The next presentation in the Island Studies Lecture series features Dr. Joseph Glass speaking on the life and times of Dr. Leo Frank. The lecture is Tuesday, November 20 at 7:00 pm in the Faculty Lounge of UPEI’s SDU Main Building. All are welcome.

Hidden away in Stratford, a small municipal park is named in memory of a former resident, Dr. Leo Frank, a unique individual in the Jewish and general history of PEI. In 1915, he established the Rosebank Fur Farms: a profitable business and showcase for black silver fox ranching as featured in many postcards, stereoscope cards, articles in North America newspapers, and a motion picture. A mysterious character, he made quite an impression on Islanders. His economic, social, and cultural activities were often discussed in the local press. However, he did not draw attention to his Jewishness until after his marriage in 1935. Although the ranch ceased operations in 1944, he and his wife Ruchamah lived at Rosebank until 1958. The lecture highlights the story of the man memorialized in this green space in Stratford.

Dr. Joseph B. Glass is a recent arrival to the Island. Born in Toronto, he studied and taught at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem for over twenty years. Dr. Glass’ published research has looked at Sephardic Jewish entrepreneurs in Jerusalem, American and Canadian Jewish migration, and the connection between Canada and the Holy Land. His book on the Valero family in Jerusalem received a prestigious award for best monograph in Turkish economic and social history. Since his arrival, he has been researching PEI’s early Jewish history until the mid-twentieth century. He has uncovered a wealth of information and fascinating stories of early Jewish life. His is preparing articles and a book on this little-known group in the Island’s history.

Admission to the lecture is free, and everyone is welcome to attend.

The next lecture in the series is scheduled for December 11. For more information, please contact Laurie at iis@upei.ca or (902) 894-2881.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

A new book from Island Studies Press will examine and compare the stories of abortion access in Prince Edward Island and Ireland. Crossing Troubled Waters: Abortion in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Prince Edward Island is co-edited by UPEI’s Dr. Colleen MacQuarrie. The book launches Monday, November 19 at 4:00 pm in Schurman Market Square of UPEI’s Don and Marion McDougall Hall.

Crossing Troubled Waters shines a light on two islands—Ireland (north and south) and Prince Edward Island, Canada—and considers for each island, the nature of the discourse of abortion on the island, the impact that restrictions have had, ongoing efforts to improve access, and recent activist successes. Island Studies Press is proud to publish this pivotal academic text that is rooted in local research and activism.

Accessing abortion services is challenging in many countries around the world. Barriers result from poor access to healthcare, geographic location, legal restrictions, abortion stigma, and moral conservatism. Repeated studies indicate restricting access to abortion does not prevent it happening, but rather displaces it and often results in unsafe abortion contributing to maternal mortality. Those living on islands face particular challenges presented by their geographic isolation, including travel to other jurisdictions, which is financially and emotionally burdensome.

Crossing Troubled Waters: Abortion in Ireland, Northern Ireland, and Prince Edward Island is co-edited by Dr. Colleen MacQuarrie, Fiona Bloomer, Claire Pierson, and Shannon Stettner. Dr. MacQuarrie is a professor of psychology at UPEI and a co-founding member of the Abortion Rights Network, Abortion Access Now PEI, and RAARN, the Reproductive Activism and Abortion Rights Network.

Please join Island Studies Press in celebrating this new book. For more information about the book or the launch, please contact Bren at ispstaff@upei.ca or call (902) 566-0386.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

UPEI’s Climate Research Lab and the PEI Woodlot Owners Association (PEIWOA) will host a public talk on sustainable forestry practices to deepen our understanding of how climate change can affect forestry management. Dutch expert Dr. Gert-Jan Nabuurs will compare European forestry practices with the situation on Prince Edward Island. The event is Tuesday, November 20 at 7:00 pm in the Alex H. MacKinnon Auditorium of UPEI’s Don and Marion McDougall Hall. All are welcome to this free public lecture.

“On PEI, one can think of enhancing thinnings, using the low quality thinned wood for biomass and, at the same time, aim with the remaining stand for a higher quality timber—a kind of European style forestry,” said Dr. Nabuurs. “The benefit for the forest owner is not so much in the short term, but lies more in the longer term, with better stands. These operations and mindset have to change. That takes time. Access to forest is needed. Owners have to collaborate, and regular supply is needed.”

Dr. Gert-Jan Nabuurs is a professor of European forest resources at Wageningen University in the Netherlands and a senior researcher at Wageningen Environmental Research (WUR). His background is in European-scale forest-resource analyses and management under climate change. His work has both scientific and practical applications.

Dr. Nabuurs is the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change’s (IPCC) coordinating lead author in good practice guidance for the its fourth assessment report. He will lead the agriculture and forestry chapter in the IPCC’s sixth assessment report, starting in 2019. He was assistant director of the European Forest Institute in Finland from 2009–2012. He is member of Ministerial Advisory Committee Sustainability of Biomass for Energy Purposes, advising on certification schemes and their applicability to Dutch biomass sustainability criteria.

Although this event is important for woodlot owners and silviculture workers, Dr. Nabuurs’ ideas and experience will also be of interest to forestry contractors, environment and watershed groups, climate scientists, resource managers, local governments and chambers of commerce. All are welcome.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

Douglas Gibson is Canada’s most famous living book publisher and editor. In his 45-year career, he edited and published luminous constellations of Canadian authors including Alice Munro, Pierre Trudeau, Alistair MacLeod, Ken Dryden, Brian Mulroney, Hugh MacLennan, Robertson Davies, W.O. Mitchell, Mavis Gallant, and Barry Broadfoot.

Gibson will tell stories about his work and friendships with Canada’s celebrated authors at the next Winter’s Tales Authors Reading Series event on Tuesday, November 20 at 7:30 pm in the Carriage House of Charlottetown’s Beaconsfield Historic House.

In 2011, he published his memoir, Stories About Storytellers. Book in hand, he took his self-proclaimed “road show” to more than one hundred communities around Canada, from Newfoundland to Haida Gwaii. That tour resulted in his second book, Across Canada by Story, and a second “stage show.”

In the new book and show, he tells stories of the many people he encountered with strong connections to Canada’s literary culture: friends of the authors, devoted readers, booksellers and librarians, teachers and students, local authors and supporters. He celebrates not only the stars, but also the galaxy of people who cherish and nurture our heritage as it crystallizes in book form.   

Douglas Gibson was born in the village of Dunlop in Kilmarnock, Ayrshire, Scotland, and worked on farms during the summer. He immigrated to Canada in 1967 and became managing editor at Doubleday Canada in 1969. He was appointed editorial director and then publisher at Macmillan of Canada, then publisher at the great Canadian publishing company McClelland & Stewart from 1988 until 2004. At M&S, he established Canada’s first editorial imprint, Douglas Gibson Books. “No one has done more for Canadian Literature than this man,” wrote Alistair MacLeod.

Gibson’s show is hosted by the UPEI English Department, with support from the UPEI Dean of Arts and The Canada Council for the Arts. Admission is free. All are welcome.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

In a message issued to the campus community today, University of Prince Edward Island President Abd-El-Aziz thanked the Government of PEI for its support towards the construction of a new residence on the UPEI campus that will house 260 students. The Government announced the initiative as part of its Housing Action Plan.

President Abd-El-Aziz worked diligently over the last several years on the initiative. He indicated the agreement residence was the culmination of a great collaboration between Government and UPEI to address the growth in enrolment that UPEI has experienced and increases in demand for on-campus housing. He wrote:

The University is committed to its Strategic Plan of creating new and exciting programs and strengthening our traditional programs by incorporating experiential learning into the curriculum. With this intense effort to develop future-focussed programs, we have experienced tremendous international student enrolment growth as well as in the number of students from other parts of Canada.

This growth in enrolment has led to increased demand for on-campus housing, both during the traditional academic year and year-round. Today’s announcement of a new residence is the culmination of a great collaboration between our University and Government. It will help us to accommodate more of our local and off-Island students’ housing needs and also allow more students to experience residence life.

The Housing Action Plan investments announced today by the Honourable Tina Mundy, Minister of Family and Human Services, and the Honourable Heath MacDonald, Minister of Finance, include a variety of housing initiatives. I congratulate the Government of PEI on this comprehensive plan that will benefit post-secondary students, newcomers, and Islanders, and alleviate some of the housing issues in our province.

On behalf of the University, I express my appreciation to the Government of PEI for their support towards a new residence at UPEI. I look forward to continue working diligently with our government leaders to find ways to further assist our students in all aspects of their university life.
 

The UPEI Wind Symphony, under the direction of Dr. Karem J. Simon, will be performing a full recital of contemporary wind band music on Thursday, November 15 at 7:30 pm at the Homburg Theatre in Charlottetown. Following years of performances at local churches, the Wind Symphony is using Charlottetown’s premier venue at the Confederation Centre of the Arts to provide its members, guest performers, and the audience with an optimal experience. The ensemble is in fine form, and recent performances in Saint John, NB, and Summerside have been enthusiastically received.

The centrepiece of the program is the Concertino for Four Percussionists by American composer David Gillingham. This work exploits the technical, expressive, and sonic qualities of the Wind Symphony’s extensive percussion section. Featured soloists include principal percussionist Ryan Drew and freshman Kendall Perry, who will be joined by UPEI music graduates Michael Gallant and Branden Kelly.

The Wind Symphony’s program will begin with Pulitzer Prize-winning composer William Schumann’s Chester, which is a setting with variations of an eighteenth century American Revolutionary hymn. Medieval Suite, a work by another American, Ron Nelson, will follow. Here, Nelson captures the music of the twelfth and thirteenth centuries while using contemporary harmonies, textures, colour, and minimalism. The Wind Symphony will then jump a couple of centuries in its presentation of an elegant set of Renaissance dances by Japanese composer Yosuke Fukuda. The final piece will be the March from Symphonic Metamorphosis by Paul Hindemith, a clever adaptation of themes by romantic composer Carl Maria von Weber.

For this recital, UPEI is delighted to share the opportunity of performing at the Homburg Theatre with two local bands: the Queen Charlotte Grade 9 Band, under the direction of Sylvia Andrew, and the Colonel Gray Grade 11–12 Band under the direction of Shawn Doiron.

Tickets for this performance at $15 Adults and $10 Students may be acquired at UPEI, participating schools, and the Confederation Centre of the Arts box office.

About the UPEI Wind Symphony

Comprised of UPEI music majors, the Wind Symphony has been critically acclaimed for its performance standard and innovative programming. During the past twenty years, the Wind Symphony has produced an annual compact disc featuring selected repertoire from each year’s performances. This has been a particularly busy semester for the Wind Symphony, which has performed collaboratively with school bands in New Brunswick and Prince Edward Island. Recently, the Wind Symphony performed during the inaugural concert band recital at the new Celtic Performing Arts Centre in Summerside.

The University of Prince Edward Island prides itself on people, excellence, and impact and is committed to assisting students reach their full potential in both the classroom and community. With roots stemming from two founding institutions—Prince of Wales College and Saint Dunstan’s University—UPEI has a reputation for academic excellence, research innovation, and creating positive impacts locally, nationally, and internationally. UPEI is the only degree granting institution in the province and is proud to be a key contributor to the growth and prosperity of Prince Edward Island.

UPEI Men’s Hockey plays a pair of home games this weekend. The Panthers host Dalhousie University Friday night at 7:00 pm. The team is back on the ice Saturday at 7:00 pm against St. Francis Xavier University.

“This will be our first look at both of these programs in regular season this year,” said coach Forbes MacPherson. “We were not good at all in Fredericton in our last game. It will be very important that we come with a lot of energy Friday and get off to a good start.”

UPEI Athletics and Recreation has a special cyber offer for Friday night’s game. The Panther Family Ticket Package gives you a family pack of four tickets for just $25! Order online through the Eastlink Centre Box Office and use the promo code PANFAM.

As usual, all UPEI students get into home games for free! Come on our and cheer on your Panthers!

Go Panthers Go!

At an announcement held today in UPEI's McMillan Hall in the W.A. Murphy Student Centre, the 2023 Canada Winter Games were officially awarded to the province of Prince Edward Island. Canada Games Council board member Lynn Blouin was on hand to present the Canada Games flag to the Honourable Robert Mitchell, Minister of Health and Wellness, and responsible for sport. UPEI's Vice-President Administration and Finance Jackie Podger served as the master of ceremonies as the University will be the site of the Athletes Village and the host of several sports during the Games.

In a message issued to the campus communty, President Abd-El-Aziz said:

Along with Vice-President Administration and Finance Jackie Podger, I have been working very closely with the PEI Canada Games Bid Committee over the past year in efforts to secure the 2023 Canada Winter Games for Prince Edward Island. Recently I met with members of the Canada Games Council’s bid evaluation team to assure them that the University of Prince Edward Island will lend its full support to the event organizers. UPEI will be a significant component of the 2023 Canada Winter Games. Our campus will not only host several sports at our facilities, but our new residence, that was announced yesterday and is proposed to be built near the corner of Belvedere and University avenues, will be the hub of the Athletes Village, housing Canada Games athletes from across the country.

I have discussed UPEI’s involvement with the 2023 Games at both Senate and with the Board of Governors, and was very pleased to receive their unanimous support. We collectively agree that UPEI should play an integral role as this national multi-sport event for youth will have many positive impacts on our community, our province, and our students, faculty, and staff. Our campus community will have many opportunities to contribute to its success, and in turn, we will be enriched by our participation in the Canada Games experience.

Today’s announcement that the 2023 Canada Winter Games have been officially awarded to Prince Edward Island is wonderful news for our Island and for the University. I look forward to continuing UPEI’s collaboration with event organizers to discuss the many ways that, together, we can stage the best edition of the Canada Winter Games in 2023. 

The University of Prince Edward Island played a significant role in both previous Canada Games on Prince Edward Island: the Canada Winter Games in 1991, and Canada Summer Games in 2009. 

President Alaa Abd-El-Aziz assisted the Honourable Lawrence MacAulay, Minister of Agriculture and Agri-food and MP for Cardigan, as he lay the wreath on behalf of Prince Edward Island at a Remembrance Day ceremony at the Canadian Embassy in Beijing, China on November 11. President Abd-El-Aziz is participating in a multi-sectoral Canada-PEI trade and investment mission to China that wraps up on November 15. The mission will support Atlantic Canadian businesses and organizations in targeted sectors—food and beverage producers including seafood, clean growth, education, and tourism—that are looking to create new partnerships and build business-to-business relationships in China, Canada’s second largest trading partner after the United States.

Dr. Trevor Jain (Maj.), Program Director for the Bachelor of Science in Paramedicine at UPEI and a reservist with the Canadian army, received the Order of Military Merit (officer level) from Governor General Julie Payette on November 6 in Ottawa. Dr. Jain was one of five members of the Canadian army at last week’s ceremony to receive the meritorious clasp, one of the highest military honours in the country.

Working as a surgeon with the armed forces, the major's most recent deployment was a nine-week stint in Iraq as part of Op Impact, where he was a trauma team leader. Dr. Jain is a member of the 36 Canadian Brigade, the reserve army that covers PEI and Nova Scotia, and Deputy Commanding Officer of the Prince Edward Island Regiment. The soldiers in the brigade nominated him for the Order of Military Merit, which is based on outstanding military service.

Dr. Jain also works as an emergency room physician at the Queen Elizabeth Hospital and is Medical Director of the Primary Care, Paramedicine, and Advanced Care Paramedicine programs at Holland College.

Congratulations, Dr. Jain!