Island Bus Tours
International students at Collège de l’Île, Holland College and the University of Prince Edward Island are largely based in Charlottetown and Summerside which makes discovering the island difficult, especially without private transport. Teaming up with the Community Navigators, the Study & Stay PEI Program organised two island bus tours this year, giving international students the opportunity to meet companies and organisations across the province.
April 5 started with a storm alert but students braved the weather to embark on the Eastern island trip. From Charlottetown we first went to Montague to meet with the Community Navigators for a briefing on the job market and life in Eastern PEI. We then travelled to Pooles Corner for a tour of the AKA Manufacturing Facility and a fascinating insight into the global energy markets. Next stop was Souris for a delicious lunch at the Evergreen Café before heading out to the East Point Lighthouse. Driving along the north coast we reached the Canadian Centre for Climate Change Adaptation in Saint Peter’s Bay for a briefing on climate forecasting and data collection. The trip ended with a dinner and an evening of celebration with the Mi’kmaq Heritage Actors providing an opportunity for cultural exchanges.
May 10 started early for the students as we headed to New Annan for a visit to Cavendish Farms and an opportunity to learn about potato processing on a truly impressive scale and the innovative bio-gas plant. Next stop was Mill River Resort for a meeting with the Community Navigators and the resort management to talk about employment opportunities, followed by a great lunch. Then traveling to the most western point of the island, students visited the impressive wind farm and learnt about the research goals of the Wind Energy Institute of Canada. This was followed by a meeting on Lennox Island focused on the renewable energy transformation being led by the Mi’kmaq towards full energy sovereignty in the next 20 years.