Summerside is a Canadian city in
Prince County
A prince is a male ruler (ranked below a king, grand prince, and grand duke) or a male member of a monarch's or former monarch's family. ''Prince'' is also a title of nobility (often highest), often hereditary, in some European states. The ...
,
Prince Edward Island
Prince Edward Island is an island Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Canada. While it is the smallest province by land area and population, it is the most densely populated. The island has several nicknames: "Garden of the Gulf", ...
. It is the second largest city in the province and the primary service centre for the western part of the island.
History
Summerside was officially incorporated as a town on April 1, 1877. On April 1, 1995, the Town of Summerside amalgamated with the incorporated communities of
St. Eleanors and
Wilmot.
At the same time, the amalgamated Summerside annexed portions of the Community of
Sherbrooke
Sherbrooke ( , ) is a city in southern Quebec, Canada. It is at the confluence of the Saint-François River, Saint-François and Magog River, Magog rivers in the heart of the Estrie administrative region. Sherbrooke is also the name of a territ ...
and the
Lot 17 township.
[ It was PEI's second incorporated city, after the provincial capital of ]Charlottetown
Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County, Prince Edward Island, Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlott ...
.
Summerside is named for an inn owned by George Linkletter II, called Summer Side House.
Economy
The largest single employer within the city is the Summerside Tax Centre, a Government of Canada
The Government of Canada (), formally His Majesty's Government (), is the body responsible for the federation, federal administration of Canada. The term ''Government of Canada'' refers specifically to the executive, which includes Minister of t ...
agency which principally processes the Goods and Services Tax (GST).
The Slemon Park business park (formerly a military airbase, CFB Summerside) hosts a concentration of several aerospace and transportation companies in former military buildings; StandardAero (formerly Vector Aerospace/Atlantic Turbines) repairs and overhauls Gas Turbine aircraft engines, Testori Americas produces interiors for aircraft and mass transit surface vehicles, and Honeywell
Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building automation, industrial automa ...
manufactures and repairs parts for aircraft.
Amalgamated Dairies Limited is based in Summerside, founded in 1953 by six dairies as a co-operative and owned by dairy producers.
The outlying community of New Annan is home to the operations of Cavendish Farms, Prince Edward Island's largest private sector employer. Cavendish Farms maintains two large frozen foods processing plants in New Annan. Other outlying communities, such as Borden-Carleton have important employers for Summerside residents.
Since the closure of CFB Summerside in 1990, the city has been aggressive in courting new business opportunities and has created an Economic Development Office for the purpose of encouraging investment in the city. CFB Summerside is now the location of the Summerside Airport.
The Summerside area was at one time home to the world's largest concentration of Tame Silver Fox farms. This is highlighted at the PEI Fox Museum in the Summerside Armoury, a heritage building acquired by the City of Summerside in 1996.
Government
The Summerside City Council is governed by a mayor and eight councillors who represent geographic areas called wards. As of March 2025, Dan Kutcher is the mayor.
The Summerside Police Department is responsible for law enforcement within the city. The East Prince Detachment of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police
The Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP; , GRC) is the Law enforcement in Canada, national police service of Canada. The RCMP is an agency of the Government of Canada; it also provides police services under contract to 11 Provinces and terri ...
(RCMP) is located in North Bedeque, southeast of the city, however its only responsibility is to patrol, with the Summerside Police Department, the provincial Route 1A and Route 2 highways which pass along the east and north sides of the city.
Politics
For elections to the Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island
The Legislative Assembly of Prince Edward Island () together with the Lieutenant Governor of Prince Edward Island, lieutenant governor of Prince Edward Island form the General Assembly of Prince Edward Island. The Legislative Assembly meets at ...
, Summerside is covered by Summerside-Wilmot and Summerside-South Drive.
For elections to the House of Commons of Canada
The House of Commons of Canada () is the lower house of the Parliament of Canada. Together with the Monarchy of Canada#Parliament (King-in-Parliament), Crown and the Senate of Canada, they comprise the Bicameralism, bicameral legislature of Ca ...
, Summerside is covered by Egmont.
Education
Summerside has seven English public schools: four elementary, two junior high, and one senior high school. The English Language School Board has an office in the city.
The city also has one French public school operated by the Commission scolaire de langue française.
Holland College, Prince Edward Island's community college
A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enr ...
system, maintains three facilities in Summerside;
* Summerside Waterfront Campus
* Marine Training Centre
* Atlantic Police Academy
The College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts of Canada is also located in Summerside.
Demographics
In the 2021 Census of Population conducted by Statistics Canada
Statistics Canada (StatCan; ), formed in 1971, is the agency of the Government of Canada commissioned with producing statistics to help better understand Canada, its population, resources, economy, society, and culture. It is headquartered in ...
, Summerside had a population of living in of its total private dwellings, a change of from its 2016 population of . With a land area of , it had a population density of in 2021.
Energy
The City of Summerside operates the only municipally-owned electric utility in Prince Edward Island. After buying Charlottetown Light & Power in 1918, Maritime Electric consolidated electric distribution on the island. The company offered to take over the operations in Summerside, but backed down after citizens rejected various offers. The Summerside distribution grid has had an inter-connection with the Maritime Electric transmission grid since 1961.
Similar to Maritime Electric, Summerside Electric purchases the majority of its electricity from NB Power
New Brunswick Power Corporation (), operating as NB Power (), is the primary electric utility in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. NB Power is a Vertical integration, vertically-integrated Crown corpor ...
. In 2008, 76.5% of its power was acquired from NB Power
New Brunswick Power Corporation (), operating as NB Power (), is the primary electric utility in the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of New Brunswick. NB Power is a Vertical integration, vertically-integrated Crown corpor ...
. Although the Summerside Electric Commission has its own diesel engines at the Harvard Street Generating Station which can operate for several days independently of NB Power's supply, it is only used in exceptional circumstances such as when the NB Power or Maritime Electric transmission grids that feed the city are interrupted. They also run their engines on the last day of every month, for maintenance reasons and they sell that power back to NB Power.
In 2007 the city signed a 20-year agreement with a private wind energy company to supply about 23% of its electricity from a private wind farm in West Cape.
Construction started on a city owned wind farm in 2009 comprising four wind turbines, each capable of producing 3 megawatts of electricity. The wind farm became fully operational in late 2009 and was immediately tied into the city's power. This is Canada's first municipally owned and operated wind farm. On an average day the wind farm produces about 25% of the electricity for the entire city. At times when electricity usage in the city is low and the winds are high the wind farm has potential to produce more power than the city consumes.
The city is a supporter of clean electric vehicles. As of September 2013 there are over 10 electric car charging stations in the city with another 30 to be installed in the coming months. There are more charging stations per capita in Summerside than any other city in Canada.
Medical services
The Prince County Hospital, located in the city's north end, is the main referral hospital in the western part of the province.
Island Emergency Medical Services operates two Advanced Life Support Paramedic Ambulances 24/7 from its base downtown.
Climate
Summerside has a humid continental climate
A humid continental climate is a climatic region defined by Russo-German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1900, typified by four distinct seasons and large seasonal temperature differences, with warm to hot (and often humid) summers, and cold ...
(Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification divides Earth climates into five main climate groups, with each group being divided based on patterns of seasonal precipitation and temperature. The five main groups are ''A'' (tropical), ''B'' (arid), ''C'' (te ...
''Dfb'') with warm but somewhat moderate summers. It has cold winters with heavy snowfall, with some maritime moderation compared to areas farther inland.
The highest temperature ever recorded in Summerside was on 15 July 2013. The coldest temperature ever recorded was on 12 January 1930.
Attractions
The Summerside Raceway is a standardbred harness racing
Harness racing is a form of horse racing in which the horses race at a specific gait (a trot or a pace). They usually pull a two-wheeled cart called a sulky, spider, or chariot occupied by a driver. In Europe, and less frequently in Australia ...
track which is believed to be the oldest operating racing track in Canada, having opened in 1886. It is adjacent to Credit Union Place, the largest indoor sports facility in the province with a large hockey arena seating 4000, a bowling alley, a 25-metre swimming pool and other fitness and meeting facilities. Other attractions include the Harbourfront Theatre, the College of Piping and Celtic Performing Arts the Silver Fox Curling & Yacht Club, the Summerside Golf & Country Club, the PEI Sports Hall of Fame and Spinnakers' Landing.
The city has redeveloped several waterfront industrial sites, abandoned by the railway and marine terminal during the 1990s, into new parkland. A major reconstruction of the west end seawall has resulted in a new waterfront boardwalk for residents and visitors.
The former post office on Summer Street was designated a National Historic Site of Canada
National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...
in 1983. The former railway station, designed by architect Charles Benjamin Chappell and built in 1927, was designated a National Historic Site of Canada
National Historic Sites of Canada () are places that have been designated by the federal Minister of the Environment on the advice of the Historic Sites and Monuments Board of Canada (HSMBC), as being of national historic significance. Parks C ...
in 2007.
The fish industry has also thrived recently and created a whole new division of tourism industry. According to 2016 demographics of the city, most of the tourism in recent years, is from families just wanting to go sail out on the ocean, and catch some fish to sell to a market, or bring home.
Sports
Notable sporting events held by Summerside include:
* U-18 Men's Softball World Cup (1989 and 2005)
* 2009 Canada Summer Games (Co-hosted with Charlottetown
Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County, Prince Edward Island, Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlott ...
)
* 2023 Canada Winter Games (Hosted Curling, Hockey, Boxing and Karate)
Notable people
* Darryl Boyce – former NHL player
* Billy Bridges – Olympic para-athlete
* Charles Cahill (1904–1954) – NHL player
* Dave Cameron – former NHL player and coach
* Alex Campbell – former premier of Prince Edward Island
* John Chabot – former NHL player
* Anita Daher - writer
* Tanya Davis – musician
* Noah Dobson – NHL player
* Gerard Gallant – NHL Coach and former NHL player
* Forbes Kennedy – former NHL player
* George Key – former mayor and former leader of the Prince Edward Island Progressive Conservative Party
The Progressive Conservative Party of Prince Edward Island (PEIPC) is one of three major political parties on Prince Edward Island. The party and its rival, the Prince Edward Island Liberal Party, have alternated in power since responsible gove ...
*Troy Little
Troy Little (born 7 March 1973) is a Canadian cartoonist working in comic books and animation. He began self publishing with ''Chiaroscuro (graphic novel), Chiaroscuro'', a graphic novel that was developed between 2000 and 2005 under his Meanwhile ...
– Graphic Novelist
* Doug MacLean – former NHL coach
* Catherine MacLellan – musician
*Heather Moyse
Heather Moyse (born July 23, 1978) is a Canadian athlete and two-time Olympic gold medalist, representing Canada in international competition as a bobsledder, rugby union player, and track cyclist and competing at the Canadian intercollegiate ...
– two-time Olympic gold medalist in bobsled
*Steve Ott
Steven Bradley Ott (born August 19, 1982) is a Canadians, Canadian former professional ice hockey Centre (ice hockey), centre and current assistant coach of the St. Louis Blues of the National Hockey League (NHL). He was selected in the first rou ...
– former NHL player
* Basil Stewart – Mayor, member of the Order of Canada
* Mark Strand – poet
* Errol Thompson – former NHL player
* Al Tuck – Musician
* Alli Walker - Musician, model
* Nathan Wiley – Musician
Summerside was home for three years to the fictional Anne Shirley of the ''Anne of Green Gables
''Anne of Green Gables'' is a 1908 novel by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery (published as L. M. Montgomery). Written for all ages, it has been considered a classic children's novel since the mid-20th century. Set in the late 19th century, t ...
'' series by Canadian author Lucy Maud Montgomery. Anne resides in the town while principal of Summerside High School, in the book '' Anne of Windy Poplars''.
Media
Summerside has one radio station licensed to it, FM 102.1 CJRW-FM, which plays an adult contemporary
Adult contemporary music (AC) is a form of radio-played popular music, ranging from 1960s vocal and 1970s soft rock music to predominantly ballad-heavy music of the 1980s to the present day, with varying degrees of easy listening, pop, soul ...
format. CJRW is the only commercial radio station in the province whose studios are located outside of Charlottetown
Charlottetown is the capital and largest city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Prince Edward Island, and the county seat of Queens County, Prince Edward Island, Queens County. Named after Queen Charlotte, Charlott ...
. Summerside is otherwise served by media based in Charlottetown. CBC Television
CBC Television (also known as CBC TV, or simply CBC) is a Television in Canada, Canadian English-language terrestrial television, broadcast television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcasting, p ...
has its Prince County bureau situated in Summerside.
Summerside's weekly newspaper is the '' Journal Pioneer''. The province's French weekly newspaper, ''La Voix acadienne'', is also based in the city.
Sister Cities
* – Stirling
Stirling (; ; ) is a City status in the United Kingdom, city in Central Belt, central Scotland, northeast of Glasgow and north-west of Edinburgh. The market town#Scotland, market town, surrounded by rich farmland, grew up connecting the roya ...
, Scotland[ Retrieved 31 Dec 2016]
* - Dunedin, Florida
Dunedin ( ) is a city in Pinellas County, Florida, United States. The name comes from ''Dùn Èideann'', the Scottish Gaelic name for Edinburgh, the capital of Scotland. Dunedin is part of the Tampa Bay Area, Tampa–St. Petersburg–Clearwater ...
See also
* List of historic places in Summerside, Prince Edward Island
Notes
References
External links
*
{{Coord, display=title, name=Summerside, 46, 24, N, 63, 47, W, region:CA-PE_type:city
1840 establishments in Canada
Cities in Prince Edward Island
Populated coastal places in Canada
Populated places established in 1840