KERRI CARPENTER — VICE-CHAIR

Carpenter is also a lawyer and practised for approximately 22 years.

Her experience includes corporate and commercial law, real estate, immigration, and administrative and regulatory matters.

She initially joined IRAC as a full-time Commissioner in 2023 and became Vice-Chair in February 2025.

⚖️ GORDON MACFARLANE — FULL-TIME COMMISSIONER

MacFarlane is a lawyer whose background includes 19 years with the City of Summerside, including serving as its Chief Administrative Officer.

He also has previous experience with administrative tribunals and joined IRAC as a full-time Commissioner in April 2025.

👥 THREE PART-TIME COMMISSIONERS

IRAC also currently lists three part-time Commissioners:

Terry McKenna, whose background includes business experience in the dry-cleaning and commercial-laundry industry.

Cynthia McCardle, a retired Prince County Hospital pharmacy technician with previous tribunal and school-board experience.

Murray MacPherson, a former tourism-business owner whose background also includes teaching and service in the Canadian Armed Forces.

🗳️ WHO APPOINTS THEM?

Members of the Commission are appointed by the PEI Government through Orders in Council.

However, IRAC is structured to operate independently and at arm’s length from government when carrying out its responsibilities.

Being appointed by government does not mean a Commissioner is an elected politician.

🧐 DO ALL SIX DECIDE EVERY CASE?

No.

Depending on the proceeding, a panel of Commissioners can be assigned to hear and determine a matter.

That means when you hear that “IRAC made a decision,” it doesn’t necessarily mean all six Commissioners participated in that particular case.

Who is assigned to the panel matters.

⚡ WHO IS HEARING THE CURRENT MARITIME ELECTRIC CASE?

Here’s a current example.

IRAC’s public hearing schedule identifies the Commissioners hearing Maritime Electric’s On-Island Capacity for Security of Supply proceeding this week as:

• Pamela Williams, K.C.
• Kerri Carpenter
• Gordon MacFarlane

Those are the three Commissioners currently listed for this particular hearing.

👩‍💼 WHAT ABOUT IRAC’S STAFF?

IRAC also employs professional and administrative staff who support the work of the Commission.

Those employees should not automatically be confused with the appointed Commissioners who hear and determine matters before the Commission.

IRAC provides current biographies of its Commissioners publicly. We haven’t found an equivalent current public directory identifying every individual employee, so we’re not going to take older staff lists and assume those people still work there today.

💰 WHO PAYS FOR IRAC?

IRAC isn’t funded from just one source.

According to IRAC’s 2024-25 Annual Report, the Commission reported approximately $4.85 million in revenue that year.

Here’s roughly where it came from:

🏛️ Province of PEI assessment: $2.40 million, or about 49%

🌾 Lands Protection Act fees: $1.09 million, or about 22%

⚡💧 Public utility assessments: $682,000, or about 14%

⛽ Petroleum licence fees: $427,000, or about 9%

🚗 Automobile insurance assessments: $225,000, or about 5%

💰 Investment and other income: $36,000, or less than 1%

So, roughly half of IRAC’s revenue that year came from an assessment on the Province of PEI, while much of the remainder came from fees and assessments connected to the industries, utilities and activities it regulates.

🤔 WAIT... DO THE COMPANIES IRAC REGULATES HELP FUND IRAC?

Yes, through the regulatory assessment system.

IRAC says it is funded through annual assessments, levies, application and licence fees imposed on utilities, industries and parties subject to its supervision, regulation or control, including the Province of PEI.

Regulated entities, including public utilities, can therefore be assessed to help cover the costs associated with regulation.

That includes Maritime Electric.

But there’s an important distinction.

This does not mean Maritime Electric simply chooses to fund IRAC or pays Commissioners to make decisions.

These assessments are part of the established regulatory funding structure under which IRAC operates.

Similarly, the Province of PEI being responsible for a significant portion of IRAC’s funding does not mean the provincial government is supposed to direct the outcome of individual cases.

IRAC is structured as an independent, quasi-judicial tribunal operating at arm’s length from government and the organizations it regulates.

💡 WHY DOES ALL OF THIS MATTER?

IRAC deals with decisions that can have real consequences for Islanders.

The current Maritime Electric proceeding is a good example.

The Commission is currently holding a public hearing on Maritime Electric’s application for an On-Island Capacity for Security of Supply Project.

Understanding who IRAC is, who appoints its Commissioners, who funds the organization and which Commissioners are actually hearing a particular case gives Islanders more context when those decisions eventually come down.

🔎 WHERE DID WE GET THIS INFORMATION?

For this explainer, we went directly to IRAC.

The information above was compiled from the Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission’s official website, current Commissioner biographies, public hearing information, rules, and its 2024-25 Annual Report and financial information.

We’ve intentionally used IRAC’s own published information rather than relying on social media comments or assumptions about how the Commission operates.

💬👇 WHAT’S UP PEI — LET’S TALK

Before today, did you know who actually makes up IRAC, how its Commissioners are appointed or where its funding comes from?

08/25/2026

⚠️ ATLANTIC CANADA PUBLIC SAFETY NOTICE: HIGH-RISK OFFENDER BELIEVED TO BE RELOCATING TO NOVA SCOTIA

While this notification is for Nova Scotia and not Prince Edward Island, we're sharing it for awareness because many Islanders regularly travel throughout the Maritimes.

Nova Scotia RCMP issued a public notification on August 24 regarding a high-risk offender believed to be relocating to the province from New Brunswick.

👤 WHO IS THE NOTIFICATION ABOUT?

RCMP identified the individual as Robert Edgar Paul, 35.

Police say Paul is not required to tell them where he will be living. However, they believe he will be residing in the Millbrook area of Nova Scotia.

RCMP describes Paul as:

• 5-foot-8
• 185 pounds
• Brown hair
• Brown eyes

⚖️ WHY WAS THE PUBLIC NOTIFIED?

According to RCMP, Paul has what police describe as an "extensive and persistent criminal history" dating back to 2005 involving both violent and non-violent offences.

Police say he served his full sentence in a federal institution for his most recent convictions of:

• Dangerous Operation of a Conveyance Causing Bodily Harm
• Uttering Threats to Cause Death or Bodily Harm

He was scheduled to be released on August 24.

📢 WHY ARE POLICE RELEASING THIS INFORMATION?

The notification was issued under Nova Scotia's Release of a High-Risk Offender Information Protocol.

RCMP says the information is being provided to alert the public to Paul's potential presence in the community.

🚫 RCMP WARNS AGAINST VIGILANTISM

Police specifically stress that releasing this information is not intended to encourage vigilantism or any other unreasonable conduct.

This is a public-awareness notification.

🏝️ WHY ARE WE SHARING THIS ON WHAT'S UP PEI?

This individual is believed to be relocating to Nova Scotia, not PEI.

We're sharing the RCMP notification because Islanders regularly travel between PEI, Nova Scotia and New Brunswick, and we occasionally share significant public-safety information from elsewhere in Atlantic Canada when it may be useful for our community to be aware of.

There is currently no information from RCMP suggesting that Paul is relocating to Prince Edward Island.

💬👇 WHAT’S UP PEI — LET’S TALK

Please keep the discussion respectful and remember that this information has been released by RCMP for public awareness, not to encourage anyone to approach, confront or harass the individual.

08/25/2026

🩺 HIS SON’S HEALTH JOURNEY HELPED INSPIRE THIS PEI DAD TO BECOME A DOCTOR

For PEI medical student Nate Visser, becoming a doctor isn't simply about choosing a new career.

It's deeply personal.

Nate and his wife, Keirstin, are parents to five-year-old Emmett, who was born with two rare genetic conditions affecting his development, communication and health.

Their family's experience navigating Emmett's care ultimately helped inspire Nate to pursue medicine and work toward something bigger: helping improve care for other Island families.

💙 A FAMILY'S JOURNEY

According to UPEI, Nate and Keirstin were initially told that Emmett would likely use a wheelchair.

The family eventually sought specialized treatment outside Canada and now travels to Texas every few months for care, at an approximate cost of $60,000 per year.

UPEI says that treatment has significantly improved Emmett's mobility. He now uses a walker and is preparing to start kindergarten this fall.

Those experiences gave Nate a very personal look at what families can face while trying to access the care their children need.

🩺 A NEW PATH TOWARD MEDICINE

Nate is originally from Charlottetown and now lives in Victoria-by-the-Sea.

And medicine isn't his first experience serving others.

He has spent 10 years as a paramedic, 15 years serving in the Canadian Armed Forces and has volunteered with both the Crapaud Fire Department and the Civil Air Search and Rescue Association.

Now, as a member of the Class of 2029, he's studying medicine at Memorial University's Regional Campus at UPEI.

His goal after completing his medical education?

A career in rural primary care.

🎓 SOME HELP ALONG THE WAY

Nate has also been named the inaugural recipient of the Velma and George Wright Scholarship.

The scholarship was established by the Soto-Wright family in honour of Velma and George Wright and their commitment to family, community and education.

It supports a medical student who has demonstrated an interest in health-care leadership and plans to practise medicine on PEI after graduation.

For Nate and his family, that support has an especially important impact.

It is helping him continue his medical education while his family continues supporting Emmett and accessing the specialized treatment he needs.

💚 WANTING TO MAKE THINGS BETTER FOR THE NEXT FAMILY

Perhaps the most powerful part of Nate's story is what he hopes to do with everything his own family has experienced.

He told UPEI that the scholarship has strengthened his desire to help drive change within the province when he begins practising medicine, so other families don't have to fight as hard as his family has.

From serving as a paramedic and member of the Canadian Armed Forces to volunteering in his community and now studying medicine, service has already been a significant part of Nate's life.

This next chapter could eventually bring that experience right back to Island communities as a rural primary-care physician. 🩺💚

💬👇 WHAT’S UP PEI — LET’S TALK

Stories like this are a great reminder of the people working toward the future of health care right here on PEI.

Let's give a big congratulations to Nate on receiving the scholarship, wish him all the best as he continues medical school, and send some Island love to Emmett and the entire Visser family! 💚👏

08/25/2026

⚡ PEI’S FUTURE ELECTRICITY SUPPLY IS BEFORE IRAC THIS WEEK

A major proposal that could change how Prince Edward Island produces and secures its electricity is the subject of a three-day public hearing this week.

The Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission is considering Maritime Electric's proposed On-Island Capacity for Security of Supply Project, with hearings scheduled for August 25, 26 and 27.

⚡ WHAT IS MARITIME ELECTRIC PROPOSING?

The original proposal filed in December 2024 called for adding 150 megawatts of new on-Island electricity capacity.

That original plan included:

• 10 MW of battery energy storage
• A 50 MW combustion turbine
• 90 MW from reciprocating internal combustion engines

Maritime Electric initially estimated that project at approximately $427 million in 2024 dollars.

But the proposal has evolved significantly since then.

🏭 A NEW 100 MW PLAN FOR CHARLOTTETOWN

In an August 2025 supplemental filing, Maritime Electric proposed an accelerated option that would install two 50 MW combustion turbines at the existing Charlottetown Generating Station.

Together, they would provide 100 MW of dispatchable generating capacity.

Maritime Electric says the opportunity arose through coordination with NB Power's procurement of similar generating equipment and could allow the new PEI capacity to be operating by 2028.

The company would still pursue the remaining 50 MW needed under its broader 150 MW capacity plan.

💰 HOW MUCH WOULD IT COST?

Maritime Electric's filing estimates the 100 MW accelerated project at approximately $334 million.

The company argues that despite the substantial upfront cost, its analysis shows the project would ultimately be less expensive than continuing to purchase comparable capacity and related services from NB Power.

Maritime Electric's analysis estimates approximately 54 per cent in savings over the project's useful life compared with the off-Island alternatives included in its analysis.

📈 WHAT COULD IT MEAN FOR ELECTRICITY RATES?

This is an important part.

Maritime Electric estimates the accelerated 100 MW project could eventually result in an approximately 6 per cent increase for benchmark residential and general-service customers.

However, the application currently before IRAC does not itself request a rate increase.

If the project is approved, related rate changes could be requested later through a separate General Rate Application.

🔌 WHY DOES MARITIME ELECTRIC SAY PEI NEEDS THIS?

Maritime Electric says PEI's electricity demand has been increasing because of population growth and greater electrification, including increased reliance on electricity for heating.

The company also says PEI is heavily dependent on electricity and capacity brought in from outside the province and faces limitations involving the subsea cables and mainland transmission system.

Its original application forecast a 156 MW capacity deficit by 2033 without additional generation.

It also projected that on-Island generating capacity could fall from the equivalent of 31 per cent of PEI's peak customer load in 2023 to 17 per cent by 2033 without new capacity.

🗣️ IRAC IS NOW HEARING THE CASE

It's important to note that this week's hearing does not mean the project has been approved.

It's part of the regulatory process.

IRAC's public hearing began August 25 and continues Wednesday and Thursday as the Commission considers Maritime Electric's application and the evidence surrounding it.

The written public-comment period closed August 10.

Whatever IRAC ultimately decides could have significant implications for how PEI secures electricity in the years ahead, how dependent the Island remains on imported power and, eventually, what customers pay.

💬👇 WHAT’S UP PEI — LET’S TALK

What do you think about Maritime Electric's proposal to add significantly more electricity generation here on PEI?

Would you support paying more for electricity if it meant having more generating capacity located on-Island?

08/25/2026

🇨🇦 PEI ISSUES 181 INVITATIONS IN LATEST PROVINCIAL IMMIGRATION DRAW

Prince Edward Island has issued another 181 invitations through its provincial immigration system, with the province continuing to focus its selections on workers in areas where labour is most needed.

The latest Expression of Interest draw took place on August 20, 2026.

📋 WHAT HAPPENED IN THE LATEST DRAW?

According to the PEI Office of Immigration, the August 20 draw resulted in:

• 181 Labour & Express Entry invitations
• 0 Business Work Permit Entrepreneur invitations
• 181 total invitations

With this draw, PEI had issued 1,034 Labour & Express Entry invitations so far in 2026.

🎯 WHO IS PEI PRIORITIZING?

PEI has changed the way it approaches immigration selection as the province works within its available nomination spaces and responds to labour-market needs.

The province says it is currently selecting and prioritizing skilled workers in higher-demand sectors such as:

• Health care
• Trades
• Manufacturing
• Other key industries experiencing labour shortages

The province also specifically notes that individuals working in the sales and service sector may not receive an invitation at this time.

That means simply having an Expression of Interest profile does not guarantee someone will be invited.

🏝️ WHY THE FOCUS ON CERTAIN SECTORS?

Rather than treating every occupation equally, PEI is using its immigration programs to target workers whose skills align with areas the province has identified as priorities.

The Office of Immigration says invitations are based on a number of factors, which can include employment status, work experience, education, language ability and how well someone's profile meets PEI's labour-market needs.

The province also cautions that the attributes and sectors being prioritized can change.

📅 WAS THIS DRAW EXPECTED?

Yes.

August 20 was included in PEI's anticipated 2026 Invitation to Apply schedule.

However, the province makes clear that its schedule is anticipated rather than guaranteed, and draw dates can change depending on program requirements.

🔎 WHAT HAPPENS AFTER AN INVITATION?

An invitation is not the same thing as receiving permanent residency.

It gives selected candidates the opportunity to submit an application to PEI for provincial nomination.

The federal government ultimately makes the final decision on permanent residency.

💬👇 WHAT’S UP PEI — LET’S TALK

What do you think about PEI prioritizing immigration invitations toward workers in sectors such as health care, trades and manufacturing?

Do you think the province is focusing on the right areas?

08/25/2026

🎮 PEI-DEVELOPED TECHNOLOGY HELPING MAKE GAMING MORE ACCESSIBLE

A recent UPEI graduate has developed technology that could give people with significant physical disabilities more independence when it comes to gaming and using a computer.

And much of the work happened right here in Charlottetown.

💻 MEET BASSAM KAMAL

Bassam Kamal graduated from UPEI with a Bachelor of Science in Computer Science in May 2026.

While at UPEI, an idea that began during a user-experience course eventually grew into the QuadStick Configuration Manager, a free, open-source application designed to make an existing accessibility device easier to configure.

🎮 WHAT IS QUADSTICK?

QuadStick is a mouth-operated controller designed for people with severe physical disabilities, including quadriplegia.

Instead of using a traditional mouse, keyboard or gaming controller, users can interact with computers and video games through a lip-guided joystick and sip-and-puff tubes.

But configuring the device hasn't always been simple.

According to UPEI, the process could involve manually editing complex spreadsheet or CSV files, creating an additional barrier for some of the very people the technology is designed to help.

💡 THAT'S WHERE KAMAL'S IDEA COMES IN

Kamal developed a visual application intended to make configuring QuadStick easier and more accessible.

The QuadStick Configuration Manager includes features such as visual input mapping, automatic validation and backups, and support for Windows, Mac and Linux.

One of the most important goals?

Giving people with quadriplegia the ability to configure their own controller without necessarily having to rely on someone else to do it for them.

🌎 FROM PEI TO A MUCH BIGGER AUDIENCE

After graduating, Kamal connected with Fred Davison, the creator of QuadStick, who provided technical information and firmware source code to help with the project.

Much of the development took place at The Foundry, the PEI IT Alliance's innovation hub in downtown Charlottetown.

And the project is already attracting attention beyond PEI.

UPEI says occupational therapists and adaptive gaming programs are making plans to integrate the software into clinical programs, while a physician at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center plans to highlight it during national presentations.

The application is also being made available free and open-source.

💚 TECHNOLOGY THAT REMOVES A BARRIER

There are plenty of impressive things technology can do.

But sometimes the most meaningful innovations aren't about doing something flashy.

They're about making something that already exists easier for more people to use independently.

A project that started in a UPEI classroom is now helping make adaptive gaming technology more accessible, with the potential to reach people far beyond Prince Edward Island.

That's a pretty great Island story. 💚

💬👇 WHAT’S UP PEI — LET’S TALK

How great is it to see PEI-developed technology helping make gaming and computers more accessible?

And let’s give a big congratulations to Bassam Kamal for turning an idea that started at UPEI into technology with the potential to make a real difference for people far beyond PEI! 👏💚

08/25/2026

🥔 NEW U.S. RULES COMING FOR SOME PEI POTATO SHIPMENTS

The United States is strengthening some of its import requirements for potatoes coming from Prince Edward Island.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture's Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced the changes on August 21, saying the measures are intended to further reduce the risk of potato wart entering the United States.

The new requirements are scheduled to take effect October 5, 2026.

📋 WHAT'S ACTUALLY CHANGING?

A significant part of the new rules applies to U.S. facilities that receive bulk shipments of PEI potatoes for processing, packaging or repackaging.

Those facilities will be required to operate under facility-specific compliance agreements governing how potato waste is handled.

The USDA will also:

• Prohibit cull potatoes and potato waste from those shipments from being used as animal feed.

• Require that waste be disposed of at an approved site.

• Strengthen certification requirements for PEI potatoes before export.

• Improve labelling requirements so potatoes can be traced back to both the production site and packing shed.

• Clarify how the U.S. No. 1 grade standard is applied to imported potatoes.

• Prohibit PEI potatoes imported for consumption from being used as seed potatoes.

🔎 WHY IS THIS HAPPENING?

The USDA says it is enhancing its existing requirements following Canada's announcement of a new potato wart infestation in May 2026.

Potato wart is a soil-borne disease affecting potatoes. It can remain in soil for decades and can make affected potatoes unmarketable.

Importantly, the Canadian Food Inspection Agency says potato wart does not pose a risk to human or animal health.

The United States considers potato wart a quarantine pest, and the disease is not currently known to occur there.

🚫 DOES THIS MEAN THE U.S. HAS BANNED PEI POTATOES?

No.

That's an important distinction.

This announcement introduces additional safeguards and requirements around PEI potato imports. It is not an announcement that PEI potatoes have been banned from entering the United States.

The USDA also acknowledges that Canadian exporters and U.S. facilities will need time to adjust, which is why the new requirements don't take effect until October 5.

Until then, the existing 2022 import order remains in effect.

🌱 PEI AND POTATO WART

Potato wart has been managed on PEI for years, with the Canadian Food Inspection Agency maintaining restrictions, surveillance and other measures intended to contain the disease and prevent its spread.

Canada introduced a new National Potato Wart Response Plan in 2025, and CFIA says it continues working with the USDA on measures intended to reduce the risk and maintain confidence in Canadian potatoes.

For an industry as important to Prince Edward Island as potatoes, changes to access requirements for the U.S. market are something worth watching closely.

💬👇 WHAT’S UP PEI — LET’S TALK

What do you think about the new U.S. requirements for PEI potato shipments?

08/24/2026

💚 WHAT’S UP PEI BUSINESS SPOTLIGHT: DOUGH ROLLERS

There’s something special about pulling into a country driveway, passing gardens filled with vegetables and flowers, and knowing there are fresh, handmade pies waiting just a little farther up the road.

That’s part of the experience at Dough Rollers in Murray River.

Located at 480 Abney Road, Dough Rollers is a small certified farmhouse kitchen and Cottage Bakery Store owned by Cathy McKenna and Jan Lovekin, where the focus is refreshingly simple:

Fresh ingredients. Small batches. Handmade baking.

Or, as Cathy and Jan put it:

“Simple ingredients, simply delicious.”

SMALL-BATCH BAKING, MADE BY HAND

Dough Rollers specializes in the kind of desserts that immediately feel at home on an Island kitchen table.

Their offerings include handmade pies, tarts, carrot cake and fresh scones.

Rather than producing everything on a large scale, Dough Rollers takes a small-batch approach to its baking.

Fresh, local ingredients are used whenever possible, including ingredients grown right on the property in their own gardens.

And those gardens are part of the story, too.

MORE THAN A BAKERY

When you pull into the driveway at Dough Rollers, you’re arriving at the property where both the certified farmhouse kitchen and Cottage Bakery Store are located.

The grounds are home to beautiful vegetable and flower gardens, and in addition to their baked goods, Dough Rollers also sells flowers.

It gives the little bakery a character all its own.

This isn't simply somewhere products are made and shipped away.

It’s a place you can actually visit.

TWO YEARS IN THE MAKING

Dough Rollers didn't happen overnight.

Planning for the business began about two years before opening, and bringing the idea to life meant working through all the less glamorous parts of starting a food business.

Permits. Inspections. Building materials. Organization.

And plenty of work behind the scenes.

For Cathy and Jan, getting everything completed and organized was one of the biggest challenges.

But eventually, all those pieces came together and Dough Rollers became a reality.

THE COTTAGE BAKERY STORE

Today, customers can visit the Cottage Bakery Store right at 480 Abney Road in Murray River to pick up Dough Rollers' fresh baked goods.

The bakery operates year-round and is generally open Friday, Saturday and Sunday.

And while the pies, tarts, scones and carrot cake may get people through the door, there’s something else Cathy and Jan say makes running the business exciting.

The people.

💚 GRATEFUL FOR THE COMMUNITY

Dough Rollers considers itself fortunate to be part of the communities of Abney, Murray Harbour and Murray River.

For a small rural business, those community connections matter.

“The people are what makes our business exciting.”

There’s something very PEI about that.

A small farmhouse kitchen.

Local ingredients.

Vegetables and flowers growing outside.

Fresh baking inside.

And a community of people supporting the little businesses around them.

DOUGH ROLLERS

480 Abney Road
Murray River, PEI

Small-batch handmade baking
Flowers available
Cottage Bakery Store
Open year-round, mostly Friday, Saturday and Sunday

705-559-1037
Find Dough Rollers on Facebook

If you're travelling through the Murray River area, this might be one of those little Island stops worth adding to your list. And if you're a local, you may just have fresh pie waiting down the road. 😋

WHAT’S UP PEI — LET’S TALK

Have you discovered Dough Rollers yet? Help us give Cathy, Jan and this small Island business a warm What’s Up PEI welcome!

What's Up PEI

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