CHARLOTTETOWN  - Progressive Youth for Olive Crane are doing a fundraiser for the Children’s Wish Foundation.  On Saturday, from 11am-2pm, they will be doing a car wash at the Burger King parking lot in Charlottetown.  All proceeds go to the Charlottetown Children’s Wish Foundation as they try to fulfill eight local wishes.

Youth for Olive are a large group of students and young professionals who are supporting Leadership Candidate Olive Crane in the upcoming PC Leadership Election.

 August is Children’s Wish month. Children's Wish granted over 900 individual wishes within the last year alone. Since their founding in 1984, they’ve granted more than 15,000 wishes to Canadian children.

 “The Children’s Wish Foundation does great work and we’re very happy to be able to support it,” says Lindsay Handren, member of Progressive Youth for Olive Crane.  “Part of being in a political campaign is giving as much back to the community as possible, and we are ecstatic to do work for such a great cause.”

 The PC Leadership election is happening on October 2nd.  Olive Crane is one of five candidates vying for the permanent leadership.

  “I am so proud of the youth on our team to take the initiative and help the Children's Wish foundation during such a busy time in the campaign,” says Crane. “I encourage you to get out with your cars to support such a fantastic cause.”

 For more information, please contact Olive Crane.

(902) 314-1352

olive@olivecrane.ca

GEORGETOWN – The German television network, ‘Mere TV,’ was in Georgetown, PEI earlier this week.  They spent over seven hours interviewing and filming Peter Llewellyn; in his art studio, his shop, his restaurant, and on the beach.

According to Steffan Schneider, the network’s documentary director, Llewellyn’s success in the  international business community, tenure as city mayor, his fame as an Island sea glass artist and his foray into provincial politics brought the crew to his shop for a European television series featuring Prince Edward Island.

The series will include wonderful shots of Prince Edward Island’s natural beauty.  However, the main feature will be the attraction of notable Islanders such as Peter  Llewellyn. The network is also hoping to capture footage for four other vignettes including Johnston Distillery’s in eastern P.E.I.; a lobster fisherman from western P.E.I.; an Irish moss harvester; and a potato farmer.

Schneider said the experience working with Llewellyn has been terrific. “Islanders are so open, warm, and friendly, it’s a real treat,” he said.

According to Llewellyn, the Island can do more to profile its international stature as the best island in North America.’ He cites that, Frommers Travel Guide, refers to Prince Edward Island as one of the ten most extraordinary islands in the world.’ 

Emerging European and Asian tourism markets are potentially huge.   Llewellyn says, ‘The arrival of Mere TV is evidence that many Europeans are seeking to discover places like Prince Edward Island.’

The Mere TV series is a popular program that has been running for over 10 years looking at where land and sea mingle.  It is one of the most popular and often viewed documentary programs in Europe and will bring Prince Edward Island into the homes of over 2 million viewers.

For more information call 902-652-2240. Follow Peter on Facebook or www.peterpei.com. Read his blog at: http://pcpeterpei.blogspot.com . Request to meet with him in a 'Kitchen Meeting,' by replying to this email or just give him a call at: 902-652-2240. You can also stop by his shop/studio, Shoreline Designs, in Georgetown.

Grand Prize of $10,000: Tina Mundy from Summerside, District 21

 2nd Prize of $1,000: Jarret MacPhee from Montague, District 3

 3rd Prize of $1,000: Fred McCardle from Middleton, District 19

CONGRATULATIONS!

 The Progressive Conservative Association of Prince Edward Island would like to extend a special thank you to all who purchased tickets in support of the PC Provincial $10,000 Lottery Draw, drawn on Friday, August 20th, 2010 at the Charlottetown Driving Park by Hon. Jim Bagnall.

The tireless efforts of each district and their ticket sellers were essential to the success of this fundraiser and are greatly appreciated. Your continued support is important to the success of our party.

 For Immediate Release Jamie Fox Makes Website Inclusive Borden Carleton — August 10, 2010 — Jamie Fox is pleased to announce that his website, www.foxforleader.ca is now an inclusive website. “I wanted to make sure that I could reach out to as many Islanders as I could”, said Fox.

Fox expressed the importance for his website to offer assistance to those who may have some visual challenges and for people of all literacy levels. “There are people, for various reasons, that need assistance reading what is being presented on the computer screen and I am trying to help them visit and have an opportunity to hear the material on my site”, said Fox.

These issues are everyday issues in our communities and I believe that government needs to do whatever it can to support the various programs that are needed to assist the wide range of issues that Islanders may have.” Jamie Fox’s website can be viewed at www.foxforleader.ca. For more information contact: Jamie Fox- (902)432-0705

Reds Corner (Former Whim Inn) - Pooles Corner

Tuesday, August 31^st 7:00pm

Topics of discussion is Economic and Rural Development

St Anthony’s Hall - Bloomfield

Tuesday, September 7^th 7:00pm

Topics of discussion is Agriculture, Fisheries and Primary Industries

Wilmot Community Center - Summerside

Tuesday, September 14^th at 7:00pm

Topic of discussion is Healthcare on PEI

Holy Redeemer Hall - Charlottetown

Tuesday September 21^st at 7:00pm

Topic of discussion is Education on PEI

Party members can now register on-line at www.pcparty.pe.ca or at Party Headquarters at 30 Pond Street in Charlottetown to participate in the October 1^st/2^nd Leadership Convention. The event will take place at the U.P.E.I. Chi-Wan Young Sports Centre (the former field house).

From now until September 1^st adult registration will be $10 with youth at $5. The fee goes to $20 for adult and $10 for youth on September 2^nd.

Observers to the leadership convention will pay a $30 fee.

Please note: New party members must be signed up by Friday September 10th to be eligible to vote at the convention. People whose membership has lapsed within the last 4 years can renew their membership and register for the convention right up to the call to order on October 2^nd.

 If you have any questions please feel free to call the PC Office at 628-8679 at anytime.

 PC Party of PEI

Jamie Fox to Make Leadership Announcement

Jamie Fox would like to invite members of the PC Party of PEI, the general public and media to an announcement on Friday, July 30, 2010 at 1:00pm at The Shipyard Market located at 370 Water Street in downtown Summerside.

Jamie will be speaking about the upcoming leadership convention to be held on October 1^st and 2^nd and his intentions as a candidate. 

Jamie looks forward to seeing you there!

Bagnall said the unions have been leery of Finance Minister Wes Sheridan’s, “Wes-e-nomics” since April’s budget, when it was announced that government would balance its books within a four-year period, if re-elected in 2011.

“This government is sending a clear message to our public sector workers that they do not intend to negotiate. The Finance Minister has said he will review every department, in an effort to trim the deficit. Everyone knows that means program cuts and job losses,” warned Bagnall. He questioned how government intends to provide quality services to Island residents if they slash jobs and cut programs.

The Opposition Leader said civil service wages on Prince Edward Island are already well behind those in other provinces, yet the province has failed to show respect for the negotiating process and their own employees.

“Prince Edward Island cannot continue to allow our workforce to migrate off-Island to find work because they cannot make a living here,” said Bagnall. “We need the economic stimulus that comes with Islanders who are working in decent paying jobs, we need the services and the contribution that these individuals can make to our communities.”

Bagnall called on the Ghiz government to respect the negotiating process rather than use the civil service as a scapegoat to cut the deficit. “This government, under Premier Robert Ghiz has been on a spending spree since it came to power and the public service should not have to pay the price for their extravagance and mis-management.”

For further information please contact:

Opposition Leader Jim Bagnall,

(902) 368-4360

MORELL - PC Leadership Candidate Olive Crane is officially launching her online campaign this weekend.

Crane hopes to increase her web presence to better connect with Islanders.

"Connecting online is an exciting opportunity to hear from even more Island voices," says Crane. "Although my passion is meeting Islanders face-to-face, I want to engage as many people as I can. Having a strong web campaign is a great step in that direction. I often check and update my Twitter and Facebook pages to hear questions and concerns. I

hope that my website, Twitter, and Facebook page increase the connection and communication between myself and Islanders."

Crane has been on the campaign trail since announcing her intention to run for the party’s permanent leadership in June. Before that, she served as the party’s interim leader. She has been the MLA for the district of Morell-Mermaid since 2006.

Her website, olivecrane.ca, outlines her vision, history, and motivation. "Islanders feel disconnected from the decision-making process in government right now. Having a stronger online presence is a step closer to closing that gap."

Stay current on Crane’s campaign by checking her news, updates, locations, and pictures by clicking on www.olivecrane.ca, www.facebook.com/olivecrane, www.twitter.com/olivecrane, or email olive@olivecrane.ca

For further information, please contact:

PC Leadership Candidate Olive Crane

(902) 314-1352

olive@olivecrane.ca

Can grain and oilseed producers in a small province like P.E.I. break out of what is often called the commodity trap? For Peter Llewellyn, the answer is a resounding "Yes". An executive for a major seafood processor throughout much of his working life, Llewellyn is now consulting with the Island Grains and Proteins Council exploring ways to help producers move up the value chain.

The P.E.I. ADAPT Council is providing the financial support under the Canadian Agricultural Adaptation Program (CAAP) for this project which will identify possible markets for value added and consumer ready food products using cereal grains and soy beans grown in PEI.

According to Llewellyn and his associate, David MacKay, the report will provide preliminary conclusions as to what opportunities are most worthwhile to pursue and determine the methods and infrastructure requirements necessary to gain a significant share of the specialty food market.

A part of this research a SWOTT (strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, threats as well as trends) analysis was undertaken. The preliminary findings indicate that the Island’s relatively small size can be a strength in being able to adapt to new market opportunities.

Llewellyn and MacKay, cautioned that the specialty food market is quite competitive. However, they also believe that PEI’s "clean green" image and the heritage of the Anne of Green Gables novel in Japan and elsewhere may provide a market advantage.

For instance, they found that, fermented soya products represent a largely untapped potential market in China and Japan. They are also investigating opportunities to sell forage to producers in Newfoundland in what he termed could be a win-win for both provinces. Currently, forage bales sell for $20 in P.E.I. but up to $75 in Newfoundland and Labrador. Llewellyn explained sending the bales by barge is less expensive than trucking and could result in improved returns for Island growers as well as lower prices for Newfoundland livestock producers. "Those are the kind of opportunities we’re exploring," he said.

Other opportunities, related to the Atlantic region, indicated that the production of malt may provide a market for Island barley. Their interviews with regional brewers and distillers indicate that they are quite interested in differentiating their products through the purchase of regionally produced barley malt.

Regarding the culinary market it was found that there may be opportunities to greatly enhance the market for PEI branded specialty flours through the restoration of the historic Coleman Flour Mill in western PEI. Such an initiative would require a ‘Value Chain’ type of collaboration between the West Prince tourism industry, Provincial economic development services and the PEI grain industry.

Llewellyn and Mackay, also report that the cost for specialty food infrastructure tends to be lower than industrial scale production that governments and industry typically chase after. This is because the production of specialty foods prioritizes technical knowledge rather than high infrastructure investment. For example, they point out that, the malt for some of the most expensive scotch whiskey, produced in Scotland, is processed on a concrete floor and turned by hand. In addition the possibility exists that the dryer and cleaning equipment held by the PEI Grains Elevators Corporation could be adapted for the production of barley malt. As a result it appears that the overall infrastructure costs for specialty food production is generally within reach of the Island grain industry.

Llewellyn said the final report will be finished later this year. It will then be up to the Island industry to decide which opportunities they wish to pursue.