Adam Affleck

More than 100 Conservative supporters gathered in Charlottetown Saturday to voice their approval of the government of Prime Minister Stephen Harper and to denounce efforts to defeat it in Parliament.

The Liberals and the NDP delivered a letter to Gov. Gen. Michaëlle Jean last week saying Harper had lost the confidence of the House of Commons and they were ready to form a coalition government to replace him. However, Harper succeeded in getting Jean to prorogue Parliament before a vote of no confidence could take place.

Malpeque MP and Fisheries and Oceans Minister Gail Shea spoke at the rally in front of Province House.

"It might look very appealing to the Wayne Easters of the world to steal the government," said Shea, referring to the most outspoken Liberal member of the P.E.I. caucus during the Parliamentary crisis.

"They must ask themselves: is it ethical as a Canadian to vest veto power over the country's decisions in a party that has no responsibility for Canada's progress?"

The Liberal-NDP coalition would require the support of the Bloc Québécois, which has said it would support a coalition government for 18 months.

A rally in support of a coalition government was held last Thursday night, organized by the P.E.I. Federation of Labour.

There have been rallies in support of both sides across the country, and more are expected before Jan. 27 when Parliament resumes to hear the new federal budget.

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Adam Affleck

Charlottetown Remax

The trees were thick with ice, electric poles were down across the province and hundreds of Islanders were left in the dark and cold, but Barb Mullally didn't blink an eye when she got the call for aid.
As a disaster management trainer and co-ordinator, last winter's ice storm was just the kind of emergency event Mullally has been trained to help handle.
She put in 14-hour days helping stranded Islanders as Maritime Electric crews worked to restore downed power lines. And with more than 300 damaged utility poles throughout central and western Prince Edward Island, it took the utility seven days to get the power restored.
And throughout, 20 trained disaster management volunteers for Canadian Red Cross on P.E.I. were there to hand out 800 blankets, set up 400 cots and help communities through the days of dark and cold.
"The devastation on the roads was unbelievable and the desperation," Mullally said.
"As a Canadian Red Cross volunteer when you're present, people say, ‘Oh you're here. Thank goodness!' It's that sigh of relief."
Still, Mullally said she couldn't believe how well some places coped with going days without heat or power in the dead of winter.
"People want to do it and look after themselves but don't necessarily have the knowledge and the know-how of what they need to do and that's where we come in."
The Red Cross helped establish and equip 11 comfort centres and helped with the logistics of securing and delivering nearly 1,000 meals and 600 cases of water.
As a result of the ice storm, Mullally said she believes more Islanders are prepared for unpredictable emergencies.
And that's just what the Canadian Red Cross hopes Islanders have learned by this weather event because storms, hurricanes, floods and other weather disasters are on the rise.
"Emergency events will get larger and longer, that's what the new intelligence on disaster management is telling us," said John Byrne, general manager for the local Canadian Red Cross.
That's why the Canadian Red Cross is starting now to try to promote being ready for anything this winter.
Byrne said everyone should have an emergency preparedness kit and a plan so they can deal with the first 72 hours of an unforeseen tragedy or disaster.
But even this is not enough if people are not being proactive, Byrne said.
He pointed to a number of worrying trends the Red Cross has discovered that are putting people at risk. A recent survey it conducted shows 37 per cent of people disable fire detectors that go off repeatedly, 23 per cent of people believe it's OK to leave a stove on with nobody home, and 17 per cent of people this winter plan to rely on stove or oven heat for warmth.
These are disasters waiting to happen, said Bill Lawlor, director of disaster management and international services for Canadian Red Cross Atlantic.
"I think there's often basic things like being aware of hazards that may be in your own household that will help prevent a tragedy," he said.
But for those that do end up dealing with a personal or weather-related disaster, Red Cross volunteers are ready and willing to help.
"For me to be part of this and gain some experience doing this is great and totally fulfilling," Mullally said. "We all help each other."

Emergency Kit:
Here are just some items you should have in an emergency kit in your home and vehicle to be prepared should disaster strike:
- Two litres of drinking water per person per day;
- Non-perishable canned and dried foods, can opener;
- Change of clothing and footwear per person;
- Copies of essential family documents;
- First aid supplies;
- Flashlights and extra batteries;
- Candle and holder;
- Cash;
- Useful tools such as a shovel, knife, pliers and screwdriver.
Source: www.redcross.ca

www.adamaffleck.com

Adam Affleck

Charlottetown Remax Realty

Gas prices continue to plummet on Prince Edward Island.
The Island Regulatory and Appeals Commission announced the following petroleum pricing decisions, effective 12:01 a.m., Saturday:
- Gasoline prices will decrease by 2.5 cents per litre (cpl);
- Furnace and stove oil prices will decrease by 5.0 cpl;
- Diesel prices will decrease by 5.0 cpl.
There will be no changes to propane pricing at this time. Including taxes, pump prices for regular unleaded gasoline at self-serve outlets will now range from 73.1 cpl to 75.2 cpl.

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Adam Affleck

Charlottetown Remax Realty

CALGARY - More and more people have been streaming into bankruptcy trustee Bruce Alger's office in recent months, as a slowdown in the all-important energy sector begins to weigh on the livelihoods of everyday Albertans.
Not long ago, Alberta was considered Canada's economic juggernaut, as torrid development in the oilsands created scores of high-paying jobs and rampant economic growth.
But oil prices have been decimated since hitting an all-time high of US$147 in July. On Friday, the crude contract closed at a four-year low of $40.81 on the New York Mercantile Exchange.
The staggering fall in oil prices has caused many producers to put a kibosh on their ambitious expansion plans, many of which need crude prices close to US$100 per barrel to be viable.
At the same time, though, the inflated cost of living that came with the energy boom has remained stubbornly high.
"It just cuts right through things," said Alger, adding the current slowdown reminds him of the "atrocious" recession of the early 1980s.
In 2007, Alberta saw the lowest number of bankruptcy filings in five years, continuing a prolonged downward streak.
But a report by the federal Superintendent of Bankruptcy last week said total monthly filings in Alberta soared more than 50 per cent between October 2007 and this year. Nationally, bankruptcies were up 21 per cent.
"We're not at quite that hockey-stick curve but we're getting there," said Alger.
Recently it has been oilfield workers and tradespeople who have been finding themselves in dire financial straits. Big project delays and cancellations in the oilsands has caused much of the work in the province to dry up.
"Ever since the price of oil dropped off, the optimism has disappeared," said Alger.
Bank of Montreal economist Robert Kavcic is forecasting flat economic growth in Alberta next year, which doesn't seem too bad when stacked up against the 0.7 per cent decline expected in Canada as a whole.
But compared to the past five years of rampant growth, "that's going to feel pretty tough out West," Kavcic said.
"Pretty much by the day now we're seeing cancellations or at least delay announcements coming across the wire in the oilsands. You went from a period of extremely hot activity in that sector to almost stopping on a dime right now," he said.
"As goes oil prices, so goes Alberta."
Retail sales in Alberta are now the weakest in Canada. And the real estate market in Calgary has been cooling off tremendously, with nine listings for every sale.
"In the case of some of these tradespeople, they've lost their jobs. There's no more home construction," said Alger.
Alger has also been seeing a gradual increase in people living off fixed income filing for bankruptcy in the past few years, largely due to the "crazy" cost of living increase.
Often there is some sort of a trigger - like a medical problem or a mortgage being renewed on less favourable terms.
"All of a sudden they find they have some sort of an emergency. They get into their card one month and then the next month something else happens and next thing you know, it snowballs," said Alger.
"They finally reached the wall. They cannot afford to continue to both service their debt and live at the same time."

www.adamaffleck.com

adam affleck

Charlottetown Remax Realty

The Opposition Progressive Conservatives on Prince Edward Island unveiled a plan Wednesday they say farmers need to help weather an economic storm.

The multimillion-dollar Tory plan would waive farm property taxes for two years, provide rebates on diesel fuel and offer other financial incentives.

"Whenever you have a downturn in a sector it's the role of government to partner with that sector to work with them and weather a storm," said industry critic Mike Currie.

Farmers with livestock have been facing particularly hard times. Feed prices are rising as grain is used for ethanol production. At the same time international competition is lowering prices for hogs and cattle. Hog farmers will face additional difficulty this month with the closing of the Island's hog plant.

From 2002 to 2007 it's estimated the number of hog farms on the Island dropped from 400 to 75.

$7.5M tab for plan

"We've been listening to the farmers and especially the business community in the last little while and there's a great deal of concern out there," said Currie.

"We have come up with some solutions that we feel might jump-start the agricultural community for this coming year."

In total the aid package would cost taxpayers about $7.5 million. Currie said the crisis has almost reached a point where the government can't afford not to do this.

The Tories would also like to see government bring in a moratorium on all farm foreclosures for two years, as well as allow farmers to pay just the interest on farm-related loans.

Opposition leader Olive Crane said she hasn't yet approached government with her party's ideas.

Any comment?

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Adam Affleck

Charlottetown Remax Realty

Remax PEI