“We’re not ready yet!” scream tourist operators, general public
CHARLOTTETOWN – The Island has been thrown into chaos as a tourist has arrived in April, well before tourists are legally allowed to clog up the streets and restaurants of Charlottetown.
I just want to know what in heck they’re thinking coming here in May.
Clarence McEwen, farmer, spotter of car from away
“It was a bad sign when I saw a license plate from away before the end of May,” said local farmer Clarence McEwen. “This can’t be good, especially since most of Cavendish hasn’t been unpacked yet.”
“I hope I’m wrong [about seeing a license plate from away]. I just want to know what in heck they’re thinking coming here in May. They can’t have much going on if that’s what they’re up to,” says McEwen.
Laws limiting tourist access to the Island without prior government approval have been enforced since 1974. Provincial officials are given the legal power to question anyone from away who tries to come to the Island in off-summer months — mostly by saying “Why?” over and over again.
If a tourist is found guilty of accessing the Island in a non-summer period, they may be subject to fines, expulsions from the Island, or in one extreme case in 1988, be forced to tour all three counties during their visit.
According to McEwen, the tourist — rumoured to be skulking around the outskirts of Charlottetown, attempting to sully the Island way of life while also enjoying it — was driving the speed limit on the Trans-Canada, which really made them stand out.
Islanders are encouraged to be cautious around this tourist, as they are obviously lost, disoriented and potentially dangerous. Police blockades have been erected at the ferries, the Bridge, liquor stores, and lobster markets from tip to tip, promising the capture of the illegal tourist.
The Islander 