Join us for the 2009 Annual Conference
Charlottetown, Prince Edward Island
June 24 - 28

From lobster to Anne of Green Gables, PEI offers all
By Paul MacNeill

Prince Edward Island will play host to the annual conference of the International Society of Weekly Newspaper Editors June 24-28, 2009.

The conference itinerary is already taking shape. Content will deliver a lively mix of seminars that will engage all of the senses. It will be hosted at the University of Prince Edward Island, a growing university with modern amenities.

Some of the speakers already confirmed include Premier Robert Ghiz. He will speak on the challenges of leading Canada’s smallest province within the Canadian federation.

Access to information issues will prominently be discussed. David Coles, a leading Canadian defamation lawyer, will lead a seminar on the impact recent Canadian Supreme Court rulings are having on media. Bruce Craig, who formerly was executive director of the National Coalition for History based out of Washington, D.C. and who now is a UPEI professor, will discuss his fight to gain access to closed government documents. In 2008, he prepared the lead historical declaration in a U.S. federal court suit seeking to unseal the grand jury records of the Julius and Ethel Rosenberg espionage case. He is currently working on a biography of Alger Hiss.

No trip to Prince Edward Island would be complete without a discussion of the impact of Lucy Maude Montgomery. Her classic Anne of Green Gables novels have sold millions of copies around the world. She is revered in Japan. Local scholars will discuss her impact during a visit to her home community of Cavendish.

In the evening we will forgo the academic perception of Montgomery for the hugely popular musical production of Anne of Green Gables. It is Canada’s longest running musical. The 2009 season will mark its 44th year on the main stage of Confederation Centre of the Arts.

As a tiny Island, just 140 miles long and ranging from two to 40 miles wide, PEI is susceptible to the power of Mother Nature. Conference goers will enjoy a very special guided tour of the Greenwich dunes system, a magnificent and unique ecosystem on the Island’s north shore. It was recently added to Canada’s national park system.

After we fill your mind, we will fill your belly with a traditional lobster supper. Enough said.

Getting to PEI is reasonably easy. Direct flights are offered through Montreal and Toronto. Flying into Halifax and either renting a car or taking a shuttle is also viable. It is roughly a 3.5-hour drive and as an added bonus will include a trip over Confederation Bridge, the longest bridge over ice covered water (hopefully not in June) in the world. It is considered a modern engineering marvel.

UPEI is a very family friendly campus. Suites boast two bedrooms, each with two TVs, fridge and microwave. There is a wonderful aquatic centre on campus that can be accessed at a small additional cost.

In the coming weeks we will post registration forms and contact information on the ISWNE Web site. Our goal is to provide a conference that exceeds your expectations. If we can help in any way, please do not hesitate to ask. Contact me directly: Paul MacNeill, 902-838-2515 or paul@islandpress.ca.