resort municipality in p.e.i. fills all council seats by acclamation
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matthew jelley returns as mayor of the resort municipality of stanley bridge, hope river, bayview, cavendish and north rustico after stepping down in 2024.
cody mceachern
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cody mceachern
p.e.i.’s resort municipality has a new council without a single ballot being cast after every position was filled by acclamation.
the new council for the resort municipality of stanley bridge, hope river, bayview, cavendish and north rustico will be sworn in on sept. 6.
among those returning to council is mayor matthew jelley, who resigned from the position in 2024 after serving for about 10 years. lee brammer had been mayor since the last election and returns this term as a councillor.
jelley said he did not put his name forward during the first nomination period this time around because he wanted to give someone else an opportunity to serve.
“but once nobody else came forward, i was called to serve again.”
he said he is pleased that the municipality has enough people to fill every position, even though none of the races was contested.
“in some smaller communities, that can be a challenge to make sure we have a full complement.”
busy schedule
jelley resigned as mayor in 2024 after buying a business in new brunswick. he said the business required him to travel more, especially during its early stages.
at the time, he was also building a management team to take over some of his business responsibilities in cavendish.
after serving as mayor for a decade, jelley said he also felt it was time to give other people an opportunity to lead the community.
while his schedule is still busy, jelley says he now has a better understanding of what his businesses require from him. he has also had more time to build a team that can help manage them.
he said it is an honour to serve the community again and the goal is to provide stable and responsible government for businesses, permanent residents and seasonal residents.
“it’ll depend on what we hear from residents, business owners and especially the councillors.”
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small population
satya sen, executive director of the federation of p.e.i. municipalities, said it is fairly common for council positions to be filled by acclamation in p.e.i., particularly in smaller communities.
“serving on a council is a significant and meaningful commitment. and we commend islanders who step forward to serve their communities.”
the resort municipality has a permanent population of just over 350 people.
with such a small population, sen said it can be difficult to find enough people willing to run for office.
federation of p.e.i. municipalities executive director satya sen speaks during the 2026 annual general meeting in april. sen says it is common for council positions to be filled by acclamation in p.e.i., particularly in smaller communities
kristin gardiner/journal pioneer
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file
he said serving on council requires a significant amount of time, while the pay is often not enough to reflect the workload.
councillors also balance their council duties with jobs, businesses and family responsibilities.
“these are not professional politicians,” sen said. “these are all members of the community.”
harassment directed at people in public office can also discourage people from running, he said. sen also added that women and members of equity-seeking groups may face additional barriers.
voter turnout
he also said low voter turnout is another concern for municipal governments. he told the guardian that turnout has dropped over the years, including in larger communities such as charlottetown and summerside.
he said more islanders need to understand how municipal decisions affect their daily lives and become involved by running for office or voting.
the federation plans to continue promoting municipal elections and encouraging islanders to participate. it has also partnered with the p.e.i. coalition for women in government to provide potential candidates from equity-seeking groups with training and practical tools.
an orientation session for newly elected municipal officials is planned for nov. 21.
sen said the difficulty of finding candidates also raises questions about whether some p.e.i. municipalities are large enough to support strong local governments.
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“we really have to ask the fundamental questions. are municipalities big enough? are the sizes of municipalities enough to sustain a strong local government?” he said.
sen said p.e.i. may need to consider municipal reform and whether the province should have fewer but larger municipalities or more regional governments.
new cavendish council
seats filled by acclamation in the resort municipality of stanley bridge, hope river, bayview, cavendish and north rustico:
mayor
- matthew jelley
councillors
- leeham brammer,
- lucas linkletter,
- ryan lowther,
- tyson macinnis,
- magnus mcdermid and
- jane woodley
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vivian ulinwa is a reporter for the guardian in prince edward island. she can be reached at vulinwa@postmedia.com and followed on x @vivian_ulinwa.
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