P.E.I. should bring in a provincial recreation levy, Federation of P.E.I. Municipalities says

Gwyneth Egan · CBC News

· Posted: Apr 28, 2025 4:52 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

The Federation of P.E.I. Municipalities is asking the state to bring successful an Island-wide levy that would assistance towns, cities and municipalities wage for their recreational facilities by collecting wealth from radical who live outside their boundaries. 

The solution was brought guardant by the Town of North Rustico astatine the yearly wide gathering for the Federation of P.E.I. Municipalities.

"Paying for the operations of recreational facilities successful wide has been an issue, mostly due to the fact that work centres specified arsenic the Town of North Rustico [are] servicing specified a ample area," said Stephanie Moase, the main administrative serviceman of that town.   

Places similar North Rustico transportation the outgo of facilities that are utilized by radical who unrecorded extracurricular the town but commute successful to usage the facilities, Moase said. 

Under the federation's proposal, the state would cod the levy and dole retired wealth from that excavation of currency to municipalities with recreational facilities. 

The province's Department of Housing, Land and Communities needs clip to reappraisal and sermon the connection earlier commenting, officials with the section said successful an email to CBC News. 

One installation utilized by 13 surrounding communities  

If the levy is adopted, the wealth could assistance enactment the operations astatine recreation facilities similar the Eliyahu Wellness Centre successful North Rustico. The wellness centre outgo much than $22 cardinal to build, exceeding its original budget. The installation is utilized by astir 13 surrounding communities. 

"The crushed we're looking astatine this recreational levy is for specifically the operations of the building," Moase said. 

The outgo of keeping the lights connected astatine the Eliyahu Wellness Centre is implicit $17,000, she said. 

"We are moving connected a skeleton unit close present conscionable to marque definite that day-to-day costs are kept low," she said. "It creates immoderate issues wherever unit are, you know, connected the Zamboni erstwhile different members travel into the gathering looking to spell and wage for a gym membership."

Potential in Summerside, too

The City of Summerside precocious agreed to instrumentality implicit the Silver Fox Entertainment Complex, which is implicit fractional a cardinal dollars successful debt. 

A levy could assistance with moving that facility, said Summerside Mayor Dan Kutcher. 

"We've got an unthinkable installation that serves radical crossed the Island. Ultimately, the taxpayers of the City of Summerside wage for that," Kutcher said. 

"It provides a batch of benefits locally, but it besides provides a batch of payment for the surrounding communities." 

Opening a treatment astir however recreation facilities are funded is simply a affirmative action, Kutcher said. 

"These types of resolutions are however you initiate discussion, and I deliberation it's a truly invaluable treatment to beryllium having."